The Adolescent Education Programme is extremely important as prevention of HIV/AIDS among adolescents can be made possible by imparting the correct knowledge amongst youngsters – both in and out of school.
The workshop for Training of Trainers was conducted on November 21, 22 & 23, 2011. Many sessions were conducted with speakers who are experts in their fields.
The participants were from a varied background with a lot of experience in handling adolescents.
Session One
This was from 11 am onwards and Sangeeta Punekar was the speaker and the topic was EXPLORING LIFE SKILLS.
The participants interacted very well during this session right from when the topic of AEP was introduced along with its objectives. While the speaker spoke in English, Hindi and Marathi to ensure that everyone understood, she gave them a list of the challenges that they were bound to face, ensuring that they had a realistic view. She used a game to explain life skills to everyone.
The participants were all highly motivated to the cause and showed tremendous interest in whatever was said during this workshop. Many of them shared their experiences, adding to discussion.
Sangeeta Punekar gave the participants a clear idea of the objectives, the age of the target group of adolescents and also shared many real life examples, encouraging the audience to interact.
Session Two
This was from 1 pm onwards and was conducted by Dr. Sequiera. The topic handled was Physiological, Mental and Emotional Changes in Adolescence.
• Dr. Sequiera comes with an incredible history and work experience in the field of adolescent education, hence she was knowledgeable and able to prepare participants in terms of knowledge as well as ways to deal with adolescents and related issues that may arise during the programme.
• Dr. Sequiera used an almost perfect mix of knowledge dissemination, group discussion and group activity, which allowed for participants to share what they had learned.
• Dr. Sequiera corrected many misconceptions of the participants.
• Dr. Sequiera also suggested that participants read literature - ‘On the horizon of adulthood’, a book by UNICEF, which is a collection of questions and queries asked by adolescents during such programmes.
• Dr. Sequiera oriented participants to an extensive history of the Adolescent Education Programme which was originally called the APEP in 1993.
• After an interesting narration of AEP’s history, Dr. Sequiera conducted a group activity on adolescence. This was particularly very effective, with each participant sharing their own adolescent experiences.
• Provided technical knowledge about puberty & adolescence and conducted another group activity to demonstrate the same.
• Dr. Sequiera explained adolescence in a positive light and changed many pre-conceptions that the participants had in mind.
• Dr. Sequiera finally passed around chits with possible questions that could be asked by adolescents during the sex education sessions.
PARTIPANTS’ RESPONSE
• Participants were extremely receptive to the speaker and the topic.
• Each one shared extensively during the activities.
• Gauging from the queries, group sharing and presentations, it was obvious that the participants had learned immensely from this session.
• After this session, participants had completely warmed up to the topic of adolescence education and were geared up for sessions to come.
• Excellent choice of resource person.
Session Three
This began at 3.30 pm and lasted till the end of the first day of the workshop. Dr. Kavita Bhatia was the speaker and the topic that she handled was Gender, Gender Roles, Adolescence And Sexuality.
• Dr. Kavita Bhatia picked up the rhythm from where the last speaker (Dr. Sequiera) had left.
• Dr. Kavita Bhatia used an effective mode of training. She assumed the role of a teacher and asked the participants to think and react like adolescents. Role playing throughout the session helped participants get into the skin of their target audience – students.
• Through the use of simple activities, Dr. Kavita Bhatia explained the sensitive topic of gender & sexuality very effectively. At the end of the session, participants were competent to take a lecture on the same topics.
• Dr. Kavita Bhatia conducted an energetic and lively session and managed to finish within time.
• Most importantly, Dr. Kavita Bhatia got the participants to think like trainers.
• Using the AEP module as reference, Dr. Kavita Bhatia covered each topic using examples.
• Dr. Kavita Bhatia conducted a ‘Free Association’ activity with participants to explain the concept of Gender.
• After debriefing the first activity, Dr. Kavita Bhatia divided class into groups and gave them a gender based situation and asked them to react like adolescent boys and girls would.
PARTICIPANTS’ RESPONSE
• Second activity strengthened the participants understanding of gender roles.
• Third group activity allowed for group presentations which demonstrated the comfort level on the topic that the participants developed through the course of the day
• After a very in-depth and informative previous session by Dr. Sequiera, Participants were highly motivated for the second session.
• Their interest levels were visible through the number of questions asked as well as their willingness to participate in group activities and presentations.
• Participants donned the roles of adolescent students in good spirit, as requested by Dr. Kavita Bhatia. This helped them understand the psyche of the students better.
Session Four
This was on November 22, 2012 at 11 am and lasted for almost 3 hours. Dr. Pranita Tipre conducted a workshop on the topic Reproductive System, Process Of Conception.
• Dr. Pranita Tipre was very informative and had an extensive knowledge on the subject.
• A particular discussion about 'adolescent like' questions about sexuality was raised and answered adequately by Dr. Pranita Tipre. An example: 'What should a teacher do to intervene if an adolescent is being sexually abused?' These practical examples made the educative process more than merely imparting information.
• Dr. Pranita Tipre had a teacher-student approach and a holistic view on sexuality.
• The session was successful in equipping the teachers with content and a basic outline of ways to handle problem situations in class.
• Each segment was explained skillfully and practical tips were given for classroom management of such a sensitive topic.
• Many myths and misconceptions were cleared regarding normal delivery, vaginal closing, twin formation, etc. The speaker gave relevant real life examples.
• The speaker was easy to understand and her language was simple and technical terms used were well explained.
• There were discussions initiated by the participants and the speaker was able to answer the questions put forth to her.
PARTICIPANTS’ RESPONSE
• The audience was attentive and had a deeper understanding of the birth process and the reproductive system by the end of the session.
• Participants successfully managed to discuss possible challenges and how to solve them.
Session Five
This was from 2.30 pm onwards and was conducted by Dr. Shanbaug. She took a workshop on the topic Mental Health & Assertiveness.
• Dr. Shanbaug discussed many techniques about communicating with teenagers like role plays, games and reflection of student’s statements.
• The participants were very involved as the trainer spoke in Marathi which they were all more comfortable with than English.
• This made understanding much simpler for them and also encouraged more sharing and questioning.
• Dr. Shanbaug allowed for group discussion and sharing of multiple personal experiences, while many practical issues were dealt with eg: Student attitude about open discussions in the class, saying ‘no’ to sex.
• Being an experienced speaker on this topic, Dr. Shanbaug discussed a lot of examples and situations with the group.
PARTICIPANTS’ RESPONSE
• The participants were more equipped to deal with adolescents and were prepared for a number of possible future challenges that they could have to face and their solutions. The session was more skill based for participants and more practical for application to the programme.
Session Six
This session started at 11 am on the third day – November 23, 2012. Ms. Priyanka Gadre was speaker who conducted a workshop on the topic Substance Abuse.
• Ms. Priyanka Gadre explained the situation of Substance Abuse and what the trainers need to keep in mind while dealing with such situations with the help of real life examples.
• She stressed the link between Substance Abuse and HIV. She covered all the relevant content and was open to questions and discussions.
PARTICIPANTS’ RESPONSE
• Many of them liked the session and could understand very well what was being discussed.
• Some of them had never heard of the knowledge that was imparted to them during this session. They were quite happy to receive so much information.
• Session was highly informative and experiential.
• Good choice of trainer, as she came with a lot of relevant experiences, and such topics can be understood better only through situations and cases.
Session Seven
This session began at 2 pm and Ms. Priyanka Gadre spoke on the topic of Sexual Abuse.
• Besides covering content on what is sexual abuse, how to identify children who have been sexually abused, Ms. Priyanka Gadre also stressed the importance of creating an atmosphere conducive for children to come forward with a complaint of sexual abuse.
• Ms. Priyanka Gadre had all the information and was up to date with respect to statistics, laws and the grey areas in dealing with these situations.
• The speaker emphasized the importance of confidentiality, support and open communication when dealing with problem cases with students.
• She essentially shared practical information about what the BMC teachers need to do specifically in such situations. The trainer was also open to audience questions and discussions.
PARTICIPANTS’ RESPONSE
• The participants were engaged throughout the session as they shared a lot of experiences.
• The session encouraged a lot of discussion and multiple questions from the participants.
• The audience put forth a lot of cases and personal experiences.
Session Eight
This was the last session for the day and it began at 3 pm. Dr. Evelett was the one who took the workshop on Life Skills and HIV.
• Topic was interesting; and with the practical approach bought in by Dr. Evelett, the participants were able to understand the topic clearly and learn about methods in which they could disseminate this information.
• With the help of examples and personal experiences, the speaker demonstrated how to explain and convey this (HIV) information to the students.
• The speaker followed the structure given in the module and taught and gave examples accordingly.
• Dr. Evelett encouraged interaction and discussions and managed her time well.
• The session was useful as it did not just provide information, but explained the “how to” conduct these sessions with the students.
PARTICIPANTS’ RESPONSE
• The session was informative and interesting. The participants took part enthusiastically despite it being the last session.
• The participants could well relate to what was being taught as Dr. Evelett used a number of real life experiences.
• The speaker also allowed a lot of interaction and discussion from the participants ensuring that they got the proper knowledge of the subject.
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