Berkeley Unified Faculty District, or BUSD, and UC Berkeley cater to completely different age teams — however each academic establishments try to supply their college students with complete and unbiased data on sexual training.
Most college students begin studying about sexual training at BUSD in sixth grade and proceed their training on this subject all through highschool, in keeping with Julia Ingoldsby, BUSD nurse and sexual training coordinator.
“Berkeley Unified Faculty District adopted the Wholesome Oakland Teenagers curriculum from Oakland Unified Faculty District,” Ingoldsby stated in an electronic mail. “Content material should be medically correct, age applicable, LGBTQ inclusive, and accessible to English Language Learners and Particular Schooling college students.”
Based on Berkeley Excessive Faculty trainer Hasmig Minassian, sexual training at Berkeley Excessive begins with a required freshman humanities class referred to as ethnic research and social residing. Social residing is one semester of the yearlong course, which incorporates coursework on organic copy in addition to wholesome sexual decision-making, Minassian stated.
“It’s principally a semester-long course on sexual training and well being training together with gender, sexuality, antonomy, consent,” Minassian stated. “So each the organic copy a part of sexuality, but in addition wholesome sexual decision-making and consent.”
Berkeley Excessive additionally has a full-service well being heart funded by the town of Berkeley that gives two to a few days of classes throughout the 12 months to college students and include all issues sexual well being from training placing on a condom to an STD and STI “Jeopardy” sport, Minassian stated.
Based on Minassian, sexual well being is particularly vital for at the moment’s youth as a result of they’re continuously being uncovered to intercourse and sexuality earlier than a trusted grownup is ready to converse with them on the topic.
“The extra they will speak to at least one one other in a classroom surroundings, the extra seemingly they’re to have a wholesome sexual expertise with their friends after they’re not in a classroom surroundings,” Minassian stated.
UC Berkeley, however, is required below Title IX to supply sexual training sources to all of its college students, workers and school to be able to guarantee all campus members have a foundational understanding of correct sexual conduct, in keeping with Patrice Douglass, assistant professor of gender and ladies’s research.
For all college students, the Tang Heart supplies sexual training workshops, gynecology appointments, a category on the evolution of human sexuality titled Public Well being 180 and the Sexual Well being Schooling Program, or SHEP, in keeping with Robin Mills, well being educator on the heart.
“I discovered lots, and I really feel prefer it’s a very helpful program as a result of it’s so hands-on with the group at college,” stated SHEP pupil intern Riley Collins. “It actually opens folks’s eyes as much as sexual well being and safer intercourse practices inside school.”
Different campus organizations, such because the membership Greeks In opposition to Sexual Assault, or GASA, give attention to sexual training inside their smaller communities, in keeping with training director of GASA Sofia Sayyah.
Sayyah added GASA’s motive is to stop sexual violence and sexual harassment, or SVSH, in Greek life and to coach its members on normal sexual wellness and consent.
“Greek life, nevertheless, has historically featured energy dynamics and occasion settings that may enhance SVSH threat,” Sayyah stated in an electronic mail. “(This) is why there’s a lot emphasis on SVSH training inside Greek life.”
Modules taught embrace Energy & Privilege; After the Truth/Survivor Help; Alcohol, Drugging, and Consent; Bystander Intervention; Wholesome Relationships; and Cyber Intercourse, in keeping with Sayyah.
Whereas some golf equipment give attention to sexual training, others search to supply an area for sexual exploration, such because the Kink Membership, in keeping with presidents Crystal, Max and Shadow — who requested that their final names be unpublished to maintain their skilled lives separate from the contents of the membership.
They added that the Kink Membership has weekly conferences that debate particular areas of kink, comparable to introduction to kink and consent negotiation, electroplay, latex, flogging and a plethora of different subjects.
“We’re a social and academic membership whose function is to create secure house for dialogue, training, and exploration of kink in addition to offering sources and assist for folk to soundly navigate their kinks,” Crystal, Max and Shadow stated.
Contact Zoe Kessler at [email protected], and comply with her on Twitter at @ZoeKessler14.
