Whenever I ask my colleagues and friends to describe the sex education they received growing up, the most common response is, bad.” This is particularly common among those who were forced to sit through a horrific abstinence-only class. Just over a year ago, in the June 2014 issue of Contemporary Sexuality, we published a piece on " How Sexuality and Non-Sexuality Professionals Can Better Work Together ," touching upon the ways in which a variety of professionals might further educate themselves on issues of sexuality.
Programs that promote abstinence have become particularly popular with school systems in the US ( Gilbert and Sawyer, 1994 ) and even with the federal government ( Sexual abstinence program has a $250 million price tag, 1997 ). These are referred to in the literature sexual wellness as abstinence-only or value-based programs ( Repucci and Herman, 1991 ). Other programs—designated in the literature as safer-sex, comprehensive, secular or abstinence-plus programs—additionally espouse the goal of increasing usage of effective contraception.





In addition, in terms of specific content, an emerging model for sexual health education is the rights-based approach, which employs a vast, comprehensive sexual education program with a focus on human rights, gender equality, access to healthcare services, and critical thinking (Constantine et al., 2015).
Tu highlights the importance of children trusting in parents, enabling a sound understanding and application of their knowledge when it comes to sex, their sexualities, bodies and self-identities - so the box includes a separate activity for parents and children to complete together.

The dynamics of the sexuality education conversation can then change as the child becomes a young adolescent by asking the parent or caregiver to leave the room after the initial introductions and history taking has occurred with the parent in the room.
With values being such an important part of Sexuality Education, ideas like abstinence and protecting our bodies took a stronger centre stage rather that telling the kids how to use condoms to make sure they don't get pregnant, since (not if!) they want to have sex at that age.

Gallup polls commissioned by the institute show that 80 to 90 percent of the population would like their children to receive "Yo quiero, yo puedo" from elementary school on up. Men in the rural areas reached by the "Si yo estoy bien" program have been so impressed by their wives' new-found skills that they have been asking the institute to develop programs for them as well.
However, while HIV prevention remains important, evidence and practice demonstrate that sexuality education has a much broader relevance to other issues, not only for young people's sexual and reproductive health but also for their overall wellbeing and personal development.