Progress Report Adolescent Life Skills April 2006 - December 2006

Throughout the period of this project adolescents have achieved greater participation in their local communities by establishing youth groups and organising community events, which has helped adolescents feel greater empowerment and influence within their communities. They have received support and training on key issues such as health and nutrition as well as reproductive and sexual health to help give them the knowledge to make good decisions in their adult lives. Thirty adolescents who have shown interest in taking forward community mobilisation have also been selected for vocational training. Youth-Adult Committees have been formed and key government agencies have been involved to ensure the sustainability of the endeavours undertaken by the adolescents by continuing the activities beyond the project period.

Improved participation of adolescents in community activities

Adolescents, both male and female, have organised activities within their communities with support from the Youth-Adult Committees. Events such as Nutrition Camps (some of which included video shows, quizzes and street plays), festival-based events and the celebration of important days have taken place across 21 villages.


Knowledge and skill-building

1) Health education A total number of 461 adolescents have been educated on the important issues of health and nutrition, as well as other key reproductive and sexual health issues. 167 of these adolescents have been selected as ‘Active Youth’ and were given training so that they could disseminate their knowledge further by reaching out to their peers through group sessions and community-based activities.

2) Vocational training

Selecting 30 adolescents for vocational training has been the first step in the effort to allow young people a greater opportunity of developing a career.

A resource file of vocational training options has been developed, connections with local training institutes have been formed and government-sanctioned vocational training institutes in the area have been established, although a need to expand the options available has been noted, such as training in stitching/sewing.

A positive development has been that the local government (Panchayat) has allocated a separate room within its office to function as a Central Drop-in Centre in which adolescents will be able to access computers. A local company has also agreed to make several computers and a resource person available for adolescents.


3) Theatre groups

Five adolescent theatre groups have been formed in the area, which have successfully been recruited by the government-run women and child health agency in the area to communicate the importance of good health within the local community through the highly accessible medium of street theatre.

They also actively participated in the District Youth Festival organised by the Youth Ministry in December 2006.

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