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Nesian narratives: Enhancing sexuality education for Pacific communities

Year:
2021
Duration:
53 months
Approved budget:
$442,511.00
Researchers:
Dr Analosa Veukiso-Ulugia
,
Ms Jacinta Fa'alili-Fidow
,
Professor Katie Fitzpatrick
,
Associate Professor Damon Salesa
Health issue:
Reproduction/fertility/sexual health
Proposal type:
Pacific Health Postdoctoral Fellowship
Lay summary
A shared desire is that our children become 'competent and confident learners and communicators, healthy in mind, body and spirit, secure in their sense of belonging…’ (Ministry of Education, 2017). Unfortunately, despite advancements within sexual health and education settings, the UN noted that ‘too many young people still make the transition from childhood to adulthood receiving inaccurate, incomplete or judgement laden information’ (UNESCO, 2018, p.3). For many Pacific children, this is exacerbated in their families, where cross-generational taboos and heightened sensitivity exist in relation to sexuality. Improving sexual health knowledge, attitudes and behaviours require a multifaceted approach. This fellowship enables the creation, piloting and evaluation of a supplementary Pacific sexuality resource toolkit. Designed for New Zealand teachers of Pacific students aged 5 to 6 years and drawing on the Fa’afaletui model, this toolkit will incorporate Pacific stories, languages and cultural values and include scalability measures.