DID you know that a consultation about the new Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) curriculum is now open? It’s been 18 years since the guidelines first came out and this is our opportunity to make sure they reflect the world young people, like me, now live in.

As a 17-year-old, I feel let down by the syllabus and question how it can still be relevant, when it was created in the year I was born.

What RSE should be doing is helping us feel empowered and know our rights – not just focusing on the biological or physical elements of reproduction, which can often be unapproachable for young people. It is therefore imperative that it explores topics such as consent and healthy relationships, which will enable young people to make more informed, and hence empowered, choices.

As a member of Plan International UK’s Youth For Change project, I feel strongly that young people need to be learning about gender-based violence. If more people were aware of Female Genital Mutilation and Child, Early and Forced Marriage then the risk of them happening would be reduced.

This is a public consultation on the government website and I urge all of you to have your say, because this is our chance to get it right.

Caitlin, 17, A member of Plan International UK’s Youth For Change