Safer Sex Telephone Game



Objective(s) & Context

  1. Examine how information travels across peer groups and popular culture, and how information can get distorted.

  2. Empower participants to be critical of hearsay and rumours when it comes to health, and be pro-active in seeking out trusted safer-sex information.

 

This activity can be used as an Icebreaker for topics related to sexuality, and sexual health. This activity can help promote discussion of sexuality and sexual health in a fun and familiar way.

 

Duration

25 minutes

 

Group Size

Minimum 5 participants

 

Age Group

10 +

 

Skills

Critical-thinking skills

 

Format(s) & Technique(s)

Group discussion, sharing

 

Materials

Sexual health resources (pamphlets on safer sex, condoms, etc.)

 

Facilitation Tips

  • As you are discussing sexual health and safer sex, make sure you have knowledge to respond to questions or topics that may come up, or have available resources for the participants.

  • Because this workshop deals with sex, explicit language may come up.

  • Let groups get silly about talking about sex if they need to.

  • Mirroring the language that the participants use to describe sex acts is the most non-judgmental and empowering way to proceed in a given activity. For example, if they say blowjob, you say blowjob; if they say pussy, you say pussy.

  • Using only clinical terms (cunnilingus, intercourse, names of anatomy) tends to distance the facilitator from the group. It also makes sex and talking about sex seem either shameful or medical.

 

 

Leading the Activity: Steps to Take

Workshop:

  1. Ask participants to form a circle.

  2. Have a volunteer or the facilitator begin the telephone chain by whispering any word or short phrase to the participant who is sitting next to them (for example: The cat is orange).

  3. Tell participants to whisper as quietly as possible when sharing the statement with the person next to them, so that no one else hears.

  4. Continue the “whisper to your neighbour“ process until the phrase has gone all around the circle.

  5. Have the last participant say the phrase aloud.

  6. Compare original phrase with the version the last participant heard.

  7. Do this activity two more times. For the second round, use any phrase that is associated with ”sex.” These phrases work best when they come from the participants.

  8. For the third round, ask a volunteer to come up with a phrase that has to do with “safer sex” (for example: No glove, no love).

  9. Facilitate a discussion using the suggested questions listed below and debrief the process with the participants:

  • What does this game remind you of?

  • Does this game reflect situations with your friends or peers?

  • Why are we playing this game in a safer sex class/workshop?

  • How do you/your friends get information about sex and safer sex?

  • How do you/your friends distinguish between information you can trust and rumours?

  • What do you do when your friends tell you rumours that you know are untrue?

 

Debrief

  • Wrap up this activity by leading a session of sharing information about trusted and accurate places and people the girls can go to and get safer sex and sex information.

  • This would be a good time to share pamphlets and fact sheets with participants.

  • Now could also be a good time to segue way to a safer sex workshop.

 

Success Indicators

Participants are:

  • Laughing and sharing

  • Asking questions

  • More aware of the different kinds of information out there (rumours vs. accurate and trusted sources)

 

Source: Sarah Butler and Carina Foran