Youth and Healthy Lifestyle Promotion Skills Course

Youth development workers have a key role to play in delivering a holistic approach to health promotion. The program starts by defining youth in the context of health. It continues by looking at why it is important to involve young people in the planning and implementation of any program that targets them, and how to promote youth participation.

You will also look closely at some of the contemporary health issues that affect young people, such as HIV AIDS, nutrition and diet, sexual and reproductive health and drug abuse. The program also looks at how to enable practitioners to recognize the different roles they have, and how to foster effective working relationships.

Program Benefits

When you successfully complete this program, you should be able to:

• Identify the major health issues affecting young people.
• Outline health promotion strategies (particularly preventative strategies).
• Describe the specific role of youth development work in health promotion.
• Develop specific programs of health promotion.
• Use the distinctive methodology of youth development work within the environment of a primary health care agency.

Who Should Attend?

• Professionals of healthcare institutions.
• Public health practitioners.
• Youth Workers in government departments, corporations and NGOs.
• Health awareness organizations staff.
• Professionals responsible for youth policy formulation and strategy development.

Program Outline

Day 1

• Defining Youth and Health
• Defining youth
• Defining health
• Primary health care
• Adolescent and youth developmental changes
• The basics of health and personal hygiene

Day 2

• Involving Young People
• Development
• Youth development and health services
• The role of young people in health
• Developing skills and information
• Factors affecting participation

Day 3

• Sexual and Reproductive Health
• Defining sexuality
• Defining reproductive health
• Reproductive rights
• Abortion
• Traditional practices
• STDs and HIV/AIDS

Day 4

• Nutrition
• Malnutrition
• The World Health Organisation (WHO) mandate
• World food supply
• Mental Health and Drug Abuse
• What is mental health?
• Self-abuse and deviant behavior
• What is drug abuse?
• Demographics and drug use
• Prevention and support
• Self-abuse through injury and suicide