101 ways to say I love you without having sex

Objectives:
· To make the participants aware of alternatives to sexual intercourse for showing love. To foster positive self-esteem, self-respect, and self-control in a peer group in regard to abstinence.

Target group:
· Secondary school students, community groups

Group size:
· 10 - unlimited number of participants.

Time:
· 15 minutes

Materials:
· Flip-chart paper / poster paper, marking pens (See Appendix I: AIDS Action Plan)

Preparation:
· Distribute flip chart paper and pens to the participants or, when having a race, hang two sets of flipchart paper on the wall (use two sheets of paper so that the pens will not bleed through to the wall).

Directions:
1. Students are asked to respond in writing to the question: "If you and your girlfriend or boyfriend had decided to postpone sexual intercourse, how would you let the other person know that you loved her or him?" After the students have written their answers to the question, ask for a few volunteers to share their answers with the class. Some of these answers can then be discussed. Written answers should be collected and transferred to a large chart placed in a prominent place in the classroom as a reminder.

2. Have a race between two teams to write as many answers to the same question as they can within a 2 - 5 minute time limit. Then read the two lists to everyone. The lists should be kept and used as posters in the classroom.

From: Iowa Public Schools, U.S.A.