MFM-Project® – A value based sex education programme to accompany girls, boys and their parents into puberty
The MFM-Project I present you today consists of two workshops. One for the girls, Cyclo-Show, and one for the boys, Agents on a mission. In the french part of Switzerland and in France the workshop for the boys has grown differently and is named XY-evolution. You will now a little bit more about this at the end of my presentation.
Sex education in many European countries focuses primarily on the dangers arising with sexual maturity and fertility, such as unintended pregnancy, sexual violence and sexually transmitted diseases. Fertility and sexuality seem to be dangerous and parents as well as school and society, everyone makes a lot of efforts to protect young people against the dangers of fertility and sexuality ! But - is this a successful way of sex education?
This project challenges this long spread paradigm in sex education through the program’s leading principle: “I can only protect what I appreciate and respect.” The concept of MFM workshops is based on the motto “appreciation leads to caring” The project allows girls and boys at the onset of puberty to develop a positive attitude towards their own body. It helps young people to value their bodies as the miracles they are before dealing with their sexuality in matters of disease and pregnancy prevention. New – and key to its success is not only the holistic educational design, but also the involvement of parents in this project.
The target group are girls and boys in the age of 10-12. Best time is when young people notice the first changes in their body.
Sex education in schools result in students acquiring only few and foremost technical pieces of knowledge on sexual body functions, lacking a coherent understanding. But all that scientifical facts cannot help them to emotionally connect to themselves. Appreciation is a matter of the heart!
At the end of the workshop, the young people learned a lot about themselves and about what’s going on in their own bodies. A lot of them say : “Now, I have no more fear !”.
Within the workshops boys and girls are taken on an expedition through their bodies. They experience the occurrences of puberty, fertility and the origin of new life. Information is provided in a way appropriate to the children’s age, in an affectionate and positive way and in a protected surrounding. Positive metaphors, storytelling and well-illustrated but accurate materials set the scene for the ‘Cycle-show’ for girls and ‘agents on a Mission’ for boys. After going on this expedition, all findings are transferred and directly connected to each boy and girl participating in the workshop. The workshop dramaturgy is designed this way because psychological findings and experiences from learning and cognitive research show that the best learning effect can be achieved by combining physical experiences with emotional and intellectual ones.
MFM-Project was created in 1999 by a German medical doctor Dr. Elisabeth Raith-Paula. 20 years before, Elisabeth Raith-Paula wrote – together with Dr. Petra Frank-Herrmann – the first theses about Natural Family Planning. She also was one of the founders of the socalled “Working Group NFP” (Arbeitsgruppe NFP) in Germany.
The Cycle-Show was awarded as “Best Practice Project” in the
European Union in 2003.
In 2012 the project had 57.000 participants in 4000 events and had 330 active
trainers.
MFM-Project is the most significant sexual education programme in Germany.
During the last 13 years, several organisations of several European countries have adopted the MFM-project and the Cycle-Show. Such countries are Austria and Switzerland, the German as well as the French speaking part. Also Hungary and France and Belgium and last but not least United Kingdom in 2011.
There are license agreements with partner organisations in every
country in order to implement MFM-Project.
In order to become a trainer for MFM-Project, a standardised
training with certification and further training is necessary.
For workshop and parent‘s lecture there are standardised manuals.
There are also obligatory project guidelines for every trainer
(organisation membership, statistical data, fees, ...)
Zyklus-Show® and MFM® are trademarked.
The workshops are given in schools or public institutions.15 girls or 15 boys at the farthest for each workshop.
As
parents remain the primary contact persons for children, the MFM-project
involves them from the beginning. Through a parent’s lecture the project
enables them to talk to their children trustfully and on eye-level. Apart from
this, the parent’s lecture is also a chance to clarify misunderstandings
prevalent also among adults.
In the french part of Switzerland and in France, the mothers come with the
girls for the whole day, and the fathers with the boys. It’s a big chance for
each duo “young-parent” to begin a dialogue about puberty and sexuality.
At the moment there are 245 active female trainers and 85 active
male trainers for the MFM-Project in Germany.
In Switzerland, they are about 10 female trainers et 2 male trainers.
In France they are about 30 all together.
Every teacher has her/his own materials.
The Cycle-Show book for girls “What’s going on in my body?” is available in several languages: French, German, Hungaran, Croatian and Slovenian. There will be also an English edition next year (2014)
To get more informations or to contact an organization, here are some Internet addresses:
Europe : www.mfm-projekt.eu
Germany : www.mfm-projekt.de
Austria : www.mfm-projekt.at
France : www.cycloshow.fr
Hungary : www.mfm-projekt.hu
Switzerland, French-speaking : www.corpsemoi.ch
Switzerland, German-speaking : www.mfm-projekt.ch
United Kingdom : www.mfmprojectuk.org