Although the school year just ended, an international youth organization is rallying to encourage public educators to include its anti-porn curriculum in classrooms come September.

Nadine Willis, programs manager for Canada鈥攁 grassroots organization offering a holistic, whole school approach to counteract porn culture鈥攕ays free access to technology and a porn-rich culture are leaving our children vulnerable to the pornography industry鈥檚 nefarious marketing schemes and negative consequences.

鈥淭he porn industry targets kids,鈥� explained Willis. 鈥淚f they catch them when they鈥檙e young, they have a guaranteed life-time customer.鈥�

And not just 鈥渂ig kids, but little kids,鈥� continued Willis. Using popular culture as a jumping off point, many adult films use current themes and keywords鈥攕uch as fidget spinners鈥攖hat are designed to catch the attention of children.

The problem with this behaviour, says Willis, is it hijacks healthy sexual exploration and replaces it with pornification: the increasing acceptance of sexual themes and explicit imagery derived from the consumption of pornography.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 just the saddest thing to me, that kids are being robbed of their own sexual journeys,鈥� said Willis. 鈥淐uriosity is developmentally normal, however, being able to go on the internet and type in (keywords is relatively new, so) 鈥� within seconds they鈥檙e watching pornography, and what do they do now that they鈥檝e been awakened,鈥� she asked rhetorically.

Unfortunately, they act it out. 鈥淭he stats out of the UK show that peer-on-peer sexual abuse has increased by 400 per cent.鈥�

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And while these numbers hail from far away, they still hit close to home as the nation鈥檚 youth account for almost 60 per cent of all victims of police-reported sexual offences.

鈥淧ornography is used to groom children for exploitation,鈥� said Willis. 鈥淚t has negative neurological effects, and it can lead to acting out traumatic situations.鈥�

However, to combat that, the Youth Wellbeing Project, which got its start in Australia, has created an anti-porn curriculum designed to take the power of sexual awakening away from the porn industry and give it back to our youth.

In British Columbia, the Ministry of Education plans the academic outcomes for every grade, but it鈥檚 the teachers who decide how to get the students to the end goal, so Willis says she hopes the school district will adopt the programming as a way to fill the current void.

鈥淲e have a (sex education) program (in B.C.)鈥擨 think we barely have a program, as I don鈥檛 even think they鈥檙e offering it to older kids. So this full curriculum (we) have would really help.

鈥淚t鈥檚 extensive and fully detailed,鈥� continued Willis. 鈥淚t even has the wording and the lesson plans to integrate into many subjects. And I know I鈥檓 the only one offering this comprehensive of teaching in British Columbia.鈥�

Designed for each stage of public education, Willis explains how the IQ Program curriculum incorporates four parts: prevention, safety, body, and relationship.

鈥淥ne of the programs I鈥檓 working on is art, and for example, we ask (them to draw) what intimacy looks like. We鈥檙e focusing on the positive 鈥� and healthy alternatives (to pornography).鈥�

And although Willis admits it may take some time to see the type of progressive action the Youth Wellbeing Project鈥檚 curriculum is aiming for, she says there are plenty of ways parents can help.

鈥淭alk to your children鈥檚 school and express your worries, having a lot discussions about what a healthy life and relationships look like, keeping communication open, talk about what healthy sexuality actually is, and starting younger than you think you should.鈥�

鈥淎 letter-writing campaign would also help,鈥� Willis continued. 鈥淭hey want to do what people care about, so we need to let them know we care about this.

鈥淥ne letter to your MP equals 5,000 constituents. If people begin to (write letters), as we approach them at the upper levels they鈥檙e going to be aware that their constituents are worried about this.鈥�

Willis also encourages parents to check out the free , which provides resources to help parents build 鈥渞esilience and resistance to porn culture, while promoting healthy (sexual) development鈥� in their children.

鈥淲e just want our kids to be the best they can be,鈥� said Willis. 鈥淎nd it starts here.鈥�

For more information, or to volunteer to Youth Wellbeing Project Canada, visit , or email Nadine Willis at TinaMonk@hotmail.com.

Sarah.Gawdin@theprogress.com
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