This course fully equips its participants to teach basic adolescent sex education. Just like the other online courses offered by the IVAF, it is designed for parents, professors or teachers, educators and youth monitors working in schools, colleges, youth organizations, parish groups etc. The course has been offered in Spanish since 2001 and this is the sixth time we offer the course entirely (texts and tuition) in English.

The course consists of an explanation of the program on Basic Adolescent Sexual Education (B.A.S.E.) for Educators, patented by the IVAF. The course offers basic and necessary information for use in teaching adolescents. The course aims for the perfect assimilation of the content of the program, especially its technical aspects. It guarantees educational centers that the graduates of this course are ideal teachers of sex education.

The challenge of educating teen sexuality for life. The content of the program B.A.S.E. for Educators of the I.V.A.F. tries to address two important goals in the formation of the youth. It provides a teaching innovation in an educational culture, so typical of our times, which claims neutrality and, as a consequence, is remiss in transmitting values and inducing virtuous and healthy behavior. It also responds to the crying need of young people, to search for authenticity and solidarity, and to reject hypocrisy and selfishness. Young people have the right to be informed and to discern virtues.

This program argues that “responsible sex” is the more adequate slogan to foster an education in sexuality in accordance with the demands and hopes of health and fulfillment which is expected from any adolescent. This is in contrast to the hedonist slogan “safe sex” which has fostered the early initiation into sex of young people.

As far as the characteristics of human sexuality are concerned, this program recognizes that society demands and presupposes the following: responsibility, rationality and maturity for all those who, using their own freedom, decide to use their procreative powers. From this it follows that children have the right to be born, and then, to be born within a family from married parents.

The factors which have to be considered in the elaboration of a program in sex education for adolescents are the following: a) science; b) prudence; and c) continence.

These three considerations are at the foundation of this program and summarize its application and the objectives which it proposes for the task of the educator and teacher of adolescents.

The challenge of understanding the sexuality as way of communication. In this program, the incorporation of sex to life, involving relationships in society in its synchronic and diachronic aspects, means acceptance of norms. Sex is normative, just like language, traffic, war, fashion, timetables, celebration of feasts, the stock market, sports etc. One cannot do with sex as he/she pleases, if he/she wishes to have relationships with and through sex. Engaging in sexually irresponsible behavior is like constructing inverted sentences or beating a red light.

Change should not be done hurriedly based on gut feel. Whatever educational innovations are proposed should be based on a study of present cultural milieu. Likewise, scientific methodology should include the observation of experience. It is about time that the proposals for education on sexuality for adolescents improve.

In this cultural context, the program B.A.S.E. FOR EDUCATORS of the I.V.A.F. becomes, at the same time, an important alternative and a renewal in sex education. It is an original program which comes from a Hispanic culture and which, at the same time, has a universal application, in terms of the values which it proposes and the concrete ideas which it offers.

The SABE program consists of two parts: a theoretical module and a module of discussion topics based on the following themes:

Lesson 1: Puberty
Lesson 2: The Male Reproductive System
Lesson 3: The Female Genital Tract
Lesson 4: The Reproductive Hormones
Lesson 5: Psychosexual Differences between Boys and Girls
Lesson 6: The Menstrual Cycle
Lesson 7: Biologic Signs of Ovulation
Lesson 8: Fertility Awareness
Lesson 9: Human Sexuality
Lesson 10: The Sexual Act: Copulation
Lesson 11: Methods of Fertility Awareness
Lesson 12: Sperms in the Female Genital Tract
Lesson 13: Fertilization and Conception
Lesson 14: Pregnancy
Lesson 15: Contraception
Lesson 16: Interpersonal Communication
Lesson 17: The Family
Lesson 18: Friendship
Lesson 19: Homosexuality
Lesson 20: Assisted Reproduction Techniques
Lesson 21: Sexually Transmitted Infections

Basic bibliography. IVAF’s own manual for this course.

A lesson is sent every two weeks or so, together with a quiz at the end of each lesson. Four discussion topics with explanations are also sent with each lesson. Personalized tutorship.

Dates. This course will start every year once we have enough students enrolled. Please contact us at cursos@ivaf.org if you have any questions.

Capacity to asimílate the contents of the course. Reservations are accepted following a strict order of registration (first come, first served).

BASE Diploma is granted.

Maximum number of students: 30 by strict order of registration.

Registration fee is 200 euros (or the equivalent in US$ at the moment of making the transaction). All bank fees will be shouldered by the student. There is, however, a small number of scholarships/discounted rates available for students coming from the same institution.

Interested parties should register through the registration link art the inscription page and fill out the application form. Payment of registration fees can be done through:

• Bank transfer (pertinent information will be given by mail).
• Western Union (pertinent information will be given by mail).

In the acceptance mail, the process to follow about the way of payment will be explained.