A Journey of Trust, Education, and Growth
Walking into the final week of our 12-week Date-ability course, I was overwhelmed with a sense of sadness and loss. For three months, this group of individuals and small teams came together to discuss deeply intimate and personal topics. Despite the voluntary nature of their participation, something extraordinary was harnessed in these sessions. The trust developed between the participants and the staff was remarkable and rare. How did they achieve this in such a short time?
A Unique Educational Experience
It was enlightening to see that education could exist in an accessible way for everyone, outside the traditional classroom experience. Date-ability provides essential and insightful education to participants and their families, touching on topics that are often overlooked or avoided in standard educational settings and more often than not, family homes.
The Need for Comprehensive Education
Specialist schools have historically shied away from sexual education, fearing it would open a Pandora's box. However, students face these issues regardless, and a head-in-the-sand approach doesn't help. Mainstream staff often lack the expertise and comfort level to handle these sensitive subjects effectively.
In Date-ability, people shared intimate details about their lives and feelings, creating a safe space where emotions were protected and respected. This level of openness and vulnerability is rarely understood, let alone achieved, within homes, workplaces, or schools. Rapport is critical in enabling learning and helping others opt in. Handling these sensitive and intimate subjects so openly and so forthright as to create meaningful connection was unique and empowering for the individuals involved.
Teachers in schools and managers in the workplace are meant to hold this space and create a safety net of confidence in trust. The leaders in this classroom knew this intimately and we're able to cultivate an environment of sharing, vulnerability and growth that you rarely see within a classroom.
The Importance of Foundations
The course laid a solid foundation by starting with how we as individual's see our; identity, strengths, friendships, qualities, emotions, and communication. It then ventured into much more complex conversation around self-advocacy, dating etiquette, online dating, and addressed many taboo topics. These foundations are crucial and often underappreciated.
Personal Reflections on the Education System
After 15 years in education; as a classroom teacher and with various roles and responsibilities, I've found the traditional system's approach to sexual education frustrating. Education should provide access to all knowledge and teach the skills to make informed decisions. However, the bureaucratic nature of the system often fails to address the complexities of life.
The Broader Impact
Education about creating and maintaining respectful relationships is more necessary than ever. We need to cultivate respectful communities to ensure greater connection within our relationships, our communities and humanity, in order to teach future generations about boundaries and sexual health. The program highlighted the lack of understanding about the serious implications and responsibilities of sexual identity and relationships.
Addressing Modern Challenges
The influence of pornography, dating apps, and social media on relationships is significant but hard to quantify. There's a pressing need for a proactive approach to address these issues and promote mental health, confidence and respectful relationships. Date-ability provides this by educating individuals about intimate and critical topics while challenging our cultural biases.
A Call to Action
Date-ability should be a priority for everyone, whether on the NDIS or not, in schools and communities. It starts with education—guiding individuals and respecting their right to knowledge. In our technological age, we have access to vast information, yet our decision-making seems less informed. This paradox highlights the need for structured, respectful, and comprehensive education.
Concluding Thoughts
The second half of the course covered boundaries, consent, healthy relationships, online safety, and sexual well-being. It guided participants from their unique starting point and took each person beyond that by challenging their thoughts and empowering them to discover their identities and values.
Reflecting on this program is emotionally confronting. Many of us didn't have the opportunity to develop positive relationships with ourselves or learn how to do so with others at a young age. Date-ability is a unique and valuable contribution to individuals and society, offering education that fosters respectful, informed, and healthy relationships.
Date-ability was a phenomenal experience. My role as a support worker was to encourage, engage, and help participants manage the emotions associated with confronting discussions. With my classroom experience, I know how challenging it can be to discuss topics like consent, sex, and emotions. I could not be more supportive of this course and of the caring group of people who implement it.
Podcast, YouTube Channel and Further Learning
For those interested, I have released a podcast course series about Emotions and Disability, discussing many aligning topics, which delves deeper into these themes. This course is not just a good idea; it's a necessity for creating a more connected and respectful society.
I have designed this channel to provide education, resources and perspective into not only disability but habits and psychology in all things that can benefit a person's life. You will find this information useful regardless of whether or not you have a disability or know others that do.
This podcast is designed to support people and discuss various topics including:
- Economics
- Building accessible systems
- Education
- Behavioural psychology
- Changing behaviour
- Financial freedom - Disability
- Psychology - Health & fitness
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