First Lady, UNICEF laud school health club programme

First Lady Sandra Granger has commended the Public Health Ministry’s Secondary School Health Club initiative, noting that it can serve as a method of informing teens about their sexual and reproductive health.

The School Health Club, according to the Department of Public Information (DPI), is an initiative designed with adolescents in mind, especially those in school. It engages a series of activities aimed at improving their health and wellness, and the environment.
The national programme was launched on July 10 at Camp Wesleyan on the Linden-Soesdyke Highway. It focuses on capacity building for teachers and students, who will implement activities in the various secondary school health clubs. It was highlighted that training for teachers in Regions 3, 4 and 10 who would be involved in similar initiatives commenced earlier in the year.
The First Lady observed that, in her “interaction with young people around this country and in the Caribbean as well, it is obvious that many are uninformed or misinformed about their sexual and reproductive health.”
The First Lady is quoted by DPI as saying it is essential for parents, teachers and community leaders to address sexual and reproductive health, domestic violence, different forms of abuse, and mental health in a manner that is relatable to young people.
Adolescent and Development Officer Jewel Crosse of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) explained that UNICEF sees the health club initiative as a vehicle that empowers adolescents to play an active role in deciding and implementing solutions to issues related to their health and wellbeing.
“The [school health] clubs will also give the students the opportunity to become agents of change; and, as agents of change, you will be able to carry the information which you receive into your homes, communities, and the wider areas at large,” Crosse said.
It has been added that the establishment of these clubs presents an excellent opportunity to equip adolescents with necessary life skills to prevent poor health and avoid poor choices.
“Poor health and poor choice can impact negatively on growth and development, and can also affect a child’s ability to learn… We see the health clubs as being able to guide you to adopt positive behaviour,” Crosse said.
The health club is required to gear discussions and activities around topics and issues that affect students as they transition from childhood to adulthood.
At conclusion of a training exercise for teachers, earlier in the year, the Ministry’s School Health Officer, Dr Faqueeda Watson-Jones, noted that many concerned stakeholders are playing roles in the functioning of the health clubs. These range from PTAs (Parent Teachers Associations); persons from civil society in the school’s community; all government ministries, including the Ministry of Education and the Department of Social Cohesion.