1.3 Personal feelings, community norms, values and social pressure

Life orientation

Grade 7

Healthy lifestyle

Module 4

Personal feelings, community norms, values and social pressures associated with sexuality

Activity 1:

To discuss dangerous situations in our lives as reported in newspapers

[lo 1.4]

Group activity

Read the newspaper reports on the following pages and discuss them in your groups. Talk about situations experienced by you or your friend, and which you now recognise as being similar, dangerous situations.

Activity 2:

To use news reports for role playing

[lo 1.4]

Alternative group activities

Reports 2 and 3 can be used as “court cases” with role-playing.

Role players are:

• The judge
• The state prosecutor
• The accused
• The lawyer for the accused
• Witnesses

Report 1

HERMANUS READY FOR MATRICS’ WEEKEND

HERMANUS – Police reinforcements will be deployed here this weekend in anticipation of thousands of young people who will descend upon the seaside resort and environs for the annual matric weekend.

The notorious weekend after the final subject of the matric exam has been written draws thousands of matriculants, students and other young people to the town every year.

Many of them celebrate their new-found freedom with alcohol.

The police have indicated that they will not allow any of the irresponsible boisterous behaviour that they have had to deal with in the past. No lawlessness of any kind will be tolerated.

According to the local police spokesperson, Insp. Eben Groenewald, police will clamp down on people drinking in public, reckless and drunken driving, public indecency, vandalism, illegal parking, rabble-rousing, misbehaviour and disturbance of the peace.

Offenders will be summarily arrested or fined.

Inhabitants, business people and regular visitors demand that the police act firmly against any form of lawlessness, and that is exactly what they plan to do. The police are well prepared to handle any situation and a policy of no mercy will be followed, warned Insp. Groenewald.

He indicated that the police would cooperate closely with the municipal and provincial traffic police. Beaches, clubs and restaurants will be patrolled and roadblocks will be set up.

Many parents have no idea what their children get up to during the weekend. Experience has taught that most parents would rather believe in their children’s innocence than in statements from the police when their children are arrested.

It is not the intention of the police to spoil the youngsters’ fun, but they are asked to cooperate to ensure that they have a safe and fun-filled weekend in Hermanus.

Insp. Groenewald made an appeal to parents, principals and tertiary institutions to bring this serious warning to the attention of the learners and students in question.

- Translation of report in Die Burger , 15 November 2001 –

Report 2

Court hears of scholars’ night of rape

The man who is accused of raping two local scholars on the night of 25 October, was refused bail in the Stellenbosch magistrate’s court on Wednesday.

The 34-year-old man is accused of 15 charges: 11 of rape, two of indecent assault and two of abduction. Owing to the seriousness of the charges, he is faced with life imprisonment if he should be found guilty.