INTERVIEW | Karola Zuël (trainer): “Sexual education is an education for life”

In her book Sex'Plike and her educational workshops to explain sexuality, Karola Zuël, also known as Koze Karol on social networks, clearly answers the questions of parents and children and removes the shame or apprehensions around sexuality. Consultant, trainer and content creator of sex education, she is also Prevention Officer at PILS. She runs a workshop for parents on sex education. She thinks it's time for parents to take their place in these conversations because, she says, sex education is education for life.

The launch of the first edition of Sex'Plik on sex education took place on Saturday March 14, at the ICJM. Why is it important for parents to adopt this theme to guide their children?

Because we can't ask children to talk about sexuality if adults change the subject as soon as they hear the word sex. Parents are the first educators of their children. Even when they think they are not transmitting anything, they are still transmitting something: silence, embarrassment, fear or, on the contrary, openness.

Today, young people have access to all the information imaginable, but not necessarily the right ones. The Internet answers their questions in seconds. The problem is that he knows neither their age, nor their maturity, nor their values. If parents don't take their place in this conversation, someone else will, like social media, pornography, influencers or playground friends. And, let's be honest, it's not always the best teaching team. Our goal is not to turn parents into sexologists. It's about giving them enough tools so that their child knows that they can come and ask a question without fear of being judged.

How do adults push adolescents to hide their sexuality?

I wouldn't say that adults intentionally push teenagers to hide their sexuality, and not all adults do it. Most of the time, they are just trying to protect them. The problem is that this protection often involves silence, prohibitions or things left unsaid. And unfortunately, this silence also sends a message. When a teenager asks a question and we answer: We'll see later, It's not your age or even Stop asking these kinds of questions, he quickly understands that sexuality is a subject that is best avoided at home. He then learns to hide his questions, his emotions, sometimes even his experiences. However, just because we no longer talk about it doesn't mean that these issues go away. They simply continue to exist…elsewhere.

Adolescents grow up in a world where they are exposed very early to content related to sexuality, whether on