Talking openly about
sexual issues
Part of what learners saw as pioneers’ humane approach was their willingness to talk openly about difficult issues:
| g31b "She was talking to us openly and she was taking us seriously and we understand her very well" |
| g33g "She was open to me and I understood her very well" |
| g10g "When she talk she is not afraid of everything that why I like her" |
| i44g "She was open and free to talk about anything . She was nice to us" |
| i11g "She was open and helpful. I really liked her attitude" |
Of learners completing the evaluation, 82% agreed or agreed strongly that the pioneer also encouraged a reciprocal openness from them, and a number expanded upon this theme:
| g34b "She keeps telling us when you talk you must be open and to talk true about anything on your mind" |
| a21g "I think he was honest and wanted to know our views about sex" |
| i22b "She wanted us to talk openly" |
One learner described the pioneer’s concern and commitment to reciprocal openness as follows:
g11g "She taught us about HIV/AIDS and STD (a drop). She was a very kind person I’ve ever met. She is nice. She don’t beat us. She was talking to us and we were talking to her too"
Another learner explained why such open sharing of ideas and experiences could be beneficial:
g14g "I like that she talk openly, without fear and she encourage us to talk about this thing. Because many teenagers do thing that they don’t know. They do thing just to please their friends"
A third learner said that the pioneer was a positive role model for her in this regard:
m33g "The way he approached us and the way he explained everything that we needed to know. I once took him as my role model though we differ with sex. But he was great, approachable and even open with us about his personal life"