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The increase in risky sexual behaviors among young people has sparked urgency and has become an area of interest for global public health researchers aiming to find innovative approaches to promote better sexual health. Sexual and reproductive health education is one of the objectives of EU Action Plan for Sexual and Reproductive Health dedicated to the need of establishing and strengthening formal and informal evidence-informed comprehensive sex education pointing to the development of competency training and aids for teachers, educators and health professionals. Many people feel less vulnerable to Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) based on their belief that they can ascertain whether a potential partner is likely to be infected or not on the basis of the way that they look or some other superficial characteristic. The challenge is to find the best way to tackle this problem and to ascertain what tools we could further develop to establish this. Digital educational interventions and serious games could be an effective sex education method as this generation is very familiar with this technology. Safe4Play will be a big a step toward the design of tailored and relevant sex education interventions that will promote active learning, rather than passive one-way learning. Two-way, interactive and tailored education is a more promising form of education compared to traditional one-way passive education, as early literature evidence suggests. How much will this form of education benefit sex education and better protect people from contracting STIs? These questions will be addressed by Safe4Play, that aims to include all young people irrespective of background, ethnicity and age. The educational material will be adapted to the user’s needs and delivered via different means, such as text, simulations, games, graphs and e-learning tutorials.Better realising the risks involved in our sexual behaviours and interactions with our sex partners could potentially have a big impact on our behaviour and future actions. According to the Health-Belief-Model model, understanding the consequences of a certain action can have a positive impact on protection against STIs and unwanted pregnancies. As a result, there may be a reduction in STI rates and unwanted pregnancies in the EU after the introduction of Safe4Play. To maximise the project’s impact, special attention will be paid to the dissemination of its achievements, objectives and activities – combined with intensive communication with various target groups, and the broader aim to increase public awareness. All partners are committed to maximize the project outcomes and benefits and to reach the widest possible audience.The consortium: United Kingdom: University of Southampton (leading University in the UK for sex research), Ballybeen Women's Centre Ltd (integrated service provider promoting health and well-being within the community), causaLens (High-tech SME in the area of ML).Belgium: Welcome Home International (NGO providing encouragement, education and assistance to migrants and refugees)Greece: Innovation Frontiers (SME with expertise in Serious Games and AR)Cyprus: Technologos Research and Innovation Services ltd (SME with specialisation in digital educational interventions)
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