Sex & History: Creative RSE Using Historical Objects

Sex & HIstory is a creative approach to RSE that uses objects from around the world and past cultures relating to sex, gender and sexuality.

Objects act as a flexible springboard for meaningful and beneficial conversations with young people. Intriguing artefacts from past cultures serve as a productive and challenging stimulus, while providing a safe distance to discuss sensitive subjects. Young people find such objects fascinating, and the resultant discussion encourages them to see their own society and understanding of sex and relationships from new perspectives.

The lessons plan can have a positive impact on young people’s personal and relationships skills, self-confidence and resilience. The materials provide a wider social and cultural framework for the assimilation of biological and practical information about sexual health, empowering young people to make healthy choices about relationships and sex.

The Sex & History methodology is adaptable for different settings and contexts where both formal and informal work around relationships and sex takes place. In addition to Sex and Relationships Education (SRE), it has been used in other school subject lessons (e.g. integrated into art, history and drama projects), out-of-school youth activities, health and social services, and heritage and museum outreach programmes.