«Education begins practically from birth»

Mrs Cimerman Sitar, the «Das bin ich!» app aims to promote successful sex education. How does it address the topic?

Your body is a source of fascination for children from an early age: How does it work? Does it look like that in others? How do babies get into the womb? Children ask lots of questions, but not all adults have learnt to talk about such topics naturally. This is where our offer comes in. The app is aimed at children, but the idea is that it encourages a shared dialogue. The content is divided into three age groups - from 4 to 6, 7 to 9 and 10 to 12 respectively - and explores the topics of the body, love, sexuality and identity.

It covers topics such as dealing with emotions, the perception of one's own body and sexual identity, as well as issues such as gender equality and respect for diversity. The information is based on scientific facts and is supplemented with illustrations, animations and audio recordings to make browsing fun. There is also additional material for the app.

Namely?

An e-book for children that picks up on the content of the app, as well as a handbook for parents, carers and educational professionals. It is intended to support them in providing children with age-appropriate and sensitive guidance on sexual education in everyday life. Sex education begins practically from birth, for example when we name body parts correctly or help the child to categorise their feelings by verbalising them. Science shows how important it is for children to talk openly with their caregivers in this context. In this way, we create a basis that will encourage the child to turn to us with confidence, even in difficult situations.

Who is behind the offer?

It was developed as part of an Erasmus+ project that aims to promote innovation in education and youth work and is supported by the European Commission. Sexuality educators, social scientists, teachers and parents' organisations as well as specialist agencies from nine EU countries contributed to the project. All material is free of charge.