A Step at a Time

Youth Friendly Services – a dream coming true. It was not so long ago that leaders of nations had recognized the features of a constantly evolving society wherein young people face different challenges, clamor for different needs, and reveal novel capacities. This is especially true in the aspect of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) where many untold stories of teenage pregnancy, illnesses, deaths and the like remain.

The YES4YES or Youth Friendly Services for Young People’s Sexuality in Adolescent Sexuality and Reproductive Health is an initiative of the Family Planning Organization of the Philippines, Inc. (FPOP) to address the current situation of young people and their SRHR. It aims to pursue innovative approaches to providing youth friendly services (YFS) and comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) among key populations and underserved young people in four selected project areas to contribute in realizing young people’s SRHR.

The first step began with transforming and capacitating our health service providers - program managers, doctors, nurses, medical technologists, counselors and volunteers. The process consisted of continuous trainings starting with capacity building on young people's sexual rights and Youth-Friendly Services Self-Assessment Workshop. This training allowed them to examine one’s self, build on one’s existing capacities, and assess their clinic services to carefully plan strategies to better serve young people.

The next step was to empower young people to own their cause: service for young people, and offer more. Investing in young people as partners was seen as an effective solution to the desired sustainable change. This was realized through the Basic Peer Education Training on Adolescent Reproductive Health (ARH). Twenty-four (24) selected youth volunteers and staff between the ages 15-24 years old were invited from various chapters of FPOP (Pampanga, Baguio/Benguet, Camarines Sur, and Metro Manila). They are now peer educators who have become living testimonies of young people exercising their rights and fulfilling their responsibilities. They who start with themselves in turn inspire others to be the change they hoped to be.

The next leap to change was far-reaching as it attempted to deconstruct the very roots of the current challenges in adolescent health service delivery. Many of these challenges take root in gender and culture.  Understanding more about sex & gender: its roots, effects on health and how awareness and mainstreaming would better address the needs of young people was expounded in the Gender Sensitivity Training. After the training, health care providers were keener to appreciate the differences in their gender and cultural perspective including their own. In effect they now understood better the challenges ahead and how to cope with them positively.

Finally the last stride in achieving a transformed health service delivery was the training on HIV and AIDS Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT). This enabled our health care providers to address the most pressing health concern of young people: HIVand AIDS.  The training focused on understanding more the role of VCT in the universal access to prevention, treatment and care and support; the epidemiological, biological, psycho-social and development aspects of HIV and AIDS; and most especially client’s rights and gender sensitive responses.

From the very first step to its last, there will always be in our minds and hearts the best interest of young people. These are but little steps taken in the road that is yet to be traveled.

Little and slow but nonetheless sure.