Videos
Activities’ topics
When it comes to sex education, body-related issues and topics are the first that come to mind, but they are also the ones that could raise the most concern. Sex education should treat sexual development as a normal, natural part of human development: learning to freely talk about it protects young people’s physical and mental health throughout their lives.
When starting a workshop or a training session, it is essential to welcome participants and provide them with a safe space: there might be participants who feel a little embarrassment or discomfort at the beginning of a session. Ice breaking or relaxing activities can be a step to overcome this issue. Such activities can reduce the stress of participants and help them feel and relax their bodies: indeed, people learn better when they are calm and in a positive state of mind. Nevertheless, we would suggest not to skip a formal introduction telling participants the goal and structure of the workshop and introduce briefly non-formal methodology and its aims. That might give a feeling of security to participants new to non-formal learning.
The teenage years are incredibly sensitive and formative. It is a time when young people experiment, try new things, become critical of the world around them and learn about who they are. It is also a time when emotions run high: when young people are confronted with “adult life,” all the rules and cultural norms, the hidden and explicit expectations of society, and the pressures and stresses of age can manifest themselves in the form of uncontrollable emotions: it can be difficult to open up and talk about feelings, but at the same time it can be painful to keep emotions inside as “bottled up.” It is therefore necessary to understand and address this phenomenon in its complexity: how do we adults express emotions? What have we learned from our parents, grandparents or the society around us? What cultural norms and double standards are present depending on culture, age or gender?
All young people should know the importance of respecting limits and boundaries of themselves and others to build healthy relationships. However, the messages that very often pass, especially through social media, can “confuse” young people and make them unsure about how to set their own limits in everyday situations. It is therefore necessary to talk about it, at any age, not only to help recognize and prevent discrimination, violence and abuse, but also to try to have positive and pleasant experiences.
Everyone deserves to have a healthy, satisfying, consensual and safe relationship, but how do we know if our relationship is healthy? Relationships can be defined in different ways depending on who is involved: there are different ways of expressing affection and love, but healthy ones all depend on a few key elements: two-way communication, boundaries, mutual respect, and support for each other while allowing each other space and privacy. Romantic relationships can be strongly influenced by inequality and power differences due to gender, age, economic, social, or health status. Knowing the difference between a respectful relationship and a disrespectful one can help people decide whether to end or stay in a relationship. Even in healthy relationships, it is helpful to gain awareness and learn how to start, maintain, and end a relationship.
Book of love of generations: Intergenerational dialogues on sexuality and relationships
Sexuality and affectivity remain still the elephant in the
room when it comes to formal education, but what about the family?
Is sex and love something that can be discussed among
families or is it still considered a taboo?
Do parents talk openly about sexuality with their children? How do families express their love? How are things different for the younger generations
compared to the previous ones? What has changed and what remains still?
We talked with people of different ages in Hungary, Greece,
Italy and the Netherlands to learn more about their experiences
Book of love of generations: Intergenerational Interviews
Intergenerational interview from the Netherlands
Intergenerational interview from Hungary
Intergenerational interviews from Italy
Intergenerational interviews from Greece
Intergenerational interview from the Netherlands
Intergenerational interview from Hungary
Intergenerational interviews from Italy
Intergenerational interviews from Greece
ISEX methodology for Sex-Ed
Sex Education in Italy, Hungary, Greece and the Netherlands
How is the current situation regarding sex education in the ISEX countries? We spoke with educators, youth workers and health professionals from Italy, Greece, Hungary and the Netherlands about the level of inclusion of sex education in schools in each country, the challenges professionals face and the needs of young people in terms of sex-ed information.
