| In line with the overall goal of Action Health Incorporated to promote learning in the field of adolescent health and increase access to a youth friendly facility that responds to the needs of adolescents, youth service providers, researchers and health providers in Nigeria, an orientation programme was organised for the final year medical students of College of Medicine, University of Lagos/ Lagos University Teaching Hospital between 21st of April and 13th of May 2008 at the AHI Youth Friendly Centre.
The workshop aimed at helping the students acquire skills on how to communicate with young people; broaden their knowledge on adolescent reproductive and sexual health and to know the processes involved in providing health services for adolescents.
The curriculum consisted of topics such as:
- Understanding human sexuality - they had the opportunity of breaking the culture of silence on issues relating to sexuality.
- Principles of adolescents' friendly health services - in preparing the students for the challenges of providing for adolescents, they had a formal training on attributes of service providers and facility that will attract young people to such services. In addressing their values and biases, sessions on value and value clarification were also included in the curriculum.
At the end of the training, participants had the opportunity of increasing their knowledge on human sexuality and principles of adolescent friendly health services as well as opportunity of clarifying their values on some issues such as abortion, availability of contraceptive methods to young people and harmful traditional practices etc.
The training was competency based and it involved a combination of training methodologies. It was very interactive and participatory. Formal lectures, brainstorming; experience sharing, group activities, and value clarification exercises were incorporated in the training.
A total of 157 final year medical students (56 females and 101 males) made up of 8 batches participated in the programme.
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