(SOS)

Sexual education in school is a voluntary project initiated by BeMSA and supported by ICRH and Sensoa. With this initiative, we aim to provide adolescents with access to reliable information about sexuality, including LGBTQ+. Relationships, contraception, and STD prevention are also discussed. We strive to offer young people the opportunity to make informed and individual decisions about their bodies and health in a lighthearted educational manner. Furthermore, we aim to debunk some existing myths on these topics.
The SOS project is a form of peer education where young people are supported in bringing about health-promoting behavioral changes in other young people. This leads to a lower threshold for discussing sensitive topics.

How

As part of this project, we want to spend a morning or afternoon with a class from the 2nd to 6th grade of secondary education. For this, we recruit a team of 2-3 medical students (or other medical or social studies) at Ghent University who have received prior training. During our session, topics such as sexuality, puberty, relationships, consent, contraception, STDs, self-image, orientation, etc., are addressed interactively. Each session can be tailored to the school's preferences.
Due to the small age gap between students and young people and the way students approach adolescents, a relaxed atmosphere can be created in which young people are more open to discussion and can take home the right information. In addition, a question box will circulate during the session, allowing students to ask questions anonymously.
Social media plays an important role nowadays, making it easier to obtain online information. However, it is becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish between correct and incorrect sources. Therefore, at the end of the session, we will also connect young people with reliable sources of information.

How to participate?

Does this project appeal to you?
Do you dare to stand in front of a high school class, are you open-minded, and can you talk about sexuality without shame? Do you see yourself as a motivated educator and want to contribute to our project?
Then be sure to attend one of our training sessions! You can find more information in this Facebook group or you can email to lora@bemsa-gent.be.

More info? / Contact Information

Fancy helping run a fun project like this yourself?

Then be sure to come 04/10/2023 to our info evening!