Basic premises

Positive Sexuality

The Fund views sexuality as a desire for intense emotional and physical contact and the positive effects this can have. The exploratory activities of children and young people are regarded as building blocks that help them to achieve positive contact later in life. The emotional and social learning process, understood in a broad sense, that children and young people go through at home, at school, and with their friends, is an important foundation for later positive contact. Sexuality is therefore seen as part of a broader development. This means that the research should lead to a description of sexual development that agrees with and relates to important aspects of general development. In particular, socio-cognitive and socio-emotional development would seem to be primary and important focuses of the research.

Influences

The research should bring to light positive as well as negative influences on development, both in the more closely defined field of physical exploration and contact and in broader general development. It is beneficial and instructive when these matters are studied, described and published with an open mind, both in Dutch-language journals and in foreign and international ones.

Knowledge with practical applications
The Fund does not only focus on gathering knowledge. It is important that knowledge can be put to practical use in the upbringing, education and guidance of children and youngsters as well as in legislation and public administration. For this reason, from the outset the aim has been to achieve an inflow from daily life to research. From the outset, the emphasis has also been on jointly planning how research data can be channelled towards people who can put them to good practical use.

Updated: 09.02.2011