Comprehensive Sexuality Education to Young People

The ongoing education of adolescents and youth in Comprehensive Sexuality Education is a strategic pillar of APLAFA, allowing us to sustain our educational interventions.

From July to October 2023, APLAFA provided training to 3163 adolescents aged 13 to 19 from official schools in the country, focusing on the prevention of teenage pregnancy, HIV/AIDS, and other sexually transmitted infections.

Additionally, through the Training the Trainers project, 37 adolescents and young people aged 15 to 24 were trained as peer educators to strengthen the Youth with Options group. Training sessions covered various topics, including life skills, gender-based violence, human rights, prevention of unplanned pregnancies, self-esteem, sexual and reproductive health, mental health, contraceptive methods, among others.

In August, the month of youth, with the support of Fundamorgan, the Youth with Options group had a booth at the International Book Fair, where playful methodologies were used to provide information and guidance on sexual and reproductive health topics.

In September, on the occasion of the International Day of Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy, APLAFA participated in a youth event organized by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). Three young leaders from Youth with Options had the opportunity to exchange information and experiences with peers from other civil society organizations.

Links:

• https://www.aplafapanama.org/

APLAFA continues its work in comprehensive sexuality education, successfully training 1,287 adolescents and young people during the months of May to June 2023.

The organization has carried out educational training activities for the members of "Juventudes con Opciones" (Youth with Options), covering topics related to Women's Human Rights, the LGBTQ+ community, environmental protection, and prevention of unsafe abortion.

Furthermore, APLAFA's Social Programs team has conducted training sessions in various schools in the provinces of Panama and Veraguas, including José Antonio Remón Cantera High School, Severino Hernández School, C.E.B.G Josefina Tapia, Escuela República de Colombia, C.E.B.G. Nuevo Belén, C.E.B.G el Espino, C.E.B.G Hicaco, C.E.B.G Cativé, C.E.B.G Rodolfo Reyes, C.E.B.G Bahia Honda, and Colegio Eduardo Sanchéz, among others.

The training sessions have covered topics such as gender, human rights, prevention of sexually transmitted infections, prevention of unplanned pregnancies, self-esteem, sexual health, reproductive health, life projects, adolescence, and puberty. Additionally, adolescents have received training in preventing school harassment, menstrual management, the use of menstrual cups, prevention of sexual abuse, assertive relationships, gender-based violence, among other subjects.

The ongoing education of adolescents and young people in Human Rights and Sexual and Reproductive Health is a strategic pillar of APLAFA. Therefore, the Comprehensive Sexuality Education Project for Youth allows us to sustain the program.

APLAFA is a non-governmental non-profit organization that, in addition to providing sexual and reproductive health services through family health clinics, works to ensure that young people have access to information that enables them to make informed decisions, particularly concerning their sexual and reproductive health, and to pursue their life projects.

Links:

• https://www.aplafapanama.org/