The Sexuality Education Initiative: a programme involving teenagers, schools, parents and sexual health services in Los Angeles, CA, USA

Abstract

In response to abstinence-only programmes in the United States that promote myths and misconceptions about sexuality and sexual behaviour, the comprehensive sexuality education community has been sidetracked from improving the sexuality education available in US schools for almost two decades now. Much work is still needed to move beyond fear-based approaches and the one-way communication of information that many programmes still use. Starting in 2008 Planned Parenthood Los Angeles developed and launched a teen-centred sexuality education programme based on critical thinking, human rights, gender equality, and access to health care that is founded on a theory of change that recognises the complex relationship between the individual and broader environment of cultural norms, socio-economic inequalities, health disparities, legal and institutional factors. The Sexuality Education Initiative is comprised of a 12-session classroom sexuality education curriculum for ninth grade students; workshops for parents; a peer advocacy training programme; and access to sexual health services. This paper describes that experience and presents the rights-based framework that was used, which seeks to improve the learning experience of students, strengthen the capacity of schools, teachers and parents to help teenagers manage their sexuality effectively and understand that they have the right to health care, education, protection, dignity and privacy.

A Rights‐Based Approach to Sexuality Education: Conceptualization, Clarification and Challenges

“…The curriculum materials for It's All One not only cite the program's public health objectives (e.g., preventing unintended pregnancy, reducing gender‐based violence), but explicitly list the goals of helping youth increase their decision‐making abilities, participation in society, ability to exercise rights, critical thinking, self‐efficacy, and sexual well‐being and enjoyment . Planned Parenthood Los Angeles has incorporated content on gender, relationships, sexuality, sexual choice and coercion, media messages and decision making in its Sexuality Education Initiative for high school students . The International Planned Parenthood Federation has explored various teaching strategies, including critical and feminist pedagogy, to guide implementation of a rights‐based approach by its affiliates .…”

“…Increasingly, programs to address issues of gender norms and power dynamics are being designed and implemented. While proponents describe positive changes from these interventions, studies have only begun to examine whether incorporating content on gender, power and rights leads to improved sexual health . These studies form a small but growing evidence base for a rights‐based approach to sexuality education, although the quality of this evidence has not been systematically reviewed.…”

Sexuality Information Needs of Latino and African American Ninth Graders: A Content Analysis of Anonymous Questions

“…This study employed data from a larger randomized trial evaluating a multicomponent comprehensive sexuality education program in eight charter high schools in low-income neighborhoods in South and East Los Angeles, California (Marques & Ressa, 2013). For this larger trial, 44 ninth-grade classrooms across eight schools were randomized during fall 2011 into two conditions, a three-session control curriculum (20 classrooms) or a 12-session intervention curriculum (24 classrooms).…”

The Positive Impact of School-Based Peer Education Program Towards Adolescent Sexual Behavior: A Systematic Review

“…The search criteria is restricted from 2012 to 2016, when continuous risky sexual behavior in teens rose, despite health education program teen in school has been repeatedly done since 2008 (Marques & Ressa, 2013).…”

“…In addition, other studies show that teens want and utilize web-based sexual education. (Jackson, 2014;Long et al, 2012) via Centre for Information and Counseling managed by peers, teenagers are expected not to be hesitated and have a place and friends, who have been trained and prepared through training, to discuss (Jones, 2012;Lucin & Prof. dr. Djauhar Ismail, 2012;Marques & Ressa, 2013). Yet many adolescent men as well as women who are not aware of these facilities and haven't made use of the counseling information service (Kemenkes-RI, 2015;Kovarik, 2012).…”