School Health Education to Prevent AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD) : Teachers' Guide (UNESCO - WHO, 1994, 117 p.): Unit 2. Responsible behaviour: delaying sex: 10 Assertive messages

School Health Education to Prevent AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD) : Teachers' Guide (UNESCO - WHO, 1994, 117 p.)

Unit 2. Responsible behaviour: delaying sex

		(introduction...)
		1 Reasons to say NO - Reasons for delaying sex
		2 To delay or not to delay (a, b) - Case Study - Reasons for and against sex
		3 “Lines” and more “lines” - Pressure to have sex
		4 Guidelines: help to delay sex - Help for delaying sex
		5 What to do? - Case studies on sex for delaying sex
		6 Affection without sex? - Alternatives to sexual intercourse
		7 What’s next? - Ranking physical activities
		8 Am I assertive? - Definition of passive, aggressive, and assertive behaviours
		9 Who’s assertive? - Case studies - types of behaviours
		10 Assertive messages - Four steps to assertive behaviour
		11 Your assertive message (class) - Four steps to assertive behaviour
		12 Your assertive message (individual) - Four steps to assertive behaviour
		13 Responding to persuasion (demonstration) - How to refuse, delay, bargain
		14 Responding to persuasion (class activity) - How to refuse, delay, bargain
		15 Responding to persuasion (individual) - How to refuse, delay, bargain
		16 You decide - Activity on gender differences
		17 Dealing with threats and violence - Case study on violence in dating
		18 Being assertive every day - Take-home activity on being assertive

10 Assertive messages - Four steps to assertive behaviour

Purpose

It is important for students to learn the specific steps in being assertive and to practise these steps through behavioural rehearsal.

What the teacher does

1. Decide how to teach this activity.

a) Provide an activity sheet for each student so that they can follow the four steps to an assertive message.
b) Write the four steps with the “words you might say” on the blackboard. Then, with another student (peer leader) role-play the situation described (only two activity sheets are needed).

2. Explain the four steps and the words that might be used, to the students. Point out that steps 3 and 4 - asking how the other person feels and thanking the other person - are ways of respecting and being assertive with that person.

3. Read the situation for the role-play and then act out the assertive message with another student (peer leader). Emphasize that in this role-play the person who is replying is accepting the assertive person’s message.

What the peer leader(s) does

Peer leaders should be able to:

· Help the teacher in the role-play by being the person who replies to the assertive message.
· Write the activity on the blackboard (if this method is used).

Additional preparation

It is important to practise this assertive message with peer leaders or other students before you demonstrate to the students.