Machinegebouw
Peeking at InDifferent Sex
Speakers: Elmar Noteboom, Fien van Deursen
Peeking at ...
Sex is everywhere: in advertisements, on posters, in porn and erotic content, in romantic comedies and Disney films, in nature, in magazines, on Instagram and so on; SEX SELLS! At the same time, sex is taboo, something we would rather not talk about, but which we are all very curious about. The average young person in the Netherlands gives sex education a 5.8 (Ruters, 2017), and for LGBTQIA+ young people this drops to 5.0 (Voorn, 2021). Yet good sex education helps young people start having sex later, make more considered choices, become better at expressing their wishes and boundaries, and be less likely to experience and/or engage in sexually transgressive behaviour.
With InDifferent Sex, we make this unmentionable subject discussable in a series of lessons created not only for students, but in cooperation with them. The lessons are based on four principles: sex-positive, body-positive, gender-inclusive and inclusive sexuality. Conversation is central to the lessons, because how can you have enjoyable sex if you do not know how to talk about it? We discuss what sex actually is, different bodies, orgasms, vulvas, sexually transgressive behaviour, gender, flirting, sexting, your own wishes and much more. In this ‘Peeking at InDifferent Sex’ session, we will talk about our lessons, how they came about and InDifferent itself.
Citizenship education in the classroom
Speakers: Kim Coppes, Kübra Erkoca, Lisa Hu, Lotje Stremmelaar
Youth Talk
In the talk on schools and childcare, we discuss citizenship education. What is the purpose of citizenship education? What is the best way to shape citizenship education in practice, and what happens when students or teachers disagree with one another?
The call for citizenship education grew in response to various social problems. Following the political assassinations of Pim Fortuyn and Theo van Gogh, legislation was introduced requiring every primary and secondary school to fulfil a citizenship education mandate. There are concerns about declining political participation, diminishing trust in government and decreasing social cohesion. Is it the role of citizenship education to tackle these problems? Is confrontation allowed? And what does that look like in practice?
Many teachers devote attention within their capabilities to tensions, clashing values and democracy in their classrooms. But students sometimes feel that there is little room for discussion in the classroom or participation in the school. Teachers feel ill-equipped to integrate citizenship education into the curriculum. In general, there is uncertainty about what is expected of schools in fulfilling this mandate. Together with the panellists, we discuss how citizenship education should be implemented.
Ketelhuis
The power of being heard and seen
Speakers: Rosita Vis, Trijnie van der Ploeg
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There may be tens of thousands of children of average intelligence in the Netherlands who are growing up with parents with mild intellectual disabilities. They often receive no special attention, precisely because they are of average intelligence and often do not display problem behaviour. To grow up in a healthy way, they desperately need personal attention and support, because their family situation is complex. This is shown, among other things, by the study ‘Knowledge Compilation on Children of Parents with Intellectual Disabilities’, conducted by the Trimbos Institute on behalf of the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport. The study shows that professionals – including teachers – often overlook these children or do not know sufficiently how to support them. One way to address this is to appoint a social worker at school. A welfare worker who regularly visits the school and provides an accessible listening ear and watchful eye for children growing up in complex home situations. A social worker can be there for the children, but also for their parents and teachers. In Amersfoort, they work with these social workers: during this meeting, Trijnie van der Ploeg of Indebuurt033 and Rosita Vis, an experiential expert on children of parents with intellectual disabilities from the Sien advocacy organisation, will talk about this valuable project. What is it like to grow up with parents with an intellectual disability, and what can a social worker at a school mean? What can a welfare organisation do?
Funda-mental-ly at school!
Speakers: Mark Weghorst, Minke Vellinga
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With the free-of-charge teaching package Je Brein de Baas?!, every secondary school can work on a foundation of mental health for all students. The teaching package contains three series of lessons, each consisting of four lessons. Each lesson consists of an animated film and assignments. There are lesson series on STRESS (Stress under Control), LEARNING (Learning More Easily) and DEALING WITH EACH OTHER (Happy in the Group). The lesson series provide content for the conversation every mentor has with their mentor class at some point: about stress, learning and getting along with one another. Every mentor can get started with the guide, the practical PowerPoint presentation and the teaching materials. No separate training is required. In this way, you actively contribute to well-being at school and to more pleasant interactions with one another. You do not have to do this entirely on your own! The lessons fit well with the cooperation of youth health care services, health education and the care structure the school already has. They can also help you shape these lessons. In Funda-mentally at school, we show how the lessons work, what they bring about in the group, and hear about the experiences of teachers and students. So that you can get started right away afterwards!