Three of our CCC Members participated in the Comprehensive Sexuality Education training facilitated by Poderosas
Testimony by Kevin Staaden, Teacher and Psychosocial Support in our Barranquilla Project
I clearly remember the first session of the Comprehensive Sexuality Education training facilitated by Poderosas. One of the experts welcomed us by dancing, and not to just any music. It was joyful, vibrant, almost impossible to ignore. The intention was to get us out of our seats, activate the body, allow the blood to flow before entering conversations we knew would not be light.
The first session was titled “Decision.” Before addressing essential topics such as the indispensable presence of pleasure, consent, and respect in any healthy erotic relationship, we were introduced to an idea I have always considered fundamental in any pedagogical process: the integration of the two dimensions of human experience, body and soul. From that moment on, each session began with stretching and mindfulness exercises, as if we were preparing our bodies to carry the emotional and ethical weight of the subjects we would explore.
The sessions combined legal frameworks, linguistic analysis, and contemporary gender studies. The energy of the facilitators both contrasted with and balanced the semiotic depth of the content. This juxtaposition created an environment where participation emerged naturally. In sessions dedicated to themes such as Diversity, Beyond Sex, New Masculinities, and Protection and Safeguarding, experiences were shared from vulnerable yet safe spaces. Autobiographical stories and professional reflections added depth and nuance to the discussions, reminding us of the complexity involved in speaking about protection, especially when it concerns children and adolescents.
Nothing is purely black or white. Nature itself teaches us that reality exists in infinite shades of grey. That spectrum can generate anxiety, but it also reminds us that we are part of something vast and profound. At this point, it becomes evident how difficult it is to capture survivors’ realities in language. Language can punish and reduce; it can confine experiences within rigid categories. Yet it can also include, name, and protect. It can offer recognition to those who have historically been excluded from traditional definitions.
If thought influences language, it would be naïve to believe the process does not also work in reverse. Language transforms thought and therefore transforms action. For this reason, this type of training is not an optional complement but an essential tool for our work at Children Change Colombia.
At CCC, we work daily in contexts where gender-based violence, sexual exploitation, and structural inequalities are not abstract concepts but realities that shape the lives of children and young people. Having solid training in Comprehensive Sexuality Education allows us to intervene with greater sensitivity, ethical clarity, and pedagogical coherence. It helps us design safe spaces where consent is not merely a word but a practice; where diversity is not simply tolerated but celebrated, where protection is preventive rather than reactive.
This training reminds us that educating in sexuality is educating in dignity. And it reaffirms that, to accompany processes of social transformation, we must first allow ourselves to move the body, question language, and examine our own assumptions. Only then can we continue working in the best possible way: with knowledge, awareness, and commitment.
Written by: Kevin Staaden Garavito
