AWARE has run Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE) programmes for students in international schools since 2009. We added the Birds & Bees workshop for parents in 2018, after receiving feedback that teens were not the only ones in need of sexuality education—parents felt unprepared to have conversations with their children about sex and relationships. Since then, more than 170 have attended Birds & Bees workshops, with very positive feedback.

Now, we’re looking to expand our team of CSE trainers to enable more participants to learn about sex, relationships and (especially) the vital issue of consent: essential knowledge for preventing, and coping with, sexual assault.

About AWARE’s CSE workshops

All our workshops, for youths and adults, employ a variety of interactive techniques, from polls to small-group discussions, to deepen participants’ engagement with and understanding of the issues. We believe that for lasting change to happen, participants need a chance to voice their opinions and to dialogue with each other. We therefore place a cap on the number of participants for all our workshops.

The case studies that we use also give participants a chance to imagine themselves into the scenarios. As some of the topics covered in our CSE programmes still carry a level of stigma in conservative Singapore, many participants have told us that they appreciate having a safe space to discuss these issues.

Interest in sex education, and consent education in particular, has been rising in recent years, especially following news reports about sexual assault. In a survey conducted in collaboration with AWARE in 2019, 97% of young people aged 17-24 wanted consent to be taught in school, but only 47% remembered being taught about it.

About CSE “Train the Trainer”

Our first CSE Train the Trainer (TTT) programme will cover materials needed to conduct CSE workshops for students in international schools. There will be opportunities for further training to conduct workshops for other demographics, including Birds & Bees, after the completion of the first TTT.

Upon successfully completing the programme, all TTT participants are required to commit to conducting at least three CSE workshops. (We will offer trainers a choice of dates/times of workshops for which AWARE has been engaged.) After that, suitable participants will be invited to join AWARE’s team of CSE trainers.

The TTT curriculum includes:

• Workshop attendance (as a participant)
• Walk-through of CSE materials
• Facilitation training
• Core knowledge training, which will cover, consent, sexual assault, relationships, sex and STIs
• Teach-back sessions
• Workshop observation (not included in dates given)
• Live delivery (co-deliver with an experienced trainer) (not included in dates given)

An ideal candidate would fulfil the following criteria:

• Strong belief in gender equality and the values of AWARE
• Strong commitment to comprehensive sexuality education being a vital and beneficial component of young people’s lives
• Excellent interpersonal, empathy, communication and public-speaking skills in English
• Experience or qualifications in any of the following areas would be helpful: facilitation, counselling/helpline counselling/coaching, training/teaching, community work/social work
• Being a parent or someone with experience interacting with teens would be helpful
• Ability to attend the training sessions across six weeks

Tentative schedule for CSE TTT:

• Thursday, 20 October, 7-10pm
• Thursday, 27 October, 7-10pm
• Thursday, 3 November, 7-10pm
• Saturday, 5 November, 10am – 5pm
• Thursday, 10 November, 7-10pm
• Teach-back: 1 & 8 December, 7-10pm

If you cannot make it for these dates but are keen to become a CSE trainer, do apply and we can put you on the list for the next round of training.

Course fees: $250, which will be refunded to you upon your successful conducting of the required (three) CSE workshops.

If cost is a barrier to your participation in the TTT, please email us at publiceducation@aware.org.sg.

Fill out the form below by 20 September 2022. Note that we will only be reaching out to shortlisted candidates.

Apply now!