SEXUALITY LIFE-SKILLS AND

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PARTICIPATORY ACTIVITIES ON SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH WITH ADOLESCENTS AND YOUNG PEOPLE

Gender And Identity

SESSIONS

Growing Up As A Girl And As A Boy

Not if yo u use ones that have not expired and are not torn and put them on right.

AIMS

■ To remember how we learned about being female or male

■ To understand the roles that we are expected to play as females and males and how they are changing

■ To learn how gender roles affect our choices in life and our health and well-being

■ To think about whether we would like to see some changes in gender roles

KEY IDEAS

■ Our sex describes the biological differences between males and females.

■ Men have a penis and testicles and produce sperm to make babies

■ Women have breasts, a womb and a vagina and produce eggs to make babies.

■ Gender describes the norms, roles and responsibilities given to females and males by society

20. Heads, hearts, bodies, actions p56 hour All groups

1 hour 30 minutes

All ages, including parents and caregivers (also see guidance in the session activitiy description)

Older people teach girls and boys how they should behave to become ‘ideal’ women and men, according to the culture

■ Gender norms can change because people, not biology, make them – and therefore people can change them.

■ Some gender norms are harmful and need to change. For example, girls may be taught always to obey men, even if men are violating their rights. We may suffer violence or unfair treatment if we look or behave in ways that are ‘outside the norm’.

■ It is good to understand our own values and opinions about gender roles and how they affect our lives and our sexuality. Then we can change those which are harmful.

■ Empowerment means we understand and are able to exercise our rights to enjoy information, services, skills, money and time equally We have equal say in decision-making and equal respect and together bring about development.

■ We can improve sexual health by achieving equality for all members of society

1. Ask:

➜ What is the difference between gender and sex?

➜ What are some gender roles we see around us? For example, do we see women and men doing different jobs inside and outside of the home? Add to their ideas.

2. Tell the group to shut their eyes and think back to the time when they were growing up. They should imagine themselves when they were 5 years old.

Ask:

➜ What were you doing?

➜ How were you dressed?

➜ Who were you playing with?

3. Now ask them:

➜ What is your earliest, most important memory of something that happened to make you discover you were male or female and for this reason treated differently from the opposite sex?

4. When everyone has had time to think into their past, ask them to go into small groups of four or five people, choosing people that they feel free and comfortable with. This may be people of the same sex and of a similar age to them

5. Ask everyone to share only what they wish of their memories in the group. Then work together to make a five-minute role-play that shows the memories shared within the group. Ask them to prepare to present it to the larger group.

6. Ask each group to make its presentation.

Ask:

➜ How did you feel sharing this memory with your group?

➜ What did the memory tell you about being female or being male?

➜ How did your family expect you to behave, to talk, to be?

➜ What did you like and not like about this?

7. Ask:

➜ What did you learn from this activity?

What We Think Is Right For Girls And Boys

Key Ideas

AIMS

■ To find out how we think girls and boys should behave

■ To learn which of these ideas protect us from STIs, including HIV and HIV reinfection, and which ones may put us at risk

■ This activity is also good practise for listening skills