2018 MITIOG Online Environment Inquiry and The Human Dignity Project – Parent Invitation

Did you know that:

An estimated 70% of boys had seen porn by the age of 12 and 100% by 15 (Saures J 2007)
1 in 5 boys aged 16/17 are regular porn viewers (Flood M 2010)

Now this may have grabbed your attention and possibly concerned you, please read on. (I return to these figures later in this article.)

All South Australian Catholic Schools are mandated to deliver the human sexuality (and development) program called Made in the Image of God, or MITIOG for short. The name of this program is derived from the Book of Genesis 1:27

So God created humankind in his image,

in the image of God he created them;

male and female he created them.

The program begins in Reception and continues all the way through Catholic schooling. Despite the common misconception, this is not just a human sexuality program; it is very much a program in healthy human relationship development. It is broken into four strands: Being Human, Being Sexual, Being Connected and Being Moral. At its core is Christ’s message of human dignity. To quote the 2010 directors of Catholic Education (Jane Swift and Kathy McEvoy) from the program preamble:

Humans are made in the image and likeness of God

and are deserving of the utmost dignity and honour.

Sexuality, integral to the human person, is a gift from God

through which we can live out our vocation to love.

Unfortunately, this sacred gift of human sexuality has become trivialised or disrespected for many in modern society. It has become a means of pleasure and power, without the expression of love or indeed the commitment that is intended by our Creator to accompany this gift. A lot could be written about the teachings of God and the Church on real sacramental marriage and its rightful domain for the human sexual intimacy that integrates body, soul and mind within the one person, and through the sacred intended union of one man and one women. However, in this article, I will focus on an alarmingly prevalent abuse of human sexuality and indeed, human dignity – pornography.

Back to those figures:

An estimated 70% of boys had seen porn by the age of 12 and 100% by 15 (Saures J 2007)
1 in 5 boys aged 16/17 are regular porn viewers (Flood M 2010)

Note that these studies are now approaching ‘outdated’. My guess is the more recent findings would be worse! It has always been common for boys and young men to seek to satisfy their curiosities about the opposite sex, but the wisdom of our old laws, based on a sound moral code, prevented this in the past through classifications and inhibitors. For example, it is still not possible for somebody under the age of 18 to buy a pornographic magazine, or hire a pornographic video. However, everyone with an imaging-enabled mobile phone has unvetted access!

It is horrible to even think about this and to lead you to think about this for your own sons. However, it is a reality we must face. Problems associated with porn use are well documented. They include pornography addiction, human objectification, relationship dissatisfaction, unrealistic relationship expectations, sexual dysfunction and violence. We do not want these problems for our children.

Catholic schooling recognises parents as the first and most impressive educators, and Catholic schools seek to support parents in raising their children. The matter of pornography is a difficult one to address. The MITIOG program is age/developmentally appropriate and formed with the advice of child developmental experts. It points toward addressing the issue of pornography from Year 9 – the year most students turn 15. Clearly, based on the studies, this is too late. The vexed problem with pornography is that earlier broaching of the topic can act as an introduction for those that haven’t considered it. At what age should it be addressed?

Catholic Education SA and external consultant Maree Crabbe is offering support for schools in 2018 to explore whole school strategies to constructively address an online culture that is impacted by pornography. This will be done through a networked inquiry: An Educational and System Response to the Issues Facing Children, Young People and Families in an Online Environment Inquiry. Maree is co-founder and Coordinator of the community education project Reality & Risk: Pornography, young people and sexuality. Her resource In the Picture will be utilised in this inquiry. Essentially, we are aiming to develop strategies for schools and parents to significantly improve upon our existing curriculum, for the benefit of our students and the broader society.

Blackfriars Priory School has been successful in gaining a place within this networked inquiry. In part, this is on the back of an initiative introduced toward the end of 2017 called The Human Dignity Project. Given the constraints of our existing MITIOG program and other curriculum, The Human Dignity Project aims to overcome the apparent dehumanisation and possible desensitisation that may accompany the proliferation of two-dimensional images (of any type) on televisions and screens. There are simply so many unknown people that are observed in 2D that it is possible that the viewer forgets they are human and hence made in God’s image, thus entitled to have their dignity upheld. The Human Dignity Project aims to re-humanise and re-sensitise students through having them focus on people in images they see on the news, photos, television programs, movies etc. Images may be used in prayer, with regular reference to dignity as students are asked to simply look at the image of a person or people and imagine who they are, what their dreams are, who loves them, etc. Staff are encouraged to stop and pause when showing images and direct their students to empathise with those they see. Hopefully, this can develop a habit of thinking for students, so if they encounter inappropriate images on screens they are repulsed by the affront to human dignity evident. Hopefully, students will reject the idea that another human is just an object for their entertainment.

The Human Dignity Project does provide a contribution to the Online Environment Inquiry, and we would expect that the Inquiry results will lead to effective approaches and resources as a result of the

broad perspectives offered by its participants, including parent contributors, that we could use to improve our approach. The Online Environment Inquiry requires Blackfriars to commit several teachers and leaders, as well as a parent, to ensure a variety of perspectives are considered. Hence, I am seeking a parent volunteer to attend at least the first meeting for the whole day on Tuesday 8 May, and if possible, the subsequent three meetings. If you are interested or have any questions, please contact me on 8169 3925 or by email: mcrisanti@bps.sa.edu.au

Project Compassion

As a beautiful segue into this, my next topic, I’ll repeat a quote I encountered with students at the recent Caritas Just Leadership Day, in which Project Compassion was extensively addressed and explored:

“People were created to be loved.

Things were created to be used.

The reason why the world is in chaos,

is because things are being loved and people are being used.” – original author unknown.

This is a quote that is very applicable to the issue of pornography. It was also used to help students to consider their responsibility in prioritising others less fortunate than themselves during Lent, and particularly through Project Compassion. With 2018 being the Year of Youth, it has been very pleasing to see our student leaders show initiative in promoting the raising of funds for this excellent cause. The Project Compassion theme for 2018 is For a Just Future, and I am confident that these student leaders will be effective in moving the world closer to this goal.

Please support Project Compassion at Blackfriars Priory School by sending in donations through your son. More information on Project Compassion can be found at http://www.caritas.org.au/projectcompassion/schools

The Sacramental Program

The Catholic Sacramental Program is one that is done and organised through the parishes, with support from the parish schools. Given our location, all Year 3-6 students were provided with a letter from the North Adelaide/Prospect Parish to inform parents of the opportunity for their son’s formation and reception of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The first information meetings will occur on Monday 26 February 7.30pm and Monday 5 March 7.30pm at Rosary Parish Hall. If you are interested in your son participating in the Sacramental Program in the North Adelaide/

St Paul's College, Gilles Plains, is celebrating its 60th year in 2018