tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3201209298014133940.post9048251464509623702..comments2024-01-09T02:22:34.756-08:00Comments on Hey, Sex Ed!: Sex Edhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07018241248967518685noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3201209298014133940.post-19573365481763749792010-04-23T09:10:32.896-07:002010-04-23T09:10:32.896-07:00One of the most powerful ways for me to see the im...One of the most powerful ways for me to see the importance of sexuality education was to see how devastating it can be when that education is discontinued. <br /><br />In her 2006 book “How the Pro-Choice Movement Saved America: Freedom, Politics, and the War on Sex” Cristina Page looks at the importance of sexuality education abroad in helping to end poverty and the effects on this mission when the United States pulled its funding in 2002. <br />Page argues that family planning education is critical internationally because it not only decreases maternal, fetal and infant deaths but also reverses the cycle of poverty. Economist Jeffrey Sachs’ arguments support what Page is saying, “When impoverished families have large numbers of children, the families cannot afford to invest in nutrition, health, and education…high fertility rates in one generation , therefore, tend to lead to impoverishment of children and to high fertility rates in the following generation as well…thereby exacerbating the poverty.” <br /> <br />In her discussion of family planning education to help end poverty, Page talks about the UN agency UNFPA which works with more than 126 countries on family planning education, as well as, a variety of life-saving reproductive interventions not including abortions. In 2001, the United States, one of the largest financial supporters of UNFPA froze all their funds for the agency and then cancelled the funds altogether in 2002, as a result of pressure from the pro-life movement. UNFPA lost $34 million in funding from the US and had to end or curtail several of their family planning educational programs which according to Page led to 12 million unintended pregnancies, 5 million abortions, 374,00 infant deaths and 27,000 maternal deaths worldwide every year. <br /> <br />I think Page’s example of UNFPA is a powerful example of how important sexuality education is to poverty and human suffering globally and what the devastating consequences can be when that education ceases to exist.<br /><br />Check out Page’s book at http://www.amazon.com/How-Pro-Choice-Movement-Saved-America/dp/0465054900/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&sr=8-1<br /><br />Follow Page’s blog at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/cristina-page/ <br /><br />Or<br /><br />http://www.rhrealitycheck.org/blog/cristina<br /><br />-BrookeBrookehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15539228286293497599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3201209298014133940.post-50088525873783976772010-03-20T14:33:52.636-07:002010-03-20T14:33:52.636-07:00Impact of poverty on women and girls
Poverty alone...Impact of poverty on women and girls<br />Poverty alone is devastating. However, to live as a woman and experience poverty can become demoralizing. Women have often been socialized to believe they are the weaker, more dependant species. Through advanced technology, media, radio and general social interactions women are taught how to be/remain dependant. When living in poverty and oppressive settings women are vulnerable and targeted because of gender. Some women use their gender as a bargaining tool and are socialized to know their body can make money. When reading more on women and poverty I found the following resources helpful:<br />www.mothersmovement.org <br />http://www.pdhre.org/rights/women_and_poverty.htmlTenacious Advocatehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18141252832672211783noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3201209298014133940.post-38245191420524978772010-03-12T17:39:55.360-08:002010-03-12T17:39:55.360-08:00Sandra, you're right that this is very serious...Sandra, you're right that this is very serious education, and I agree: trying to imagine doing the koosh ball activity to directly prevent a gang rape situation, seems like a pretty disjointed image.<br /><br />But! We're talking about cultural changes, and culture is very slow to change. When folks say that education is the key to change, I think that is true. But I don't think it can be limited to something like "Don't commit rape." It's so much more than that.<br /><br />Changing culture is slow, but even the smallest things can have an impact. What contributes to a rape culture (to continue with the example)? What are the components of that culture? One component I like to think about is language. A small (but maybe significant) example is "guys." I try to avoid saying things like, "Hey guys!" because even though lots of people will say it's gender-neutral, I don't think it is. I think it implies that masculine is the default or "norm," and anything else is "other." So I try to say "folks" or "you all" instead. I'm sure plenty of people will disagree, but I think it's a small, everyday step toward a better society. Of course, there's so much more than this kind of "little thing" - like affective education, or helping people become critical consumers of media...<br /><br />And so, maybe a koosh activity CAN help, if using it to educate about something like, "Women aren't objects" or "How would you feel if you/someone close to you was in this situation?" Things like that. Maybe it's all about chewing the elephant one bite at a time.<br /><br />Also wanted to briefly comment that I think you're right: the "isms" are definitely linked! One helpful acronym I learned, to cover many of the oppressions: AFASHCAR - ageism, faithism, ableism, sexism, heterosexism, classism, appearanceism, and racism. Somehow, I think we need to start taking an intersectional approach to oppressions. Wasn't that supposed to be part of the next wave of feminism??<br /><br />Anyway... Here's a link to a resource I used when I was educating my peers at UConn, trying to help prevent sexual assault (it's called "What will you do to prevent violence against women?"):<br /><br />http://www.womenscenter.uconn.edu/VAWPP/sublinks/6_things.php<br /><br /><br />Thanks for the food for thought!! I hope the conversation about culture & oppression & education will continue among all of us, and within the program at large... and beyond!!<br /><br />--OliviaOliviahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08837845745087485475noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3201209298014133940.post-91126508484767190632010-03-11T15:21:34.642-08:002010-03-11T15:21:34.642-08:00I think we often assume that sexuality education i...I think we often assume that sexuality education is the stuff of privilege: start with a basic "survival" approach, then move on to other things like people's sexual rights. While I agree with the basic needs of survival (food, shelter, safety) being paramount within sort of any outreach for marginalized communities, I disagree that sexual rights are a step beyond that, especially for women (I refer to what you said above, Sandra, about the correlation between sexual violence and poverty).<br /><br />That being said, one thing that comes to mind for me (albeit tangential, though it certainly arose within our class), as an educator, is to never approach a marginalized community as a "savior" and use my privilege to speak down to anyone (see "White Saviors" - http://www.livefrommemphis.com/ageekandhisblog/924-when-can-we-help-ourselvesthe-white-saviour-in-modern-cinema).<br /><br />Darcie is right, it IS hard to imagine oneself in another culture, virtually impossible to imagine another's experience as our own. Nevertheless, I am firm believer that turning our education on ourselves first and foremost is always a valuable starting point.Sarah Pattersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02126691242709859816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3201209298014133940.post-24034264289839205072010-03-11T15:19:26.646-08:002010-03-11T15:19:26.646-08:00This comment has been removed by the author.Sarah Pattersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02126691242709859816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3201209298014133940.post-74174646940433273072010-03-09T03:27:07.466-08:002010-03-09T03:27:07.466-08:00I can remember reading the Framework for Understan...I can remember reading the Framework for Understanding Poverty by Ruby Payne and the issue of sexuality being brought up a little. The book mentioned that women in poverty may have to sleep with a man in exchange for services or good (getting a car fixed, money for groceries, etc). From working in a low income school, I find that sexual activity of women in poverty is often an area of disapproval from most teachers. While for the women in poverty sex may be seen as a means of survival for her and her family, to teachers its seen as being irreponsible and lazy (she could go get a real job!). These negative views are especially true if sex results in a child and if the woman already has multiple children.<br />Sandra, your article made me think that if teachers could accept sex as part of poverty (or even life for that matter) than maybe the predjucies and negative attitudes that surround parents could be less. I think its really hard to imagine what it would be like to be in another culture, when your (most of the teachers are white, middle class women) culture is a culture of privledge.<br /><br />DarcieAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3201209298014133940.post-16235030765668830202010-03-08T06:49:08.831-08:002010-03-08T06:49:08.831-08:00Providing cross-cultural sexual health education i...Providing cross-cultural sexual health education in Kenya has opened my eyes to the concept of privilege and oppression.<br /><br />Street-dwelling youth are a common feature in low-income countries. Family is regarded highly and is a close knit network in Kenya. However, extreme poverty has led to the breakdown of the family structure.<br /><br />Kaime, Lindmark, Persson & Ahlberg, (2007) discuss the three categories responsible for health care seeking behavior of street-dwelling youth in Kenya: financial, structural and support.<br /><br />In response to gaps in government programs in Kenya, the Children & Youth Empowerment Centre (CYEC) was formed in 2006. Penn State University has collaborated with the CYEC and has a multiyear engagement. Next week on my blog I plan to expand on the many innovative programs that are in progress for the youth in Kenya.<br /><br />Kaime-Attehog, W., Lindmark, G., Persson, L. & Ahlberg, B. M. (2007). Burning centre bolt: experiences of sexually transmitted infections and health care seeking behavior described by street boys in urban Kenya. Children and Youth Services Review, 29, 600-617.<br /><br />AliceAlicehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11440648195554774947noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3201209298014133940.post-68300521226120164082010-03-07T16:53:32.276-08:002010-03-07T16:53:32.276-08:00A powerful post, Sandra. I remember seeing the doc...A powerful post, Sandra. I remember seeing the documentary Born Into Brothels and just being stunned because I had never even imagined the possible existence of these children's lives. Much less designing interventions that could address their educational needs.Ryan McKeenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3201209298014133940.post-77190909584269810202010-03-07T10:59:27.789-08:002010-03-07T10:59:27.789-08:00Sandra,
Your blog shows just how much we as educ...Sandra, <br /><br />Your blog shows just how much we as educators can have an impact on others. I know a large portion of our class members have taken time to help others in some way, even before entering Widener University. Sax, Astin, and Avalos (1999) stated that if undergraduate students are involved in volunteer opportunities upon entering college, the students are likely to continue volunteer involvement for up to nine years. With that in mind, just think of all of the people we have/will positively influence with the knowledge, attitude, and skills we have acquired.<br /><br />-Alicia<br /><br /><br />References<br /><br />Sax, L.J., Astin, A.W., & Avalos, J. (1999). Long-term effects of volunteerism during the undergraduate years. The Review of Higher Education, 22, 187-202. doi: 10.1353/rhe.1999.0002Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04530577310852873954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3201209298014133940.post-13685633096254738572010-03-06T17:33:54.560-08:002010-03-06T17:33:54.560-08:00What a thought provoking post Sandra...thank you f...What a thought provoking post Sandra...thank you for it. I'm definitely not surprised to see this topic given the conversation we had in class. That day in class, I felt that I view the world really in one way... and that's my way, without considering the way others might experience the same situation. Since that day, I have challenged myself to try to view things through other lenses, and it's not easy. <br /><br />My daily interactions are mainly with students that generally come from upper middle class backgrounds where they have many opportunities and positive influences. Poverty is a concern for a very small population in our building, so I admit that I don't think about it as much as I might like to. I need to do that, because not everyone I work with has the same privileges and opportunities. <br /><br />More to come on that... I'm going to ponder this a bit.Chris N.https://www.blogger.com/profile/12802777629213184538noreply@blogger.com