Project website & educational platform

KA201 – European Strategic Partnerships for school education

Partners: In Touch (NL), Symplexis (Greece), CESIE (Italy), Eastern-Hungarian Community Service Foundation (HU), Teachers’ Association of Herceghalom (HU), CSAT Egyesulet (HU), MESE (HU) & Hyperion Lyceum Amsterdam (NL)

KEY OBJECTIVES

• Raising the awareness of the importance of relationship- and sexual-education from early ages
• Raising the awareness of the family approach in societies by involving parents to talk openly about sex and relationships
• Involve schools having sex-ed as a part of school life in each partner countries
• Enabling teachers with multiple means to handle the topic naturally and with relevant knowledge 
• Influencing decision makers of the importance of comprehensive sex-ed

CONTEXT

According to the WHO comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) plays a central role in the preparation of young people for a safe, productive, fulfilling life in a world where sexually transmitted infections, unintended pregnancies, gender-based violence and gender inequality still pose serious risks to their well-being. However, in many European countries still few children receive preparation that empowers them to take control and make informed decisions freely and responsibly. Family also has an important role in the sexual development. Many children grow in an unstable and non-safe home environment. Even in good-functioning families they often get confusing messages about sexuality.

PARTICIPANTS, ACTIVITIES AND IMPACTS

1. Book of generations videos online: 3 generation interviews, workshops for parents and grandparents would change the attitude and improve communication skills on relationships and sexuality. This would be ´taboo – breaker´ and ‘eye-opener’ that would make the world more connected, safer, and also unveiling the diversity in manners of speaking, contacting, loving. 
2. The 4 day-long teachers´ training in each country with 10-15 participants enables teachers, school professional to organize structured relationship and sexuality education lessons in schools. The training outline is avalialable on the online platfom and will be accredited in Hungary.
3. The 6-month-long mentoring program with 20-25 participants would help teachers to develop their own teaching methods and apply the learned methods in their own teaching context.  
4. A toolkit for a 30-hours long sex-ed curriculum with module guide based on the inputs from pilot lessons in participating countries. The use of this methodology would help young people to become more informed, confident and successful in their relationships. In the long run that prevents unwanted pregnancies, STIs, gender or sexuality-based violence. We adapted and tested secondary school sex- ed curricula based on mainly Dutch examples with local schools and teachers. Altogether 20-25 teachers and 450-500 children will be involved.
5. All the results of the project; the video lessons, the training outline, the toolkit for a 30 hours long sex-ed curriculum has been translated for five languages and available on the official webpage of the project.
6. During the duration of the project we will inform the broader public by our events, media coverage, trainings, materials and videos as well raise the awarness of policy makers of the importance of the topic via the White Paper.

METHODOLOGY

• We use the term sexual education in a broad sense including cultural aspects, social, emotional learning development of skills. We put a special focus on cross-generational communication, family discussion to create more open climate around the topic.
• We worked out a methodology which is easy to combine with other schools subjects (such as literature, biology, language, history) as well as can be integrated in after-school activities (such as school camps, sport activities, theater, dance, music).
• The module-based teachers´ training program reflects the individual needs of the participants. Participants put together their tailor- made training program based on their special needs and teaching context.
• The mentoring process ensures a platform for professional counselling, discussion, experience sharing.
• Training activities rely on active, democratic, experimental, cooperative learning methods, using and analysing the concrete work situations of participants. We apply non-formal methodology; interactive, embodied activities.

POTENTIAL LONG TERM BENEFITS

All the produced toolkits and documents are widely available for teachers and educators. Participants would be able to promote it within their schools, local communities, colleagues and experts from other institutions. The videos are widely accessible for broader public and can be used for education, awareness raising campaigns or as inspirational source for further educational projects. Participants can get acquainted with this approach of sexual education. This would change the attitude of the given schools and their environment and improve communication skills on sexuality. In the long term that prevents unwanted pregnancies, STIs, gender or sexuality-based violence and helps to build a healthy, respectful and joyful social and sexual life.