Key Findings from the ASKAIDS Research
The content of this toolkit was informed by a research study funded by
the Commonwealth Education Trust. It took place in
On young people’s sexual knowledges
- Young people have
wide-ranging and fairly sophisticated knowledge of adults’ sexual
practices and sexual worlds e.g. prostitution, the influence of drugs and
alcohol, of rape and prostitution.
- They observe sexual acts
regularly and are well aware of the particular practices in their
environs.
- The young people were
primary pupils in this study so we can assume that this occurs at a fairly
young age.
- They are well aware of the
dangers of HIV/AIDS and keen to avoid them.
- They want a lot more
information and dialogue with adults on sexual matters and HIV/AIDS in
particular.
- They are aware that they
cannot share this knowledge with adults and that adults are ambivalent and
avoid talking to young people honestly and openly about sexual matters and
HIV/AIDS.
- There is a difference
between what girls and boys experience. While there are gender differences
there are also common cross gender concerns.
On sex education in schools
- Young people want a more
interactive and active pedagogy that allows them to engage with their
knowledge and talk about their lack of knowledge.
- They are concerned that the
information they get is unrealistic and does not reflect the world they
live in.
- The teachers want to help
but not many are confident or feel well resourced. Some are more
frightened of engaging in discussions about HIV/AIDS than others.
- The school or the practices
in school are influenced by the wider community and the dominant attitudes
(e.g. religion, cultural practices). The school is a mirror of the
community it sits in.
- There are very different
conceptions about the values and approaches that might be effective and
which of these should be adopted.
Dialogue about the data
- We also proposed that a way
to shift attitudes and engage with the sexual knowledge of young people
might be to share the findings of the data on young people’s sexual
knowledge and their preferred form of sex education.
- This we did and it appears
that:
- The adults were
surprised at and interested in the extent and nature of the young
people’s knowledge.
- The adults were
willing to engage with the idea of non naïve young people and this fact
offered a different possibility in terms of sex and HIV/AIDS education
- Adults seemed open to
the potential for dialogue about HIV/AIDS education for their young people
- The adults were
surprised at and interested in the extent and nature of the young
people’s knowledge.
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