The following arrived in my 'Inbox' today from a friend who is a very concerned parent. Personally, I think everyone, whether parent or grandparent, aunt or uncle, or simply a right-thinking adult, should be very concerned as well.
By Michael Ireland (Chief Correspondent, ASSIST News Service LIVERPOOL, UK (ANS)
A highly-trained British actor and his wife are protesting a sex education DVD being distributed in Primary (Elementary) schools across the United Kingdom.
British actor Christopher Lee Power, whose training includes The Lee Strasberg Studio, Richmond Drama School, RADA as well as having the opportunity to appear in many soaps, including the long-running Coronation Street, is protesting with his wife against a Channel 4 DVD called 'Living and Growing' which is being used in primary schools sex education for 7-11 year olds.
Christopher and Pauline grew up in the Northern England shipbuilding town of Birkenhead, just across the River Mersey from Liverpool.
Pauline Power says: “As parents we believe that our son should be educated at the appropriate time and with good quality material not this questionable material that has parents up and down the country out crying against. Britain has the highest teenage pregnancies in Europe and thousands of these DVD’s have been sold to our schools."
Christopher and Pauline had received a letter from the school asking them to view a DVD called 'Living and Growing' produced by Channel 4. The letter however did not inform parents about the sexual intercourse scene section of the DVD, but instead mentioned that it would be about puberty.
The DVD includes a naked cartoon couple chasing each other around a bed with a feather before having sex in a number of positions.
It includes a narrator talking about physical changes during sex, which is described as “very exciting for both as they feel happy being together.” The voiceover promotes sex as 'exciting' and 'fun' and with a child’s voice saying ‘they look so happy together.’
Christopher has called for the “How Babies Are Made” section of Channel 4’s 'Living And Growing' sex education video to be taken off the timetable at all primary schools and that their should be an inquiry into why this explicit material has been used.
Pauline Power added: "Parents have a duty to safeguard the well being of their children and have a right to be properly consulted, and we are calling for schools to have greater transparency as, often, parents are not told the contents of these DVD’s in detail as you would with any other DVD at home."
As parents Christopher and Pauline feel that the dangers of sex should be stated and taught responsibly to protect children, and the DVD that was shown to them made no mention of the dangers, and this should be a basic duty.
The couple says that the Channel 4 DVD in question has a cartoon that can only be described as pornographic as it is a sexually drawn cartoon of two naked people having sex in different positions. They says its graphic content does not discuss any of the dangers associated with sex, so how can this be educational? Rather, it is putting children at risk of early experimentation or exploitation.
Although Higher Bebington Junior school did agree the scenes trivialized the important messages and have edited some of the footage, Christopher and Pauline are hoping that primary schools in the UK will follow suit. They are still trying to get their school to remove other explicit material with in the series.
In a note to ANS, Christopher says that "all week my wife and I have been the focus of attention regarding the DVD 'Living and Growing' by Channel 4.
"As parents we believe that our son should be educated at the appropriate time and with good quality material, not this questionable material that has parents up and down the country outcrying against it," he said.
"Parents have a duty to safeguard the wellbeing of their children and have a right to be properly consulted, and we are calling for schools to have greater transparency as, often, parents are not told the contents of these DVD's in detail, and have (received) misleading leading letters which state puberty -- then show children films on intercourse."
Christopher went on to say: "We as a society have the responsibility of helping our children learn, but also to have a childhood. We as parents feel that the dangers within sex education should be stated and taught, and I know that from what my wife and I have seen so far there is no mention of the dangers -- this should be a basic duty.
"In our opinion we feel that the Channel 4 DVD in question has a cartoon that can only be described as pornographic as it is a sexually-drawn cartoon of two people having sex in different positions, and because of its graphic content and is not educational, but damaging to childen. It promotes sex as 'exciting' and 'fun', and what child does not want to feel all these things? So it encourages experimentation and, at the worse, exploitation. Where is the innocence of children growing up, 'let Children be Children'?
Christopher further went on to explain that parents, who are the experts on their children, should be empowered to teach sensitive children these issues, as they will know the appropriate time for them in the home rather than a large classroom.
He added: "The school should listen to them; unfortunately parents rarely are listened to. Let's not allow our Government or Channel 4 to dictate to us as parents what is an appropriate time. Let's not take away the responsibility of the parents and, in doing so, placing sensitive issues in the school which they are not getting right."
Christopher concluded: "As my wife and I clearly stated (recently) in Liverpool, we will march to 10 Downing Street, to the Prime Minister if we have to, in order to have the right to protect our children from illicit materials promoted by questionable sources such as Channel 4 who also produce programs such as 'Big Brother.
"Should our Government not be listening to the true experts. and that is the parents, who have a love for the child they have watched grown?"
If you wish to show your support to this campaign then e-mail the Power's at hamlet00@live.co.uk
To view a small section of the said DVD, go to Youtube and type in ‘Living and Growing: how babies are made.’
British actor Christopher Lee Power, whose training includes The Lee Strasberg Studio, Richmond Drama School, RADA as well as having the opportunity to appear in many soaps, including the long-running Coronation Street, is protesting with his wife against a Channel 4 DVD called 'Living and Growing' which is being used in primary schools sex education for 7-11 year olds.
Christopher and Pauline grew up in the Northern England shipbuilding town of Birkenhead, just across the River Mersey from Liverpool.
Pauline Power says: “As parents we believe that our son should be educated at the appropriate time and with good quality material not this questionable material that has parents up and down the country out crying against. Britain has the highest teenage pregnancies in Europe and thousands of these DVD’s have been sold to our schools."
Christopher and Pauline had received a letter from the school asking them to view a DVD called 'Living and Growing' produced by Channel 4. The letter however did not inform parents about the sexual intercourse scene section of the DVD, but instead mentioned that it would be about puberty.
The DVD includes a naked cartoon couple chasing each other around a bed with a feather before having sex in a number of positions.
It includes a narrator talking about physical changes during sex, which is described as “very exciting for both as they feel happy being together.” The voiceover promotes sex as 'exciting' and 'fun' and with a child’s voice saying ‘they look so happy together.’
Christopher has called for the “How Babies Are Made” section of Channel 4’s 'Living And Growing' sex education video to be taken off the timetable at all primary schools and that their should be an inquiry into why this explicit material has been used.
Pauline Power added: "Parents have a duty to safeguard the well being of their children and have a right to be properly consulted, and we are calling for schools to have greater transparency as, often, parents are not told the contents of these DVD’s in detail as you would with any other DVD at home."
As parents Christopher and Pauline feel that the dangers of sex should be stated and taught responsibly to protect children, and the DVD that was shown to them made no mention of the dangers, and this should be a basic duty.
The couple says that the Channel 4 DVD in question has a cartoon that can only be described as pornographic as it is a sexually drawn cartoon of two naked people having sex in different positions. They says its graphic content does not discuss any of the dangers associated with sex, so how can this be educational? Rather, it is putting children at risk of early experimentation or exploitation.
Although Higher Bebington Junior school did agree the scenes trivialized the important messages and have edited some of the footage, Christopher and Pauline are hoping that primary schools in the UK will follow suit. They are still trying to get their school to remove other explicit material with in the series.
In a note to ANS, Christopher says that "all week my wife and I have been the focus of attention regarding the DVD 'Living and Growing' by Channel 4.
"As parents we believe that our son should be educated at the appropriate time and with good quality material, not this questionable material that has parents up and down the country outcrying against it," he said.
"Parents have a duty to safeguard the wellbeing of their children and have a right to be properly consulted, and we are calling for schools to have greater transparency as, often, parents are not told the contents of these DVD's in detail, and have (received) misleading leading letters which state puberty -- then show children films on intercourse."
Christopher went on to say: "We as a society have the responsibility of helping our children learn, but also to have a childhood. We as parents feel that the dangers within sex education should be stated and taught, and I know that from what my wife and I have seen so far there is no mention of the dangers -- this should be a basic duty.
"In our opinion we feel that the Channel 4 DVD in question has a cartoon that can only be described as pornographic as it is a sexually-drawn cartoon of two people having sex in different positions, and because of its graphic content and is not educational, but damaging to childen. It promotes sex as 'exciting' and 'fun', and what child does not want to feel all these things? So it encourages experimentation and, at the worse, exploitation. Where is the innocence of children growing up, 'let Children be Children'?
Christopher further went on to explain that parents, who are the experts on their children, should be empowered to teach sensitive children these issues, as they will know the appropriate time for them in the home rather than a large classroom.
He added: "The school should listen to them; unfortunately parents rarely are listened to. Let's not allow our Government or Channel 4 to dictate to us as parents what is an appropriate time. Let's not take away the responsibility of the parents and, in doing so, placing sensitive issues in the school which they are not getting right."
Christopher concluded: "As my wife and I clearly stated (recently) in Liverpool, we will march to 10 Downing Street, to the Prime Minister if we have to, in order to have the right to protect our children from illicit materials promoted by questionable sources such as Channel 4 who also produce programs such as 'Big Brother.
"Should our Government not be listening to the true experts. and that is the parents, who have a love for the child they have watched grown?"
If you wish to show your support to this campaign then e-mail the Power's at hamlet00@live.co.uk
To view a small section of the said DVD, go to Youtube and type in ‘Living and Growing: how babies are made.’
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