Share your experience of sex education in school

Take our survey on sex education and help to shape the new curriculum

Written by Rebekah Connolly

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As a website for young people, by young people, at SpunOut.ie we are sometimes asked to represent the voice of young people to governmental committees. We are currently working to submit a paper to the Oireachtas Education Committee on the topic of Sex Education in Ireland and are looking for your opinion to insure we represent the real educational experiences of our readers.

If you would like to help contribute to this work, please take our short survey (at the bottom of this page) and share with us your experience of sex education and what changes you think should be made to it. By taking part you can help to create a new sexual health curriculum in Ireland which will empower young people to make informed decisions about their sexual health and relationships.

Consent and sexual education

Over the past year the issue of consent in sexual relationships has been widely discussed across Irish and international media. The recent rape trial of Ulster Rugby players in Belfast hinged on the issue of consent, whether the sex that took place that night was mutually wanted by all parties. The #ibelieveher movement which followed the verdict of the Belfast trial moved far beyond the case itself, and instead represented the continuous struggle which victims of sexual assault and rape have in being believed and seeking justice.

The topic of consent and the lack of understanding on the issue has further highlighted the failings of sexual health education in Ireland. Minister of Education Richard Bruton has ordered a review of the 20-year-old Irish sexual health curriculum after both the Joint Committee on the Eighth Amendment and The Citizens Assembly called for improvements in sex education. A specific area which the review is to focus on is teaching the topic of consent to both primary and secondary students as well as including LGBTI+ issues and safe use of the internet.

Take our survey

For sexual education to be empowering to students, consent is just one of the topics that needs to be taught as part of an inclusive sexual health curriculum.

Here at SpunOut.ie we want to hear from you about:

  • the type of sexual education you received in school
  • how it could have been improved
  • what you think are the important topics that need to be taught as part of the sexual health curriculum

The findings of the survey will be submitted to the Oireachtas Education Committee to inform their discussion on sex education.

Click here to take the survey, or fill it out below.

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Our work is supported by

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Community-foundation
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rethink-ireland