How to deconstruct the taboo around sex? By kicking off a conversation about sex and affective education through LoveAct’s Roadmap for the collection of “Memories&Voices”!
“Sex is still considered taboo today. In my personal experience, not only mine but also that of most young people, there are few open and free conversations about topics such as sex, gender and sexual orientation, especially with our parents and siblings, but also sometimes with friends.”
A teen, Italy
Following a process of co-creation, collaborative effort and shared expertise, the LoveAct project partners are thrilled to announce the publication of our LoveAct Roadmap!
The roadmap is a digital resource aiming to guide readers (whether they are youth organizations, activists, educators or anyone else) in initiating an intergenerational dialogue on the topics of Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) among young people and adults.
Intergenerational dialogue is key in promoting understanding and learning across cultures and generations, especially when dealing with CSE. It seems like older generations often criticise or complain about younger ones. But when we take the time to ask questions and dig deeper into people’s youth, it often turns out that despite socio-cultural differences, a lot of similarities exist in the way we love, we suffer, we desire, we create expectations. With this in mind, the LoveAct partnership set out to collect Memories and Voices, in other words, youth and adults’ stories about sexuality and affectivity:
“Memories” are texts, written by teenagers or adults (for instance, their parents/guardians or siblings), in which they share their experiences regarding different topics related to CSE: whether they have received or not a sex education; how they observe or live relations, identities, cultural clashes or disabilities in relation to sexuality and affectivity; what are their needs and desires in different stages of their life.
“Voices” are audio recordings, always taken by teenagers or adults with the same aim of sharing points of views on sexuality and affectivity, but conducted through semi-structured interviews: ideally, Voices come from adolescents willing to interview a close person and therefore to open with them an intergenerational dialogue, that will enrich both adults and adolescents, shading light on differences and similarities of their views on sexuality, affectivity and intimacy, of all core aspects of CSE.
“We do not get information about sex at school. We learn things about the human body, anatomy and pregnancies in biology classes but we do not learn things specifically about sex and health. We mention things in home economics but usually students laugh at stuff like images from the biology books and our teacher feels uncomfortable. I feel it is like a taboo.”
A teen, Cyprus
While parts of the Memories and Voices collected in the 8 countries of the partnership will be included in the LoveAct Digital and Educators Guide, soon to be realised, we wanted to enable others to replicate the experience of collection of such intergenerational stories: the Roadmap will guide you, through a step-by step approach, to organise gathering of young people and adults with the aim of breaking the ice on “taboo themes” as sex-ed ones often are!
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to learn more about the project and upcoming initiatives, or contact Francesca Barbino: francesca.barbino@cesie.org.
About the project
Love Act – Living positive and intersectional sexuality education for gender-based violence prevention is funded by CERV-2022-DAPHNE programme.
Partners
- CESIE (Italy, coordinator)
- Elan Interculturel (France)
- Symplexis (Greece)
- DDG (Lithuania)
- The Square Dot Team (Belgium)
- CSI (Cyprus)
- Intered (Spain)
- UPV/EHU (Basque Countries)
For further information
Read the project sheet, visitwww.thegendertalk.eu and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
Contact Francesca Barbino: francesca.barbino@cesie.org.
