Family Life Education: Teaching Adults to Communicate with Youth from a Muslim Perspective

This manual encourages open discussion about sexuality, reproductive health, and HIV in the context of the Muslim faith. It is designed for the delivery of workshops in which participants practice communication skills and learn factual information as linked to religious teachings and appropriate Qur'anic verses. As stated by its publishers, it is not designed to promote religion, but it is offered for use and adaptation to help meet the needs of young people.

According to this manual, "In the public health field, research has found that a connection to religion is a protective factor for youth in terms of healthy behaviours in the future." In order to address the needs of adults working with youth on issues of reproductive health and HIV prevention, in particular, in the context of Muslim religious beliefs, Family Health International/YouthNet has produced this manual in workshop format, each workshop consisting of 4 - 6 sessions:

• Workshop 1 - Communicating with Young People -Introduction to the Workshops, Young People, Muslim Family Life Education (MFLE), Myths and Facts, MFLE Communication Skills, Daily Closing, Handouts Images for Pairing Cards, MFLE Pre-test, Strengths and Areas for Improvement Checklist, and Dialogue of MFLE Communication Steps.
• Workshop 2 - Growing and Changing - Can We Talk about Sex?, Sexual Development, Preparing for Reproduction, Myths and Facts, Role-Plays, Daily Closing, and Handout Talk Show Guide.
• Workshop 3 - Prevention of Sexually Transmitted Infections and HIV - Sexually Transmitted Infections, HIV Transmission and Prevention, Myths and Facts, Role-Plays, Daily Closing, Handouts HIV Transmission Cards, ABC Group Work, and Condom Articles.
• Workshop 4 - Safety and Your Future - Gender Roles, Looking to the Future ,Staying Safe from Unintended Sex, Drugs, and Alcohol, Myths and Facts, Role-Plays, Daily Closing, and Handout Livelihood Images.
• Workshop 5 - Family Life - Relationships and Marriage, Planning a Family, Myths and Facts, Role-Plays, Daily Closing, and Handout From Courtship to Marriage.
• Workshop 6 - Resources, Responsibilities, Graduation, and Next Steps - Community Resources, MFLE Educators, Graduation and Next Steps, Handouts Individual Action Plan, Sample Monitoring Form, MFLE Post-test, Strengths and Areas for Improvement Checklist, and Certificate of Completion.
• Additional Materials, and Participant Handbook.