If you grew up in the early '90s, your introduction to the "birds and the bees" might have come from a grainy VHS tape with a title like Sexuele Voorlichting Puberty Sexual Education for Boys and Girls (1991) . Fast forward thirty years, and the landscape of sexual health education has shifted dramatically.
As we move forward, it is essential that we continue to prioritize comprehensive sexual education, providing young people with the knowledge, skills, and values necessary to make informed decisions about their bodies, relationships, and futures. By doing so, we can empower the next generation to build healthy, respectful, and fulfilling relationships. If you grew up in the early '90s,
Between 1991 and 2021, research, technology, and social norms evolved dramatically. A "solid" sexual education for 2021 (and beyond) includes everything from 1991, the following critical pillars: By doing so, we can empower the next
Summary
Teach puberty alongside poetry. Teach relationships alongside realistic fiction. Ask a teenager: What is your favorite romantic storyline right now, and why does it move you? Then listen. Because inside that answer is everything they are too afraid to say out loud: their fears, their hopes, their confusion about what love is supposed to feel like versus what it actually feels like in a world of ghosting and curated Instagram couples. Teach relationships alongside realistic fiction