We have been delivering the Relationship and Sexual Health Education (RSE) program in schools since 1975. RSE follows best practices guidelines and established frameworks for sexual health, relationship, and violence prevention education and is linked to the Alberta Learning Curriculum outcomes. We offer youth the opportunity to build their knowledge, skills, and motivation to make informed, healthy choices about their bodies, relationships, and sexuality.
This program is offered in partnership with schools and community-based organizations that work with youth aged 12-29.
Why Choose Us?
We are the only organization in Calgary that provides truly comprehensive relationship and sexual health education in junior and senior high schools. We’re proud to provide an evidence-based program that’s not grounded in shame or judgement.
Youth who feel ashamed of their bodies or shameful about sexuality are less likely to protect themselves from STIs and unplanned pregnancies. Research shows that the outcomes from comprehensive sexuality education are better than abstinence-based programs – meaning youth are less likely to have sex and are more likely to delay their first time and use protection when they do choose to have a sexual relationship (Kirby, 2007). We equip youth to have conversations with their partners and make responsible, informed decisions for themselves based on their own values.
We are professionals, not volunteers.
All of our sexuality educators are full-time staff at Centre for Sexuality with a passion for their work. Many of them are registered social workers or have backgrounds in health, sciences, or education, and undergo intensive long-term training in order to work in classrooms.
We talk about consent.
We think it’s critical that all youth fully understand what consent means. They need to know at what age someone can consent, whether someone can give consent under the influence of drugs and alcohol and that someone can consent and then change their mind. It’s also essential they have resources if someone has experienced sexual violence.
We talk about healthy relationships.
We understand that teen dating violence is on the rise in Canada, and are committed to offering a program that talks about the warning signs of an unhealthy relationship, while also recognizing that youth are free to make choices that are right for them. All of our curriculum ties in conversations about healthy relationships, boundaries and support for youth who need it.
We talk about bullying, homophobia, and diversity.
We think it’s critical to talk about issues like sexism, homophobia, gender roles and sexual diversity. We encourage youth to challenge stereotypes, be aware of the language they use and embrace diversity. We help them understand the true impact of bullying and prejudice. We provide tools and practice on how to be an active bystander when someone is experiencing discrimination or exclusion.
We teach media literacy skills.
Our discussions around gender roles and diversity naturally lead to a critical analysis of media. We help youth sort through and understand the media messages they’re shown every day, and give context to advertising, social media and website messages. We also talk about issues like sexting.
We provide an inclusive, trauma-informed classroom environment.
Our program has an emphasis on diversity and we recognize that youth come from all backgrounds, faiths, cultures and experiences. We deliver content that is current and relevant to youth’s lives and experiences in a non-judgmental way. We encourage youth to discuss and recognize their own values when making decisions.
We recognize the high rate of sexual abuse and assault in our communities.
Our educators are highly trained to deal with sexual assault disclosures that may happen (anonymously and not) throughout the program.
We believe everyone has the right to sexual health information.
We offer an adapted program for PLP, ACCESS and ELL classes.
Relationship and Sexual Health Education Programs and Objectives
The Grade 7 / Program 1 curriculum focuses on sexual and reproductive systems. While we are all born with sexual organs, our understanding of how these body parts work and relate to our sense of sexuality is not innate. Healthy sexuality includes understanding the reproductive anatomy of people born with penises, vulvas, and intersex bodies, how bodies change during puberty, and how values and society shape our sense of self. By learning about these concerns, participants will be better able to make informed decisions around their own sexual and reproductive health. They will also practise using assertive communication to share their feelings and needs and will learn about the differences between healthy and unhealthy relationships.
Time Requirements
Program delivery requires four hours, typically delivered over four one-hour classes.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this program, participants will be able to:
- Describe puberty with increased comfort and knowledge.
- Describe individual and societal values related to puberty with increased awareness.
- Critically analyze media about puberty and sexual health.
- Critically analyze media about anatomy.
- Describe human anatomy and physiology with increased comfort and understanding.
- Demonstrate the knowledge and skills to support healthy decision-making.
- Identify and set boundaries, and negotiate and advocate for their needs.
- Demonstrate the knowledge and skills to maintain healthy relationships on social media.
- Describe relationship rights and the differences between healthy and unhealthy relationships.
- Identify and set boundaries, and negotiate and advocate for their needs.
- Identify supportive relationships and seek the support they need.
- Identify and regulate their emotions in ways that contribute to healthy relationships.
The Grade 8 / Program 2 curriculum moves participants from discussions about puberty in Program 1, into exploring healthy relationships. This curriculum will explore healthy decision-making, values, and sexual and gender diversity. Participants will learn about gender norms and how gender norms can influence our relationships.
Time Requirements
Program delivery requires four hours, typically delivered over four one-hour classes.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this program, participants will be able to:
- Demonstrate increased knowledge and comfort about gender and sexual diversity.
- Demonstrate increased awareness of relationship rights, and describe the difference between healthy, unhealthy, and abusive relationships.
- Demonstrate increased awareness of individual and societal values related to sexuality.
- Demonstrate increased comfort and understanding of human anatomy and physiology.
- Demonstrate increased comfort and understanding of the components of developing a healthy self-concept and sexuality.
- Demonstrate increased knowledge about boundaries and the importance of communicating boundaries in healthy relationships.
- Demonstrate increased knowledge about consent as it applies to romantic and sexual relationships.
- Demonstrate increased knowledge and skills to support healthy decision-making.
- Identify and regulate their emotions in ways that contribute to healthy relationships.
The Grade 9 / Program 3 curriculum is focused on relationships and sexual health. Participants review anatomy, and learn more about birth control and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). They consider their relationships rights and continue developing communication skills related to sexuality. By practising decision-making, communication, and consent, participants build skills required for creating and maintaining healthy relationships.
Time Requirements
Program delivery requires four hours, typically delivered over four one-hour classes.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this program, participants will be able to:
- Demonstrate increased knowledge of what constitutes teen dating violence.
- Demonstrate increased comfort and understanding of human anatomy and physiology.
- Demonstrate the knowledge to make informed choices about contraceptive use.
- Demonstrate the knowledge and skills to engage in safer sex practices that reduce the risk of STIs.
- Demonstrate the skills needed to effectively use barriers during sexual experiences.
- Demonstrate the knowledge and skills to critically analyze media about sexuality and sexual health.
- Determine how their values impact their relationships.
- Demonstrate the knowledge and skills to critically analyze gender norms and their impact on relationships.
- Demonstrate increased comfort and skills to communicate about sexual health.
- Demonstrate the knowledge and skills to practise consent.
- Demonstrate the knowledge and skills to identify and set boundaries and negotiate and advocate for their needs.
- Demonstrate increased awareness of factors that impact consent and the skills to not cause harm.
The CALM / Program 4 curriculum is a dynamic exploration of the components that influence sexual health. It is intended for youth in grade 10, 11, or 12. Participants explore sexuality from a broad perspective, and they practise the skills they will need to have healthy relationships and take care of their sexual health.
The program prepares participants to engage in healthy relationships that are free from violence and coercion. It supports them in making decisions that are congruent with their personal boundaries, expands their understanding of consent, and helps them develop the skills to deal with rejection from sexual and romantic partners.
Throughout the program, participants have the opportunity to develop empathy and respect for diversity, including a greater understanding of sexual orientation and gender roles in society. They explore and evaluate the impact of oppression, and what they can do to create social change and address oppression in their own ways.
Time Requirements
Program delivery requires six hours, typically delivered over four 1.5-hour classes.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this program, participants will be able to:
- Identify individual and societal values related to sexuality.
- Demonstrate increased knowledge and comfort in discussing gender and sexual diversity.
- Practise basic Canadian sexual and reproductive health rights.
- Demonstrate the knowledge and skills to support healthy decision-making.
- Identify what constitutes teen dating violence.
- Identify and regulate their emotions in ways that contribute to healthy relationships and do not cause harm to others.
- Demonstrate the knowledge and skills to practise consent.
- Recognize when they have power and the skills to not cause harm.
- Effectively use barriers during sexual experiences.
- Critically analyze gender norms and their impact on relationships.
- Demonstrate increased awareness of societal norms, attitudes, and practices that contribute to violence.
- Demonstrate collective responsibility for safety and increased comfort and skills to act as a bystander.
Thinking of Booking an Educator?
Are their outcomes linked to Alberta Learning?
Will they openly share their curriculum?
Is the curriculum evidence-based?
Where does the organization’s funding come from?
What is the background or education of the educator? Are they volunteers?
Does the program emphasize respect for diversity and encourage acceptance of people of various races, cultures, abilities, gender identities and sexual orientations?
Does the program talk about consent? Do they talk about bullying?
Do they offer a specific program for PLP, ACCESS or ELL classes?
Booking Requests
School-based booking requests
Relationship and Sexual Health Education booking requests for the following school year are accepted starting mid-June. Those who submit booking requests between June and August will receive a response by mid-September with either a booking confirmation or a waitlist notice.
New booking requests are still accepted after September based on availability, and teachers can expect to receive a response within two weeks of submitting their booking form.
For all other inquiries please contact sdixon@centreforsexuality.ca.
Community-based booking requests
Our community-based Relationship and Sexual Health Education Program is available for organizations that work with youth aged 12-29. These programs are adapted to the learning needs of your group based on the learning objectives listed above. We also have custom programs for newcomers to Canada, people with disabilities, people who have experienced addiction, and people who have experienced trauma.
To learn more, or request a booking for a community-based organizations, please contact sdixon@centreforsexuality.ca.
Costs and Fees
Centre for Sexuality is a non-profit organization. We deliver the RSE program free of cost to public schools organizations in Calgary and area. However, many schools and organizations provide an honorarium to help cover our costs and continue the development of the RSE program.
We thank you for your generosity! For information on program delivery fees in private schools, please contact sdixon@centreforsexuality.ca.
Frequently Asked Questions
For Parents
Our comprehensive, evidence-informed programs equip youth with the information and tools to make responsible, informed decisions about their sexual health and relations based on their own values.
Our approach is demonstrated to reduce sexually transmitted infections, unintended pregnancy (through the use of barriers and birth control including abstinence) and teen dating/intimate partner violence. Our focus on critical thinking and media literacy, combined with a series of activities designed to cultivate self-awareness, self-control and interpersonal skills, help young people become less susceptible to social pressure and harmful media messages and more likely to delay their first sexual experience.
All RSE programs have four modules.
For grades 7, 8 and 9, each module lasts one hour (four hours total). For CALM (grades 10,11,12) we spend 90 minutes per module (six hours total).
We provide developmentally appropriate, evidence-informed learning experiences which follow Alberta Health and Life Skills Curriculum outcomes and are informed by Sex Information & Education Council of Canada (SIECCAN) guidelines.
We know that young people are often seeking information about sex, their bodies and relationships – often from sources that are not accurate or intended for educational purposes (e.g., pornography). We’re proud to provide an evidence-informed program that’s not grounded in shame or judgement, allowing students to access factual information and tools to support informed decision making.
All of our sexuality educators are full-time staff at Centre for Sexuality who have undergone intensive long-term training in order to work in classrooms. Many of them are registered social workers or have backgrounds in health, science or education.
Our comprehensive Relationship and Sexual Health program focuses on healthy relationships consent, media literacy, sexual violence, bullying, prejudice and homophobia.
The Canadian Guidelines for Sexual Health Education note that an understanding of sexual diversity perspectives and issues is an important component of comprehensive sexual health education. We encourage youth to challenge stereotypes, be aware of the language they use and embrace diversity. We help them understand the true impact of bullying and prejudice and provide tools and practices on how to be an active bystander when they see discrimination or exclusion.
We share information and tools to support informed decision making and encourage youth to discuss and recognize their own values when making decisions, including abstinence and other contraceptive choices. Adolescent sexual health interventions can have a significant positive impact on sexual health behaviours including delaying their first sexual activity and increasing use of condoms and other contraceptives.
We provide all the information and facts that individuals should consider when thinking about relationships. We talk about consent laws to empower and inform young people of their moral and legal obligations, both for themselves and others. Educating youth about the ethical and legal aspects of consent is crucial for the development of safe and respectful interpersonal relationships and the prevention of sexual and gender based violence.
While we understand this question often comes from a desire for children to delay sexual activity, the fact is that youth who feel ashamed of their bodies or shameful about sexuality are less likely to protect themselves from STIs and unplanned pregnancies.
Our age-appropriate program aligns with Alberta Education Outcomes and is informed by guidelines from the Sex Information and Education Council of Canada.
Within our sessions, we do use an anonymous Question Box tool as a way to create space for students to ask questions about their bodies, relationships or anatomy. Each question receives a non-judgmental, factual, empathetic and authentic response. All of our sexuality educators are full-time staff at Centre for Sexuality who have undergone intensive long-term training in order to work in classrooms. Many of them are registered social workers or have backgrounds in health, science or education.
If youth want information, they will try to find it. It is much better for them to hear factual, normalized and age-appropriate answers from our team rather than other sources that may provide false, misleading or harmful information.
The RSE program emphasizes the importance of natural supports (parents/caregivers) as we know they are the most important educators in their child’s life.
During each session, our facilitators highlight that each person will have different experiences, values and opinions and that it is important to talk to our natural supports and other trusted adults in school or other safe settings. All parents have the choice to opt out of Sexual Health Education if it is something they do not want their child to participate in.
At schools where we are delivering our RSE program, we’re very happy to facilitate workshops for parents at the school. Our parent workshops share further information about our programs, provide tools for supporting conversations about sexual health and healthy relationships with your child and provide an opportunity for discussion with other parents/caregivers.
If you’re looking for support around a specific topic, we offer one-on-one short-term counselling for parents/caregivers looking to support their children or teens.
For Educators
For Public Schools: Centre for Sexuality is a non-profit organization and we deliver the RSE program free of cost to public schools in Calgary and Area to ensure our program is accessible. However, many schools provide an honorarium to help cover our costs and continue further development of the RSE program.
For Private Schools: We charge a fee of $400 per class cohort to help cover our costs and continue development of the RSE program. An invoice will be sent following program implementation.
Our RSE program content is non-negotiable. As an evidence-informed comprehensive program created by and delivered by experts, we understand the importance of scaffolded sessions (where each session builds and incorporates content from previous sessions) that deliver positive outcomes, including:
- reduced STI rates
- reduction in teen dating violence
- reduced unintended pregnancies
- sexual health enhancement
- increased understanding of how to have healthy relationships
- increased understanding of identity
Reducing the scope of the program comprises these outcomes.
Centre for Sexuality’s RSE programs meet all of the Alberta Education Human Sexuality outcomes for
their corresponding grades:
Grade 7
- W-7.3 Examine the human reproductive process, and recognize misunderstandings associated with sexual development.
- W-7.12 Identify the effects of social influences on sexuality and gender roles and equity; e.g., media, culture.
- W-7.13 Examine the influences on personal decision making for responsible sexual behaviour.
- W-7.14 Examine abstinence and decisions to postpone sexual activity as healthy choices.
Grade 8
- W-8.3 Recognize and accept that individuals experience different rates of physical, emotional, sexual and social development.
- W-8.7 Determine the signs, methods and consequences of various types of abuse; e.g., neglect, physical, emotional, sexual abuse.
- W-8.12 Identify and describe the responsibilities and consequences associated with involvement in a sexual relationship.
- W-8.13 Describe symptoms, effects, treatments, prevention for common sexually transmitted diseases; i.e., chlamydia, HPV, herpes, gonorrhea, Hepatitis B/C, HIV.
- W-8.14 Identify and describe basic types of contraceptives; i.e., abstinence, condom, foam, birth control pills.
Grade 9
- W-9.3 Apply coping strategies when experiencing different rates of physical, emotional, sexual and social development; e.g., positive self-talk.
- W-9.7 Evaluate implications and consequences of sexual assault on a victim and those associated with that victim.
- W-9.12 Determine ‘safer’ sex practices; e.g., communicate with partner, maintain abstinence, limit partners, access/use condoms/contraceptives properly.
- W-9.13 Identify and describe the responsibilities and resources associated with pregnancy and parenting.
- W-9.14 Develop strategies that address factors to prevent or reduce sexual risk; e.g., abstain from drugs and alcohol, date in groups, use assertive behaviour.
CALM
P11 Examine the relationship between commitment and intimacy in all its levels
- Identify expectations and commitments in various relationships
- Examine a range of behaviours for handling sexual involvement
- Describe how personal values play a role in relationships
- Explain the role of trust and ways to establish trust in a relationship
- Develop strategies for dealing with jealousy
P12 Examine aspects of healthy sexuality and responsible sexual behaviour
- Explain the ongoing responsibility for being sexually healthy
- Examine a range of behaviours and choices regarding sexual expression
- Describe sexually healthy actions and choices for one’s body, including abstinence
- Analyze strategies for choosing responsible and respectful sexual expression
- Describe the ways in which personal values influence choices
- Assess the consequences of being sexually active
We require closed classroom spaces, access to a whiteboard and audio/visual set up and a teacher in the classroom.
Expanding the RSE Program
Thanks to generous funding from the Government of Canada’s Sexual and Reproductive Health Fund, Centre for Sexuality is expanding the reach of our RSE program to help even more youth get the skills and tools they need to make healthy decisions.
- We are developing an online version of the RSE program for use in rural communities.
- We are developing an adjusted version of the program for people with developmental disabilities.
- In partnership with Alberta First Nations communities, we are developing a version of the program just for Indigenous youth.
Learn more about our Community Driven Population and Public Health project.
