Report from the Youth Forum
The consumers point of view
With the participation of students from Hungary, Russia,
Czech Republic and Poland
Chair : Olga Loeber (Netherlands) and Ulla Ollendorf (Norway)
This active workshop started with the introduction of the forum and then
several topics concerning sex education were discussed with the forum and the
participants.
The take home messages from the forum can be summarized as follows:
- Sex education should be continuous and start at an early age (preschool).
At this stage it should be done by parents and include information about
physical differences between boys and girls and behavioural aspects like
equal rights between boys and girls.
- Later at school age sex education should: a- contain knowledge about
fertility, body development, facts about contraception and prevention of
unwanted consequences. This part should be standardized, checked and updated
to enhance quality and could well be provided by school teachers. b- deal
with behaviour and communica- tion, homosexuality, the development of sexual
behaviour in life etc. This part could be provided by specialized trainers
or peer educators
- The taboo concerning talking about sexuality by parents and teachers
should be reduced.
- The method ‘Nine Steps of Sexuality’ seems a good method of dealing
with sex education.
- Sexuality has dark sides in all of us. These should also be addressed.
Protection against coercion and other unwanted behaviour could be done by
enhancing self respect and self esteem.
- The main focus of sex education should be on the positive sides of sex.
- Boys should be taught what girls think and vice versa.