THE Commission on Population and Development in Central Visayas (PopCom 7) started 2021 with the resolve to curb teenage pregnancy by conducting seminars and training for the youth.
A trainers’ training for adolescents in line with PopCom’s Adolescent Health and Development Program (AHDP), one of the agency’s flagship programs under the Philippine Population Management Program (PPMP), was conducted on Jan. 22 to 25, 2021 at Alta Garden Resort in Cordova town, Cebu.
A series of AHDP-related seminars then took place in February, the month when PopCom celebrates its founding anniversary.
The Cordova seminar was attended by 40 participants representing eight local government units in Cebu Province—Lapu-Lapu City, Talisay City, Naga City, Danao City, Bogo City, Alcoy, Barili and San Remigio.
The activity was facilitated by the officers of Cebu Adolescent Health Youth Association led by its president, Ronclark Dagohoy of San Remigio, under the mentorship of Carl Dave B. Ang, PopCom 7 population representative.
The trainers’ training’s aim was to update the content and methodology of the H.E.A.R.T. to H.E.A.R.T. Teen Talk and the Parent-Teen Talk of PopCom. (H.E.A.R.T. stands for HIV, AIDS & STI; Early Adolescent and Reproductive Health and Teenage Pregnancy).
The training was composed of level one and level two of PopCom’s ladderized training for adolescents. Levels three to four will also be conducted with the same batch in a separate schedule.
The complete training allows youth participants to graduate as peer educators and peer facilitators. Included in the training was the module on parent-teen talk, which was participated by population officers of Lapu-Lapu City, Talisay City, Danao City, Naga City, Bogo City, Alcoy, Barili and San Remigio.
The activity was a face-to-face training, but it was conducted with strict adherence to health protocols with participants wearing masks, face shields and observing physical distancing.
The training prepared the youth trainers for conducting similar seminars (termed by PopCom 7 as rollout seminars) in their respective local government units.
The trainers will invite more teenagers who will become active peer educators, peer facilitators and peer counsellors themselves in the existing teen centers.