As I mentioned in my last post, earlier this week, I met with a few staff members at Crips-Île-de-France (Crips for short). When I first got there, I met with Estela who I have been in email contact with for about a month. Estela introduced me to Chloe and one other colleague. They had some concerns about the language barrier at first since they work mainly in French, but we barely noticed as we continued getting to know each other. I spent about four and a half hours hanging out around their offices. It was perfect timing because August is when most employees in France are on holiday, so it was pretty quiet and they had no school/community groups scheduled.
We started by spending time in the area where most group lessons are held. I noticed they had a corner with bean bags, birth control method demos, a pride flag on the window, and informational posters about menstruation and intersex people. I told them it was nice to see a poster about intersex people because representation in America is fairly low, and it is often forgotten in sex education courses. They told me that they discussed it a few months ago as part of the LGBTQ+ day celebrations. As we continued walking around, I spotted some resources that I’ve also used as a sex educator, like the Gender Unicorn, translated into French. I asked what kind of groups they work with, and they mentioned that they either directly go to schools to teach comprehensive health courses or they hold programming at this center for youth of all ages, young adults that may not be in school or working, disabled youth, and LGBTQ+ youth. All of their programming and resources are free! Next, they showed me some other resources in the main center area. They have a TV with headphones for youth who are not inclined to speak with them or want to be alone, so they can listen to educational lessons/videos instead. There was also a closed-off curtain where youth can meet with a professional to discuss a traumatic experience or ask for advice. They explained that they do not offer services directly at Crips, but they are able to make recommendations to youth and help them with every step to get the care that they need. On their main counter, they had bowls of external condoms, internal condoms, and lube packets for free for anyone to grab as well. I mentioned that internal condoms are very expensive in America, so we cannot offer those for free as much, and they were shocked!
After that, they asked if I wanted to see some lessons and tools that they use. I was super excited for this part! They told me that their lessons are more of an overall health class curriculum that covers drugs/alcohol safety, comprehensive sexual health, relationships, mental health, and social justice (i.e. discrimination, prejudice, gender equality). However, because of my topic, we only looked at sexual health-related materials. I asked them to tell me what their curriculum looks like or the main mission statements for their lessons. They explained that they provide information to youth, but they do not tell youth what are “good” or “bad” choices, it is more about providing all options. Also, they do not use a structured lessons approach. Instead, they work with school leadership or get to know the group of students and determine the best topics to cover. There is no requirement for how many lessons, time spent, or which topics to discuss. They explained that this gives the facilitators more flexibility, and it ensures that youth are able to learn what they want to hear about which increases engagement. Finally, they use a games and debates approach. I was very impressed with their games, and they mentioned that this is a way to make sex ed more interesting while being educational. For example, they showed me their version of the game “Taboo” where the goal is for a player to have their group guess the word on the player’s card without using the word itself or five additional words listed on the card. They created a deck with terms like puberty and STI. They shared trivia games as well that were based on famous French game shows. One game that they were very proud of was a debate-style game–they said it is what Crips is famous for in the classroom. The way it works is that the facilitator reads a statement, such as “Transgender people always undergo gender confirmation surgery” or “It is healthy to check your partner’s text messages,” and students move to agree, disagree, or neutral. Then, they ask all or a few students to share why they chose their position. They mentioned that some are opinion-based, but others do have a right/wrong answer to ensure a teaching moment occurs. I appreciated how they emphasize discussion in all of their lessons. I asked why they do that/why is it so important. Estela shared that “Youth already know so much about these topics usually, so it is often just hearing what they know and building from it that is important. We don’t think they need lectures and presentations as much when it comes to this stuff.”
The other part of their teaching models that stood out to me were their actual tools. They showed me an interesting looking lazy Susan type of circle with five different colored, shaped, and sized penises. They said this is what they use for condom demonstrations. I was intrigued because I have only performed condom demonstrations with a typical wooden phallus. They said that they used to use those, but they found this tray is more realistic, feels more approachable with the fun colors, and it emphasizes that penises can all look different. They also pulled out five different colored vulvas with each one having its own unique features. Similar to the penises, they use these to show that vulvas are unique, and this is completely normal. As a nerd of this work, I was personally blown away by one vulva model that they had that was opaque and had a neon pink model inside of the clitoris. They said that was the special one that they use to teach people with vaginas how big the clitoris actually is and other important information about it. This may sound odd to someone that doesn’t work in sex ed, but we were just geeking out as a group sharing stories and techniques! The other item that they showed me that I thought I could purchase for my own health education groups was this large, white rectangular box that had all forms of birth control inside. It had effectiveness rates, images of what it looks like on someone, important information, and tangible items for some methods. It was the coolest representation of birth control methods that I have ever seen! They even taught me about a new method called the thermal method that is undergoing research in France right now that would be another option for those with penises to try to prevent unintended pregnancy. It was included in this box, so I was impressed with how modern it was.
Next, they took me up to their room with all of their printed resources. I grabbed just about one of everything! I am excited to take it back to America and show my team because I was feeling very inspired. One of their best resources is that they have created workshop books for youth to take with them to continue learning. They have four topics right now including mental health, equality, discrimination, and body positivity, but they are actively working to create more. They mentioned that they give these out for tabling events as well, but it is a fun way for youth to continue learning and keep resources with them even when Crips may not be there again.
Finally, they showed me their resource rooms. They explained that they have multiple copies of each lesson plan, games, books, magazines, and other tools for local professionals to come and grab whenever they would like for free. They said doctors may come and grab something for their team to learn from or schools that do independent health courses will grab a resource for a topic that they know less about. It is a wealth of knowledge! I told them I was impressed that people return the items, and they said they have had no issues with that since you have to return items to get new ones, and they know most of the people in this field pretty well. They also have a separate resource room specifically dedicated to HIV/AIDS material since that used to be the sole focus of their work.
Throughout this tour, we discussed overall systems in France. They explained (and gave me a resource) that French youth receive a green card in the mail at 16 years old which is their access to social/healthcare services. They can go get contraception by themselves, and it is usually free because the policy makes birth control free for those under 25 years old. They said you can even get condoms prescribed for free as of a recent policy change. I mentioned that it is great that 16-year-olds can take that initiative, and I was curious more about why that age. They said that 16 is considered a somewhat major age in France because you get your medical card, you can work, and it is basically the first age that signals adulthood, so they think you can manage your health choices as well. I also asked them about getting these products at local pharmacies since I have checked some out while I have been here. I said that I noticed way more skincare and perfume, and Estela said “Ah yes, France where you can find more creams than condoms in pharmacies” which was absolutely hilarious to me!
My day with Crips was one of my favorites while traveling so far. I am so grateful that they welcomed me in, and they are very excited to be part of the final report. I let them know that I would share a final draft to ensure that I can incorporate their feedback before submission, and they mentioned that they are excited to hear about other countries as well. Even though the communities that we serve are different, it is clear that our mission and passion as reproductive justice advocates surpass any border.
