Today sees the launch of a truly exciting new course of sex education videos for schools, starring Saving Lives’ own Naomi Sutton and GP Becky Foljambe. Saving Lives has been proud to co-found the series, and cannot wait to see the welcome it receives – and the positive impacts it achieves!
Hosted by the charity You Before Two, of which Becky is the founder, “The Fundamentals” is a series of short videos in which Naomi and Becky tackle some of the most pressing issues in Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) Education. These include consent and pressure, sexual health and periods. Accredited by the PSHE Association, the series’ tone is direct but accessible, offering clear but also engaging treatments of their topics – all aimed at the core audience of young people in years 9-10 upwards.
“We called this film project ‘The Fundamentals’ after reading and reacting to the 400-plus comments and questions that were placed in our specially designed boxes in six Academy Schools in September 2021,” writes Becky. “Understanding the complexities in sex and relationships must start with a basic understanding of our bodies, how we look after them, and where to go to seek help when we’re worried. These simple (fundamental!) concepts are where we need to start!”
Saving Lives has always been about breaking down myths – and smashing through barriers. Our work with You Before Two is all about putting the latest – and highest quality – sex education material in schools, where it can have huge benefit for young people, their relationships … and the communities we share.
“These films are the best I have seen in twenty-three years of teaching,” says Kennedy Taylor-Camm, Head of English at Lincoln University Technical College. “It is vital we get something of this quality out to all the students we can. So many students come to us with so many misconceptions. After lockdown so many will have missed vital PSHE coverage and will have even more misconceptions.”
Correcting misconceptions and improving everyone’s understanding of sex and sexual health has always been at the heart of Saving Lives’ work – and it’s at the very root of what The Fundamentals is all about, too. Thanks to these videos – and season two is already on the way! – better information about sex, health and relationships will soon be at the centre of many schools, too.
