In an exciting new stage of the project, Professor Clark has started an important collaboration with Association XY in Sarajevo. Established in 2001, and with 16 years of experience of working at the State level, the NGO is focused on sexual and reproductive health and rights, healthy lifestyles and violence prevention. One of its key areas is Comprehensive Sexuality Education, and in 2013 (and in collaboration with the Ministry for Education, Science and Youth in Sarajevo Canton) it introduced a new subject, Healthy Lifestyles, into primary schools in Sarajevo Canton. Healthy Lifestyles is now being taught in 15 primary schools within Sarajevo Canton and it covers six broad topics, including reproductive health and gender questions, development of lifestyles and inclusion.
The collaboration with Association XY will focus on two core goals. The first is to widen the scope of the existing Healthy Lifestyles subject, by incorporating within it elements of the aforementioned Sex and Relationship Education Manual – and more specifically the topics on Sex, Myths & the Media, Rape and Sexual Violence, Rape as a Weapon of War and Supporting Survivors. As part of this collaboration, Association XY will organize training sessions to enhance the knowledge and skills of teachers from both elementary and high schools to deliver the new elements of Healthy Lifestyles. The second goal is to launch an innovative campaign aimed at tackling sexual-violence related stigma in BiH, thus extending the project’s focus beyond schools. Young people who volunteer at Association XY as peer educators will play a key role in the development of the campaign. A small number of survivors will also be invited to contribute ideas and to identify key messages that they would like the campaign to promote.