As part of the Sexuality Connect Erasmus+ project, we are pleased to announce the publication of the new Operational Handbook for Youth Workers: Inclusive Sex Education and Informed Digital Skills.
Developed as one of the outcomes of the project’s training activities, the Handbook is designed as a practical reference tool for youth workers and professionals working with adolescents aged 12 to 18. It brings together key concepts, educational approaches, practical activities and resources to support a more inclusive, participatory and non-judgemental approach to sexuality education and digital citizenship.
From training to a practical resource
The Handbook builds on the youth worker training delivered within ACT2 of the Sexuality Connect project. The training programme consisted of 13 online sessions, running from December 2025 to May 2026, for a total of 24 hours. It brought together themes related to sexuality education and digital sexuality, providing participants with knowledge and tools that could be transferred into their everyday work with young people.
The Handbook makes this learning experience accessible beyond the original training group. It can be used by youth workers who participated in the course as a resource to revisit concepts and activities, but also by professionals who did not take part in the training and want to explore inclusive sex education and digital citizenship.
What will you find inside?
The publication covers a wide range of topics that youth workers may encounter when working with adolescents.
The first sections explore inclusive sex education, including pleasure, consent, bodies, gender identity and sexual and romantic orientations. It then moves into relationships and emotional life, addressing care and communication, before looking at prevention, gender education and gender-based violence.
A significant part of the Handbook focuses on the digital dimension of young people’s lives. Topics include digital identity, the internet as a resource, online belonging, the manosphere, pornography, grooming and online manipulation, sexting, digital consent and responsible sharing.
The Handbook also goes beyond theory. Its practical section includes 10 activities adapted from the training course, covering topics such as pleasure, consent, representation, relationships, body image, pornography, the manosphere, grooming and sexting. A glossary, additional resources, bibliography and an operational sheet on responding to online violence or abuse provide further support for professionals.
An inclusive and participatory approach
At the heart of the Handbook is an educational approach based on inclusion, participation, respect and informed choice. It encourages youth workers to create spaces where young people can ask questions and explore sensitive topics without judgement, while also respecting their right not to participate or to ask questions anonymously.
The Handbook also recognises that young people’s online and offline experiences are closely connected. Digital environments can involve risks such as manipulation, grooming or non-consensual sharing of intimate material, but they can also provide opportunities for information, self-expression, belonging and access to support.
Rather than offering a one-size-fits-all approach, the resource encourages youth workers to adapt activities to their context, age group and safeguarding procedures.
A resource to keep exploring
The Sexuality Connect Handbook is intended to remain a practical and reusable resource beyond the project’s training activities. It provides youth workers with concepts to revisit, activities to adapt, resources to explore and practical guidance to support their work with adolescents.
We are happy to make this new resource available and invite youth workers, educators and other professionals working with young people to discover the Handbook and explore how its tools and approaches can be integrated into their own educational practice.
Read and download the Sexuality Connect Handbook here:
Sexuality Connect is an Erasmus+ KA210 Small-Scale Partnership in Youth implemented by KEHSIA (Luxembourg), DONNEXSTRADA (Italy) and EUducate (Spain).