The Manuela Programme

The Manuela Programme is a comprehensive, evidence-informed relationships and sexuality education programme targeted at 15-17 year olds addressing sexual violence prevention and positive sexual health.

The programme emerged from a collaborative project between the 16 national Rape Crisis Centers (RCCs), Rape Crisis Network Ireland (RCNI), and the Manuela Riedo Foundation Ireland (MRFI) in 2015. MRFI was founded in Galway in 2009 in memory of Manuela Riedo, a 17 old Swiss student, who was raped and murdered in the city in October 2007.

The organisations involved shared the vision of preventing further individuals becoming victims of sexual violence, as well as offering high quality support for healing when sexual violence does occur.

Pulling together existing RCC educational programmes, and drawing on research and theory of effective pedagogical approaches, Dr Sue Redmond, a social research expert in this area, facilitated the collaboration and authored and devised the Manuela Programme.

It is currently a 12 hour programme intended to be offered to groups of 10 to 20 young people, in a facilitative manner through open, empowering, participative discussion.

Ownership of the Manuela Programme rests with all 16 Rape Crisis Centres and RCNI.