I Wish We Could Talk

In this vignette of several stories, students illustrate how difficult it is to talk to their family members, friends, and intimate partners about contraception, body image, and/or their feelings about sex.

For all videos:

  • What did you see in the video?
  • What do you think this video was about?
  • What stood out to you the most in this video?

For this video:

  • What did the characters in the video want to say to their family and friends? What prevented them from sharing what they wanted to?
  • Were these examples of healthy or unhealthy communication?
  • What are examples of unhealthy communication in relationships? What about examples of healthy communication in relationships?

Materials needed: paper, pen

Step 1.
Write the following questions on the board:

  • When was a time that you had a difficult time communicating something important to your parents? Friends? A teacher?
  • Describe what happened.
  • How did you feel before and after?
  • Write about a time that you believe you weren’t the best listener.
  • What happened? Who did it affect?
  • Who do you wish you had better communication with?

Step 2.
Ask students to take a few minutes to answer each of the questions.

Materials needed: paper, pen

Step 1.
Write the following questions on the board:

  • Other than sex, what do you wish your (future) partner would do for you to show you they really care about you?
  • What would you want to do for your (future) partner to show them that you really care about them?
  • Describe something you’ve heard/seen that a couple did for each other as a sign of intimacy that you admire.
  • What is a physically intimate (not sexual) gesture that you would want to share with your (future partner)?

Step 2.
Ask students to take a few minutes to answer each of the questions.