Module 1

Let's talk about sex in a safe way

Module Overview

Welcome to "Sexual Health: Understanding Your Body and Choices" – a dynamic and interactive module crafted to empower youth workers in guiding teenagers aged 16-19 through essential conversations about sexual health. This module is your gateway to fostering open, respectful, and inclusive dialogues on topics like reproductive health, the power of consent, and celebrating diversity in sexual orientation. Together, we’ll equip teenagers to navigate these crucial aspects of life with confidence and clarity.

This module will boost your confidence in addressing sensitive topics and provide practical tools to make learning meaningful. Explore how to create safe spaces, empower informed decision-making, and support teenagers on their journey to independence with empathy and understanding.

Learning Objectives:

After completing this module, you will be able to:

Create a safe and non-judgmental environment for young people to explore these topics.
Deliver accurate and age-appropriate information about sex, relationships, and sexual health.
Facilitate interactive activities that promote critical thinking and decision-making skills.
Address sensitive topics with empathy and respect.
Signpost young people to appropriate resources and support services.

Main theory overview:

The current situation regarding sex education in EU countries varies considerably. While some countries have comprehensive and inclusive sex education programs, others have limited or abstinence-only approaches and this also includes partners developing this project.
This can create challenges for young people in accessing accurate information and support. Youth workers need to be aware of the specific context in their country and adapt their approach accordingly.

Puberty marks a significant developmental phase, driven by hormonal changes. Emotional volatility during this period is common, highlighting the need for empathy and guidance.

Common Pitfalls & Managing difficult Situations:

Avoid fear-based messaging: Scaring youth with worst-case scenarios (e.g., unintended pregnancies or STIs) may backfire. Focus on empowerment and informed decision-making.
Do not assume heteronormativity: Avoid assuming that all young people are heterosexual or cisgender. Representation matters.
Avoid shaming or blaming: Whether discussing past behaviours, choices, or risks, never make participants feel ashamed.
Overloading with technical terms: Use accessible language and encourage engagement through interactive methods.
When a participant discloses trauma: Have a referral system in place for youth who may need professional support. Do not act as a therapist but direct them to appropriate services.
Handling disruptive or inappropriate behaviour: Establish clear ground rules at the beginning of the session. Address inappropriate comments calmly and firmly.

Unit 1: Reproductive Systems

Reproductive Systems Icebreaker Activity

OUR HOPES AND FEARS team building activity

Aim: To introduce people to each other, explain what you will be doing and to make participants feel comfortable

Instructions:

Divide the group into pairs and ask them to find out the answers to the following questions from their partners:

➜ The name they want to be called

➜ Something that is special about them, that can help others to remember them (for example, they are good at storytelling or have big feet)

➜ Where they live

➜ Why they decided to come to this group

Invite each pair to introduce each other to the group.
In pairs, ask people to talk about what they hope to get from coming to the meetings. Ask each pair to call out one of their hopes without repeating what others have said.
Explain that the group will learn and talk about topics that are important to young

people and which will help them to be happy, healthy and safe.

In pairs, ask people to talk about their fears about attending the meetings. Ask each pair to tell the group about one fear.
Talk about how we can work together to reduce our fears.

This activity is appropriate for all age groups and will take approximately 20 minutes to complete. This time can deviate according to the group size.

The Body Part Puzzle activity

Materials:

Large poster or whiteboard with an outline of the human body (male and female versions)
Cut-out pieces representing different reproductive organs (labelled with age-appropriate names)
Tape or magnets to attach the pieces to the board.

Instructions:

Divide the participants into two teams.
Give each team a set of reproductive organ cut-outs.
Explain that the teams will race to correctly place all their organs on the corresponding body outline.
As each team places an organ, they must briefly explain its function in clear, age-appropriate language.
The first team to correctly place all organs and explain their functions wins.

Myth-Busting and Q&A

"Myth or Fact?"

Materials:

A set of cards or slips of paper, each with a statement about reproductive health. Some statements should be myths (common misconceptions), and others should be facts (accurate information).
Two designated areas or containers labelled "Myth" and "Fact."

Instructions:

Start by dividing the participants into small teams. Make sure each team has a fair number of cards or slips of paper. The cards should have statements about reproductive health, with a mix of myths (common misconceptions) and facts (accurate information).

Now, have each team take turns reading a statement from their cards. Encourage the team to discuss the statement amongst themselves, deciding whether they believe it's a myth or a fact. Once they've reached a consensus, they should place the card in the designated "Myth" or "Fact" area.

After all teams have had a chance to place their cards, it's your turn to shine! Review each team's choices, providing clear explanations and correcting any misconceptions. This is a great opportunity to share accurate information and dispel any myths the participants might have.

Finally, open the floor for questions and further discussion. Encourage participants to ask about any of the statements or related topics that sparked their curiosity.

Rose, Bud, Thorn Reflection Activity

The Rose, Bud, Thorn activity is a simple yet effective reflection tool that helps individuals and groups analyse experiences by identifying:

🌹 Rose: One thing you loved.
🌱 Bud: One thing you look forward to.
🌵 Thorn: One thing that upset you

How to Use It:

Reflect on the experience so far (individually or in a group).
Write or share Roses, Buds, and Thorns.

This activity is is great for having young people think of what they want to learn tomorrow (the bud). It is also nice to hear young people explain their thorns, and why they allowed their thorn to affect them.

So today, my rose was…. and my bud is ….

Unit 2: Pleasure and Safety

Common Ground Icebreaker Activity

📌 Goal: Build connections by finding similarities.
🕒 Time: 10-15 minutes
🔹 How to Play:

Split participants into pairs or small groups.
Give them 3-5 minutes to find three things they have in common (not obvious ones like “we are in this group”).
Each group shares one commonality.
✅ Why? Fosters bonding and reduces barriers before discussing sensitive topics.

Key Ideas

Take care! It is likely that one or more members of the group will have experienced some form of non-consensual activity, potentially on-going, and may need support. Be ready with information about local services that can help them. Make sure to emphasise the following:

Unwanted sexual attention is a form of violence and, as such, it needs to be stopped.
Communicating assertively helps to maintain privacy and counter unwanted sexual attention and is key to keeping us safe. However, sometimes we can’t act on this because we’re in violent or abusive relationships. In these cases, it’s essential to ask for help from trusted adults.
For younger adolescents, it’s always useful to highlight a message of respect for our own and other people’s bodies and personal space.
Different countries have different legal ages of consent for sexual activity. Sex between a person above the age of consent and someone below the age of consent may be considered rape in the eyes of the law, regardless of whether the younger individual consented or not.

It’s good to raise the following ideas in the discussion, given that some of them could be sexually active already:

Everyone, regardless of their gender or age, has the right to privacy and to the safety of their own body.
Everyone has the right to be aware and in control of their sexual and romantic boundaries and to decide what they’re actively willing to engage with, and under what circumstances.
Consent is not only about expressing assertively what we ourselves are willing and able to do, it is also about paying attention to the other person’s needs, body language and messages
Consent is part of healthy and pleasurable sexual behaviour with a partner. However, things such as alcohol and drugs, intimate partner violence, poverty, disability and power dynamics (e.g. older partners; the offer of money or expensive gifts) can affect our ability to give genuine consent on the basis of equality.

Consent/Not Consent Activity

This activity can really get into the heart of what consent is and is not, including a more nuanced discussion about nonverbal communication.

How to implement it:

Write on a white board or piece of flip chart paper as shown on the picture:
Start with the CONSENT column. Ask participants the following questions and record their responses:
How would someone know they have consent? From body language and facial expressions only?
What happens in movies/tv before people engage in sexual activity?
What would people SAY to give consent?

Move on to the NOT CONSENT column. Ask participants the following questions and record their responses:

What would someone do if they were not giving consent or were uncomfortable? From body language and facial expressions only?
What would people SAY?

Discussion:

Who is responsible for getting consent? Why?
Sometimes a person might not say no even if they don’t want to. What are some reasons a person might not say “no” even if they don’t want to do something?
Which signs do people use the most to communicate consent (physical or verbal)? Why?
Can someone change their mind after they have given consent? Why or why not? (Emphasize that
What are some benefits to getting verbal consent?

During each of the both discussions, emphasize the following:

The person who is initiating sexual contact is responsible for getting consent.
Consent is needed at each new level of intimacy and just because someone has given consent for sexual activity in the past, doesn’t mean they’re giving consent now.
Someone can always change their mind after they’ve given consent and that needs to be respected.
Verbal consent is almost always the most clear and least risky way to get consent. If you're unsure about how your partner is feeling or if they’re wanting to continue, stop and check-in.

Contraception Show and Tell Activity

Materials:

Visual aids or props representing different contraceptive methods (e.g., condoms, pill packets, IUD models, diagrams or images of patches, rings, implants, etc.)
Large poster paper or whiteboard
Markers

Before the session, gather visual aids or props representing various contraceptive methods. The reference text mentions condoms, pills, patches, rings, shots, implants, IUDs, diaphragms, caps, sponges, and emergency contraception.

Display the visual aids or props on a table or pass them around for participants to examine.

For each method, lead a brief "show and tell" session, explaining:

How it works: Describe the basic mechanism of action for each method.
Effectiveness: Explain how well each method prevents pregnancy, using percentages or simple terms like "very effective" or "less effective."
Advantages: Highlight the benefits of each method, such as convenience, long-acting protection, or non-hormonal options.
Disadvantages and potential side effects: Discuss any potential drawbacks or side effects associated with each method.
How to obtain and use it: Briefly explain where to get each method and how to use it correctly.

As you discuss each method, create a visual chart or list on the poster paper or whiteboard, summarising the key points for easy reference.

Encourage questions and discussion throughout the activity, addressing any concerns or misconceptions.

1-2-3 Throw Your Snowball Reflection Activity

📌 Goal: Encourage open reflection, anonymity, and movement in a fun and engaging way.

🕒 Time: 10-15 minutes

How to Play:

Write & Reflect: Each participant writes a reflection about their experience (or answers a specific question) on a piece of paper.
Create a Snowball: Everyone crumples their paper into a ball.
Throw & Mix: Participants throw their "snowballs" across the room, mixing them up.
Pick & Read: Each person picks up a random snowball and reads it aloud (or to themselves if anonymity is preferred).

Unit 3: Sex and relationships

Stand up if… Icebreaker

This activity might be more effective for a group that has established trust and comfort with each other. It is also a helpful way for an educator/facilitator to gauge the range of awareness and experience of the group related to sexual health. For a more confidential process, use an online platform like polleverywhere.com.

Clear an area large enough for everyone to stand in a circle facing one another with a few feet between each person. Read each statement and instruct the students to step into the circle if the statement is true for them.

This icebreaker is designed to get students to think about some of their knowledge and experiences related to sex and relationships. You may use all the statements on this list, or select a variety of statements to fit your group of students and time available.

Say, Step forward into the circle if the statement is true for you…

If you have received some sex education previously.
If you have someone you go to for trusted advice.
If you know where to get information about sexual health.
If you have ever talked to friends about a crush.
If you have ever asked someone if you could hug them before hugging them.
If you know someone who is gay, lesbian, trans, bisexual, asexual, or questioning.
If you ever felt like you couldn’t or shouldn’t do something because of your gender.
If you have done something you didn’t want to do because your friends were doing it.
If you ever tried to change your appearance or behavior to avoid being judged or teased.
If you have ever posted a selfie online when you felt like you looked good.
If you have ever told someone you thought they looked good.
If you have goals and plans for your future education or career.
If sexual health is a topic you are comfortable discussing.
If you are excited about our sex education unit.

Before The Session

Prepare: We will all bring our own thoughts and opinions to this topic; we will come at it loaded up with our own baggage. Before we try to help and support young people with additional needs about sex and relationships, we need to address our own feelings about this first. Time for a long hard talk with ourselves about what our own biases and positions might be, and how scriptural (or not) they are. Is there stuff we need to deal with; a proverbial ‘log’ that we need to remove from our own eye before we try to help someone else with the ‘speck’ in theirs?

Plan: How are we addressing the issues around sex and relationships with the rest of our young people? What approach are we taking, and how does this fit with our churches teaching in this area? Can we adapt the approach and teaching to include young people with additional needs? Maybe we could use social stories to help young people grapple with their questions in this area, to make it as visual and accessible as possible.

Think about how teaching can be included regularly, providing help and support in bite sized chunks.

Relationship Building Blocks Activity

Materials:

Large poster paper or whiteboard
Markers or pens
Sticky notes or index cards

Instructions:

Begin by asking participants to brainstorm the key components of a healthy sexual relationship. Write their responses on the poster paper or whiteboard.

Guide the discussion to ensure that the following key components are included, as highlighted in the reference text:

Mutual respect
Trust
Open communication
Consent
Boundaries

Building the Foundation:

Draw a house shape on the poster paper or whiteboard, representing the foundation of a healthy sexual relationship. Divide participants into small groups and assign each group one of the key components.

Ask each group to brainstorm specific examples and strategies to establish their component.

Have each group share their strategies with the larger group. Facilitate a discussion about the challenges and potential barriers to implementing those.

Encourage participants to share personal experiences and insights.

Being Smart About Smartphones Activity

Before starting the activity while introducing the topic Relationships in the digital age, be aware of: When working with adolescents it is important to have a frank conversation about ‘sexting’ or sharing sexually explicit content with others. Every time we upload something on the internet it stops being only ours. It is possible that anyone can see it and even take it and share it further without our permission, so we have to be particularly careful about who we share information and photos with.

How to implement the activity:
Divide participants into groups of four or five and ask them to draw a picture of a mobile phone and computer in the middle of a large piece of paper.

2. Around the top half of the picture, ask them to add words or images to show all the positive aspects or opportunities they can think of that come from using a mobile or computer.

3. Around the bottom half of the picture, ask them to add words or images to show the negative aspects or risks that may come from using a mobile or computer.

4. When all groups have finished, discuss together both the positive and negative aspects. Are there any others we can think of, especially any that are about our relationships and our health? Add any that people may have missed (for example, apps that help us remember to take our HIV medication; online support groups; communicating to organise activities to promote our rights). How can we make the most of the positive aspects? How can we reduce or avoid the negative ones?

Multimedia Content

Reflection and Conclusion: My Learning Journey

Materials:

Large sheet of paper or poster board for each participant
Markers, coloured pencils, or crayons
Optional: Magazines, newspapers, printed images, glue, scissors

Instructions:

Individual Reflection: Ask participants to individually reflect on their learning journey throughout the module. Encourage them to consider:

What were the most significant things they learned?
How has their understanding of sex, relationships, and sexual health evolved?
What new insights or perspectives have they gained?
What challenges or questions remain?

Visual Representation: Have participants create a visual representation of their learning journey on the poster paper. They can use drawings, symbols, colours, words, or even collage elements to express their experiences and takeaways.

Sharing and Discussion: Invite participants to share their "Learning Journey" visuals with the group, explaining their choices and reflections. Facilitate a discussion about the common themes and diverse perspectives that emerge.

Module 1 Summary

Module 1, Let’s Talk About Sex in a Safe Way, prepares youth workers to facilitate open, inclusive, and respectful discussions on sexual health with teenagers aged 16-19. It emphasises the importance of creating a safe and non-judgmental environment, ensuring that young people receive accurate, age-appropriate information on relationships, reproductive health, and consent.

The module highlights the impact of social, cultural, and legal contexts on sex education and the need for adaptable approaches. It promotes critical thinking and informed decision-making, discouraging fear-based messaging and heteronormative assumptions. A key focus is on understanding consent as an ongoing process influenced by power dynamics, emotional well-being, and external factors. The module also addresses digital safety and online behaviour, ensuring young people navigate relationships responsibly. It encourages self-reflection and continuous learning, equipping youth workers with strategies to support young people in building confidence, respect, and personal boundaries.

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