Greetings,
This digest has four postings that continue the previous week's discussion on how to meet the needs of youth. These contributions — from England, Malawi, Thailand, and the U.S. — focus on the role of adults in promoting responsible sexual and reproductive health behaviors among youth.
Commenting on a posting made the previous week, Laurie Maund argues strongly that behavior change campaigns for youth must also focus on adults, who are responsible, ultimately, for setting a moral example for youth. Jennifer Galukande Nsubuga shares her firsthand experience working with African youth living in London and their parents to promote sex education. Thomson Nhlane of Malawi points out the various positive ways that faith-based organizations can help promote sexual and reproductive health. Lastly, Kristin Mmari, with Johns Hopkins University (U.S.), invites participants to share their knowledge and experiences about global interventions aimed at parents with adolescent children, particularly in developing countries.
Sincerely,
Ed Scholl, for the Forum Coordinators
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Forum Digest 5
- Adults Must Change Their Behaviors
- Involving Parents in Community-Based Sex Education Program
- Role of Faith-Based Organizations
- Study on Parenting Interventions Requests Materials/Experiences
1. Adults Must Change Their Behaviors
This is in response to the posting submitted by Dr. Raj Mohan, who says that there is a need for behavioral change in young people. While I do agree that there is a need for behavioral change, I would argue that young people's behaviour is a result of the input received from adults, and that it is adults who need to change their behaviour.
Is it young people who produce sexually explicit or morally questionable TV programmes, movies, and videos? Is it young people who publish pornographic magazines and websites? Is it young people who invent violent and aggressive video and computer games? Is it young people who break international treaties, demonstrate irrational and belligerent behaviour in international forums? Is it young people who make bombs, weapons of mass destruction and start wars? No, it is adults.
Every society has a code of morality that has been designed to help its members live a life free from suffering and hardship. But, how many adults actually follow that code of morality? And how many more actually teach it to their children or monitor just to what extent their children are following that moral code?
While many criticize the young, and while much is being done to encourage young people to change their behaviour, it would seem that these efforts are not being matched by those meant to encourage adults to consider and change their own behaviour.
I would suggest that every young person who attends a workshop or training programme on HIV/AIDS, narcotics, reproductive health, etc. should be accompanied by an adult, preferably a parent or a guardian. Also, every time there is a workshop for the young, there should be one for adults.
It is only when adults change their behaviour and set an example for the young, that youth will also change their behaviour. If we are going to condemn youth, then we should look at ourselves first.
-- Laurie Maund, Sangha Metta Project, Chiang Mai, Thailand
2. Involving Parents in Community-Based Sex Education Program
I currently work as a teenage pregnancy and parenthood strategy coordinator in one the Local Authorities in London. I have also previously worked as a Programme Manager charged with the development and implementation of HIV prevention and sexual health programmes targeting people from African communities. Prior to this, I had been engaged in the operational delivery and management of HIV prevention programmes targeting women, men, and young people from African communities.
I would like to share my experiences of working in community settings with young people from African communities and how these sex education programmes incorporated diversity and difference to accomplish their objectives. The young people fell into three categories: (a) born in the UK or have lived in the UK for a greater part of their lives, (b) born and raised in Africa for the greater part of their lives, or (c) associated/linked with religious institutions. The majority of them had missed out on sex education due to various factors, most notably, parental suspicion of school sex and relationships (which often led parents to remove their children from taking part in such classes).
The majority of parents had restrictions on speaking to their children about sex because it was "not culturally appropriate." Religious values also deterred parents. Parents were particularly concerned about media images and were concerned that sex education would encourage early sexual activity among young people. The majority did not feel comfortable and confident speaking to their children about sex. They came from cultural settings where sex education was delegated to a member of the extended family.
Alongside the focus on providing sex education to young people, the programme also concentrated on working with parents to ensure that they had accurate information on sex, contraception, and how to access services. Through this work, parents were also encouraged to permit their children to attend sex education in schools.
I share the same sentiments as others in this forum that strongly held values cannot be challenged unless parents and community leaders are involved, as these individuals enable young people to make informed choices. Programmes should also consider target groups and seek to address diversity.
-- Jennifer Galukande Nsubuga, London
3. Role of Faith-Based Organizations
The role of faith-based organizations (FBOs) in helping young people prevent pregnancy in a time of AIDS is in providing SRH education. The FBOs emphasize the need for young people to abstain from premarital sex as a way of preventing pregnancy. They help in advocating the dangers of premarital sex among youth groups. This ensures that proper messages and information are accessed by youth, thereby helping in the prevention of pregnancies. The faith groups can provide spiritual counseling (an aspect that is missing in youth friendly services) to help the youth maintain good moral standards.
Some FBOs invite resource persons who counsel the sexually active youth. These young people are told the dangers of pre-marital pregnancies and STIs. The counselors also impart life skills which may help them avoid pregnancy and STIs. Sometimes, they arrange for retreats where, in addition to spiritual teachings, youth learn different things, including those concerning sexual issues. Some FBOs use the media, i.e. films, to try to change youth behavior.
In addition, they can help in the establishment of youth groups within the religious communities. The groups can also be used as social clubs where the youth can play different games, discuss SRH issues without fear of being labeled "loose", and interact with trained personnel. This keeps youth busy and distracts them from being involved in risky behaviors. The FBOs also need to partner with the existing youth friendly services.
-- Thomson Nhlane, PSI Malawi
4. Study on Parenting Interventions Requests Materials/Experiences
I'd like to take this opportunity to place a request for any written materials on parenting interventions aimed at promoting adolescent health and well-being. We (at the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University, U.S.) are conducting a comprehensive literature review and analysis on parenting interventions in coordination with the World Health Organization. The objectives of this project are the following:
- Develop a conceptual framework to assist programme planners and policy makers in developing supports and interventions for parents who have adolescent children.
- Explore the relationships between interventions aimed at improving parental behaviors and adolescent health outcomes (and their determinants), primarily relating to sexual/reproductive health, substance use, and violence.
- Identify, describe, and analyze what has been done and what is currently in progress in developing countries to support parents.
- To make initial recommendations for practices in parent-targeted supports/interventions in developing countries.
To help us achieve these objectives, we need the help of individuals who have been involved in this type of work, as there is only limited information on this available in published literature. Any information on this topic is warmly welcomed. You can send information/papers to kmmari@jhsph.edu.
-- Kristin N. Mmari, Dr. PH., Bloomberg School of Public Health and Department of Population and Family Health Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
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