Sex Ed for Prepubescent boys? Yes please! (Loewenstern #5)

As part of writing the grant proposals and the annual bulletin, much of my week, I venture out with various members of Centro Las Libres, participating in workshops and trying to absorb as much information as possible.


One of the more interesting, enjoyable workshops I attended and helped with recently was a sexual education workshop for middle school students at a public school in San Jose de La Luz, the same community in which I have attended several workshops with women. Three university students from Queretaro put together full lesson plans for the boys and girls of this school covering everything from sexual anatomy, to contraception, to the emotional and spiritual elements in love, sex and relationships. In schools in Guanajuato there is no sexual education of any form and when teachers tried to introduce basic anatomy and technical reproductive health information into their biology text books several years ago, priests and Catholic leaders around the state burned the books in huge public bonfires. Most parents don’t talk to their children about puberty or sex because of their own lack of education and because of embarrassment surrounding the subject matter. Guanajuato has the 3rd highest teenage pregnancy rate in the country, a fact that can be seen in the remarkable number of girls who look much younger than myself carrying babies under their arms as they shop with their friends and go out for coffee dates. The workshops sponsored by Centro Las Libres will probably be the students only exposure to sexual education and their only opportunity to ask an adult figure about their doubts and misunderstandings.


Entering the classroom, I felt a smile stretch across my face and wondered if my maturity and Spanish level would allow me to talk about sexual health with a group of boys between the ages of 11 and 15. I swallowed my smile and took a deep breath when the boys joined us, and Alejandro began the days lesson with sexual anatomy and questions from the past weeks workshop. Opening the first anonymous question, the extent of the misinformation became apparent:


“Si se quema el condón después de tener relaciones sexuales, se previene el embarazo?”
“If you burn the condom after sex, will it prevent pregnancy?”


As the questions continued my Spanish was put to the test. Pulling out (and why it doesn't work) and pre-ejaculate sperm were definitely not topics I ever thought I would breach, nonetheless explain to a group of hispanohablantes. Despite my reservations and nervousness, the students listened to their peers and us attentively, absorbing the new information and sharing their doubts and knowledge.


Throughout the remainder of the 45 minutes we covered the reasons why we weren’t ready and wouldn’t want to become pregnant, the responsibilities of pregnancy, and what love is and what love is not. The students actively participated, and surprised me with their kindness, consideration and seriousness. To reinforce our points we made posters and handed out a comic called “Días Embarazosos” (Pregnant Days), which discusses pregnancy and contraception in a palatable form for pre-teens. By the time we finished with our two groups (15 people in each), I left with a great feeling of accomplishment as well as gratitude for the experience, for the challenge, and for the positive response of the students. As their parents came to pick them up after classes, I noticed several of the women who attend our workshops in the same community were mothers. Realizing that our work percolates through all levels of the community, I couldn’t help but smile and feel reaffirmed in the value of Centro Las Libres. Little by little, grass roots efforts like theirs will change the social dynamics of the culture and bring about the change needed for progress.


Hope everyone is loving summer time!