RealStars has finally kicked off the school project for the autumn semester! Our process leaders Christine and Tekla have been out on the first school visits of the semester in Stockholm and Gothenburg to give lectures on Fair Sex, prostitution, and other forms of sexual violence and harassment.
Last week the school project in Gothenburg premiered, with Bernadottegymnasiet being the first school visited. RealStars process leader Tekla met with two classes from the social science program and received many good questions and positive feedback from the students. Many appreciated that Tekla shared her own experiences of prostitution. Here’s how one of the students expressed their thoughts about the visit:
“I got a completely new perspective on what prostitution looks like in the world. I also think it was incredibly strong of Tekla to manage to talk about all the traumas she has experienced. Very interesting to listen to.”
In Stockholm, Christine has had the opportunity to visit both Psykologigymnasiet and the economics classes at Sjölins Gymnasium in Nacka. We also spent a whole week at Sjölins Gymnasium in Södermalm, where we gave lectures to the entire first grade. The students were very curious about the topic and eager to initiate discussions at the first schools, and at Sjölins Södermalm they took greater interest in the workshop and asking private questions. Some students even expressed their interest in becoming volunteers at RealStars. The students seemed to appreciate the lecture and described it as very informative and important.
“I have learned the importance of everything related to sex and consent as well as prostitution.”
It’s really obvious that RealStars’ knowledge is needed among the students and that the opportunity for discussion and reflection is appreciated. During Christine’s lecture, many questions were asked about nude photos, laws, and consequences. Many were unaware that abuse can also occur online. Because young people live in an extremely digitized world, discussions about online dangers and how grooming and online prostitution can actually manifest were valued. Discussing this can prevent young people from finding themselves in such situations in the future.
“It was important topics that were brought up. I think it’s important to spread knowledge about what was discussed.”
During the lecture at Bernadottegymnasiet, Tekla mentioned that compensation for paid abuse doesn’t necessarily have to be money and got a question about whether it counts as compensation when two people exchange nude pictures with each other. Tekla explained that one must distinguish between mutual enjoyment and when compensation is used as a means of control, that consent can never be bought, and that anything that’s not based on consent is abuse.
During RealStars’ lectures, we strengthen the students’ values for Fair Sex, dispel myths about prostitution, discuss consent, legislation, sexual harassment, and emphasize that prostitution and other types of abuse are related to norms and attitudes concerning gender and sexuality. Here’s how one of the students summarized the visit to Bernadottegymnasiet:
“You learn a lot about the topic that you didn’t know before. You get answers to many prejudices you had about the topic. You get a different perspective on the issue and a greater understanding of it.”
After the lectures, we’ve had creative workshops in which the students get to make posters inspired by the lecture. The majority of students have approached the task with enthusiasm and created posters with powerful messages (see some of them below).
Would you like to book a lecture for your school or class? Email Christine at christine@realstars.eu (Stockholm) or tekla@realstars.eu (Gothenburg and nearby cities).
