TEEN TABOOS
PROGRAMME 2: SEX, TEENS AND INFECTIONS
ACTIVITIES
Before viewing
Introduce the topic of STIs using the Background Information. If you have watched Programme 1, refer back to the Group Agreement regarding expectations. Devise an agreement if necessary (see Programme 1: Activities).
After viewing
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The video clips may contain a few seconds of extra material at the beginning and end. We have therefore included opening and closing descriptions to help identify the intended scene.
Video clips will be available on the site shortly.
Myths and realities
Clip 1: 03:25 – 04:03
- Opens with the narrator saying, 'Urdon's doubts have finally got the better of him.'
- Closes with Dan saying, 'I might wind you up about it later.'
Urdon is worried about what to expect. Lead a discussion on the myths that sometimes surround a visit to an STI clinic. Ask students to make a list of these, then, alongside, to write down the corresponding realities, using what they have learned from the programme.
It might also be possible to investigate local services that are young-people-friendly. A starting point might be to collect leaflets from a range of young people's general health services, including those offering advice around sexual health, drugs and alcohol, stress, etc, and ask young people in groups to find out about at least one and share the details with the rest of the group – services offered, how to get there, opening times, and so on.
Communication skills
Clip 2: 11:11 – 12:43
- Opens with the narrator saying, 'Luke and Jodie have been going out for a year.'
- Closes with Luke saying, 'After reading all them leaflets, I did start to worry.'
Jodie says that although she was concerned about Luke's past, she found it difficult to talk to him and preferred to talk to her friends.
Open a discussion around communication in relationships. How important is it to be able to talk openly to a partner about their sexual past? How much more difficult is this if you do not know the person well, or are in the early stages of a relationship? Talk about the importance of feeling comfortable enough with someone to discuss sexual matters. You could think about ways to bring up the subject – for example, while watching a soap opera – and make a poster of top tips for communicating well in relationships. It might also be useful to discuss ways of telling your partner if you do not feel ready for sex.
Living with HIV
Clip 3: 20:23 – 22:20
- Opens with the narrator saying, 'The clinic encourages everyone to have a blood test for HIV.'
- Closes with Sarah saying, 'Just the things you do in normal life to set yourself up for a future.'
Sarah talks about her experience of finding out her HIV-positive status at the age of 17, and how it led her to feel that there was no point aiming for anything in life.
Ask the students to think about their future. They could make a timeline of all the things they would like to achieve in the future. Discuss how a long-term complication from an untreated STI, or HIV, would impact on those plans and discuss again the importance of safe sexual practices.
