Last week, we held our annual sex ed themed debating competition with Debate Hub! Free for state schools, the motions were designed to normalise conversations about sex and relationships.
50 teams joined the competition from across London and they delivered 450 speeches! Our motions included:
This house believed that universities should mandate a consent course and test for all students.
This house believed that throughout history, ‘masculinity’ as a concept has been more damaging than positive to humanity.
This house, as the leader of an alien planet similar to Earth but significantly more technologically advanced, would assign romantic partners based on scientific compatibility studies, to improve the population’s happiness.
Thank you to everyone who took part and to South Hampstead High School for having us!
Students attending our debating competition
South Hampstead High School, was kind enough to let students write on their staircase to express their thoughts about marriage, toxic traits in a relationship, and what consent means to them.
Students writing on South Hampstead High School's glass staircase to express their thoughts on their expectations for relationships
We also asked students to write on our whiteboards why they feel sex ed matters and they said:
Everyone deserves love.
It makes people feel safer in a world where safety is an after thought.
Not everyone talks about how often sexual assault happens!
We can reduce STDs
It is very important to make you feel comfortable
Ina. time of avid sexual harassment, we need to normalise the topic of talking about sex ed.
People have stereotypes about sex and we need to tackle them.
To protect people.
So people feel comfortable with their own bodies.
We need to tackle stereotypes that hold us all back.
We should feel safe.
People need to be educated.
Our whiteboards which students wrote on to share their thoughts about the importance of sex ed
We overheard some incredible speeches throughout the event. Lots of interesting ideas were shared, including:
"Your should be able to express yourself, but the patriarchy stops us from being ourselves. But we can change this." - Year 11 student
"We have seen the oppression of women from the beginning of history, including today as women's rights to an abortion is being threatened across the world including the USA." - Year 10 student
"As someone who has experienced sexual harassment on a regular basis, I think we need more workshops and education on consent so things can finally change." - Year 9 student
"When we look at masculinity's opposite concept, femininity, we see negative traits like 'weak' and 'emotional'. This holds us back. Everyone should be able to achieve their dreams. To achieve this, we need to throw masculinity as we know it out the window!" - Year 11 student
"Building a relationship with yourself is one of the most important things in life." - Year 8 student
Students debating at the competition
Mr Hepburn, Director of Debate Hub, said about the competition:
"Debating is a brilliant tool teachers can use to bring the PSHE curriculum to life. It gives students a voice and helps them speak up about stigmatised or complex topics like periods, masculinity, and consent. We love running these competitions and encourage more schools to organise similar events to empower students in their area. Check out our resources for support.”
Mr Hepburn at the debating competition
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For more information about how to run your own debating competition at your school, check out Debate Hub, based at South Hampstead High School.
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