Questions were collected anonymously in a box and put to the speakers. The students asked questions such as: "How important is the size of the penis?", "What do I do if my partner doesn't want to use condoms?", "How do I know if I'm homosexual or bisexual?", "What diseases can be transmitted by mouth?", "Is it difficult to live with HIV?" or "What do you find out about the sperm donors in artificial insemination?".
Ute Schickardt emphasized how important it is to "take your time the first time, prepare yourself and make it as enjoyable as possible". According to the sex therapist, talking to each other openly and expressing your wishes helps to make sexuality a pleasant experience.
Doctor tells pupils about his practice
Dr. Ott brought along case examples from his practice of the consequences of the most common sexually transmitted infections in Germany - chlamydia and human papillomavirus (HPV). "Vaccination against HPV and the treatment of infections caused by chlamydia are two important measures that adolescents and young adults should also take care of," said Ott. Chlamydia is the cause of 30 to 40 percent of cases of involuntary childlessness. The infection could easily be treated with antibiotics. Regular check-ups enable early treatment.
HPV causes annoying genital warts, precancerous lesions and cancers such as cervical, throat and anal cancer. Children from the age of nine, adolescents and adults can protect themselves against most HPV types through vaccination. All statutory health insurance companies cover vaccinations up to the age of 18, most even up to the age of 26.
Those affected and sufferers talk about their experiences
Those affected talked about their HIV and hepatitis infections, blood transfusions or heterosexual contacts in the drug scene, how life has changed as a result of the new
drugs and why they work as activists to raise awareness.
For Daniela, "prevention is better than cure. Because once you have the virus,
you can't get rid of it so quickly and you have to bear all the consequences." Mihajlo advises the young people: "Don't lose your head, you only have one. Use it with clear thoughts and you will achieve more and be satisfied."
Kaan shared his experiences from the peer project and recommends that other pupils take part in similar projects. Principal Ulrich von Sanden and teacher Benjamin Pantoudis were proud of their peer educator team, consisting of Kaan, Bennett, Marie and Romy.
Information on the peer project
The project began in April 2023 with an information evening. The selected multipliers were trained and deployed as peer educators for over a year. Madeleine Braun, Katharina Klenk, Mandy Bronner, Dr. Stephan Döring and Dr. Uschi Traub from the health promotion team of the health department, an employee of the "White Ring", representatives from the LGBTTIQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, transgender, intersexual and queer people) sector and an HIV-positive person imparted knowledge on the topics of sexuality, contraception, sexually transmitted diseases, sexual violence as well as sex education methods and communication techniques. The peer educators then passed on their knowledge to pupils in grades 7 to 10.
