Sexual and emotional education
The comprehensive sexuality education team is made up of psychologists, sex educators and health and prevention educators.
Sex education is an essential aspect of learning and raising awareness among young people and adults of the crucial issues surrounding sexuality and intimate relationships. This education takes several forms:
- Providing emotional and sexual education sessions for young people and adults:
• Formal education: primary, secondary, differentiated, etc.
• Non-formal education: hostels, boarding schools, after-school care , youth centres, etc.
• Social, disability and health institutions - Training and supervision of trainers: teaching, education and healthcare staff, etc.
- Parents nights and conferences upon request for other associations
- Leading and participating in specific working groups with/for various institutional and associative partners, such as the national “emotional and sexual health” action plan, etc.
- Documentation Centre and thematic bibliographic database, teaching tools and books; available for lending by professionals.
- Condoms and brochures are availabe free of costs.
🎯 Our objective remains the well-being of young people!
During its visits, the team reviews the services offered by Family Planning, which, particularly for young people, is a unique place where they can find appropriate information and free psycho-medical and social services that ensure total confidentiality to support them in their relational, sexual and reproductive lives.
General rules prevail for all types of intervention: confidentiality and respect in all regards, both for others and for the sexuality educator, voluntariness; nobody is forced to actively participate during the activities.
However, there is one exception to the team’s professional secrecy, which is explained at the beginning of all activities.
- Secrecy cannot be maintained if a child, young person, adult, with or without special needs, potentially is at risk of abuse or mistreatment, or if there is a suspicion of the before mentioned.
Sexual education
Here are some ways in which interventions to promote sexual and emotional education are carried out:
- Sex education sessions
- Projects and workshops
- Training
- Supervision
- Library
Our target audiences are:
- Primary school classes
- Secondary school classes
- Differentiated teaching classes
- Teenagers and adults with special needs
- Adults and teenagers in various institutional contexts
- Centre customers
- Educational staff
- Parents, as part of information evenings on sex and relationship education. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions you may have on this subject: esa@pfl.lu
Sexual rights, as formulated by the WHO, include the right to information and education. Sexuality education means a culturally relevant, age-appropriate approach to sexuality and interpersonal teaching based on scientifically accurate and realistic information that does not involve value judgments.
Sexuality education provides an opportunity to explore one’s own values and attitudes, and develop decision-making, communication and risk reduction skills in many aspects of sexuality (Unesco-2009).
There are many dimensions to emotional and sexual health, and the members of the team have diverse and complementary backgrounds to meet the needs of their beneficiaries: applied communication, socio-cultural activities and continuing education, education and social sciences, psychology, psycho-educational support, biological sciences, sexual education, etc.
- Formal education
It forms the basis of our activities and accounts for the majority of ESA’s business.
The content is always adapted to the age and needs of the pupils and classes and is based on the standards of sexual and emotional education as developed in the WHO matrix.
Primary School:
In primary schools, as provided by the Ministry of National Education, the professionals of the ESA team work in the presence of the schoolteachers.
- Preparing for activities:
What the new approach provides: teachers become partners; they take part in the lessons; they participate during the session and take the floor. To organise these activities in the classroom, the teacher meets up with the ESA team for a preparatory meeting. Different activities are presented to the teachers (emotion barometer, question box, bibliography, etc.) as well as the structure of future activities. - Activities:
They are based on the WHO matrix for sexuality education in Europe in terms of objectives and content.
The duration of interventions varies according to the cycle:
-Cycle 1 to 3: 1* 2 hours
-Cycle 4: 2*2 hours
Respecting the confidentiality of exchanges is a sine qua none condition at all levels. This is crucial in classes 4.1 and 4.2 when the pupils are in the throes of puberty. To guarantee a certain degree of anonymity, teachers, together with their students, prepare a question box, in which the pupils can put their noted questions, which will then be answered by a professional of the Planning Familial.
Collaboration with the teacher is important to ensure that the ESA course is followed over the long term. - Equipment:
-Pabéiermännercher (outline of a human body)- Paomi (pedagogical plush models of genitals)- naming the parts of the body correctly – the biological function of the body and reproduction – puberty and its changes;
-Who is allowed to touch me and where is it okay for me to be touched? – use red and green stickers and stick them on the Pabéiermännercher (outline of a human body- knowing how to say NO – knowing onesown limits;
-Understanding and expressing ones own emotions;
-Puberty – menstruation – using menstrual protection, hygiene – why is my penis getting bigger? boys’ bodies – sperm production – spontaneous erections – nocturnal ejaculation:
-Using the internet and social media / games / YouTube – the risks – what to watch out for – sending photos – using various applications
-Diversity – LGBTQIPA+ – different types of families ;
-Stereotypes of boys and girls / jobs / hobbies / toys / colours / clothes
Centre for Intellectual Development (CDI):
Sessions last 2 x 2 hours, with 2 educators, for a vulnerable target audience, at an individual pace and in response to specific needs.
The work in the CDIs is slightly different from that in the schools; the interventions and content vary:
-According to age: young children up to 16 years old
-According to their cognitive and adaptive capacities
It is crucial to ensure that the needs of each participant are met and to follow their pace.
The team works a lot on an emotional level. One of the most important aspects is to talk about emotions, feelings, the body and its changes over the course of a lifetime, puberty (menstruation, first ejaculation, physical changes, etc.).
The team also focuses on abuse prevention.
The goal is to instil in everyone the idea that their body belongs to them, to help them to identify their personal boundaries as to what feels good and what not and consequently to say NO to a touch or gesture they don’t like. The idea is to convey what “consent” means.
Secondary classes:
A number of ESA sessions in secondary schools are organised by members of CePAS (Centre psycho-social et d’accompagnement scolaires).
The ESA team works mainly with classes from 7ème to 5ème:
-Classical and technical classes: 3*1 hour
-Preparatory classes: 2*2 hours
The course content is always based on WHO standards for sexuality education in Europe. During the sessions the team decides on different topics that are discussed, among them:
-Consent
-Emotions and relationships
-Puberty and its changes
-Diversity / LGBTQIPA+
-The prevention of sexually transmitted infections and the use of condoms
-Contraception
-The prevention of unwanted pregnancy and VTP (voluntary termination of pregnancy)
-Pornography, cyber-bullying, the media, applications
-Presentation of Planning Familial and its services – ESA – psychologists – doctors / gynaecologists – reception as well as partners – CIGALE / HIV Berodung , etc.
The sexual and emotional education sessions vary andthe content is being adapted to the questions, needs and requests and bases on a “brainstorming”done at the start of each session, which gives an overview of the group’s knowledge and skills.
The team uses a variety of tools, such as thePAOMI (Parts Of Mine, plush models of genitals), samples of contraceptive methods, anatomical images of the body, various books and targeted educational videos.
- Non-formal education
Activities in this sector are also very important because they make it possible to reach young people and adults in their different living environments.
These activities are carried out:
-At the request of the supervisory staff.
-In after-school centres, youth centres, children’s homes, young people’s homes, women’s homes, homes for people with special needs.
-For an average of 2 hours.
-Outside the presence of the educators.
-With activities and themes adapted to the needs of the beneficiaries, to the interests expressed or to the situations given.
-Contraception, puberty, consent and relationships, pornography and the new media, gender stereotypes, sexual orientation and gender identity, etc.
-Brainstorming, positioning games, quizzes, exchanges and discussions.
These courses are adapted to the target groups of the different cycles:
-“Prävention vor sexuellem Missbrauch – Kinder stark machen” (Prevention of sexual abuse– empowering children)- Primary school and for CDI educators – 2 different courses
-“Sexuelle Bildung leicht gemacht – Was ist sexuelle Bildung und wann soll sie beginnen? – Methodenworkshop” (“Sexual education made easy – What is sexual education and when should it start? – Method workshop) – Primary School
-Pornographie – Wie gehe ich mit dem Thema um? (Pornography – How do I deal with the subject?) – Secondary
-Wie begleite ich Jugendliche durch dir Pubertät? (How do I accompany teenagers through puberty?) – Secondary
The increase in skills that this training brings is a capital asset that guarantees the sustainability of our actions. It is indeed the teachers, who are with the children on an everyday basis and who continue to the deliver the key messages of ESA.
According to the 1978 law on sexual information and the regulation of abortion, reformed in 2014, Article 3 of Chapter 1 entitled “Prevention and protection measures”, teacher training is provided through special courses. Special information and sex education sessions are included in initial teacher training courses for teacher candidates. This is an avenue that remains to be explored.