The school holidays are a time for fun, relaxation, and growth, but they also present a unique opportunity to equip young people with the tools they need to thrive. This past August in Yaoundé, Cameroon, HOCI Cameroon proudly hosted a vital “Practical Life Skills for Children on Holiday” program, focusing on drug use prevention, mental health support, and the promotion of sexual reproductive health (SRH).
We’re thrilled to share the highlights of this impactful initiative!
More Than Just a Holiday: Addressing Real Needs
In today’s fast-paced world, young people face a myriad of challenges. From peer pressure and misinformation to navigating emotional changes and making healthy decisions, the need for comprehensive life skills education is more critical than ever. Our program was born from a recognized community need to provide structured, empowering activities during school breaks, fostering resilience and informed choices.
Our Mission: Building Stronger Futures
Our key objectives for the training were clear:
-
Boost Practical Life Skills: Empowering participants with essential abilities like decision-making, problem-solving, effective communication, and strategies to resist negative peer pressure.
-
Prevent Drug Abuse: Educating children on the dangers of drug use and providing concrete prevention strategies.
-
Support Mental Health: Offering knowledge and coping mechanisms for emotional well-being, including vital stress management techniques.
-
Promote Sexual Reproductive Health (SRH): Providing age-appropriate understanding of body changes, healthy relationships, informed consent, and disease prevention.
60 Young Minds Engaged and Empowered!
We were incredibly proud to host 60 children and adolescents, aged 12-23 years, including both boys and girls. Their energy and enthusiasm were truly infectious, creating a vibrant learning environment.
Learning Through Engagement: Our Unique Approach
Forget boring lectures! Our program embraced an interactive and participatory methodology. We incorporated dynamic activities like:
-
Sports: To foster teamwork and healthy physical activity.
-
Group Discussions: Encouraging open dialogue and sharing of perspectives.
-
Role-Playing: Allowing participants to practice real-life scenarios and communication skills.
-
Case Studies: Applying critical thinking to understand complex situations.
-
Hands-on Activities: Making learning tangible and memorable.
The content was carefully structured into four core modules:
-
Practical Life Skills: Covering self-awareness, goal setting, communication, and conflict management.
-
Preventing Drug Use: Delving into facts about common substances, resisting social influence, consequences of abuse, and healthy alternatives.
-
Supporting Mental Health: Focusing on identifying emotions, stress management, seeking help, and building resilience.
-
Promoting SRH: Discussing physical changes, personal hygiene, healthy relationships, informed consent, and preventing STIs and unwanted pregnancies (where age-appropriate).
Positive Outcomes and Lasting Impact
The feedback was overwhelmingly positive! Participants actively engaged, showing increased confidence in their ability to make healthy choices. We observed a significant increase in knowledge across all modules, with, for example, 90% of participants able to identify at least three ways to resist peer pressure regarding drug use. Crucially, 85% rated the training as excellent or very good, feeling better equipped to handle real-life challenges.
Looking Ahead: Building on Success
To ensure the long-term impact of this vital work, we recommend:
-
Booster Sessions: Follow-up sessions to reinforce learning after the holidays.
-
Parental/Community Engagement: Involving families and community leaders to create a supportive environment.
-
Tailored Content: Further adapting content to specific age groups for maximum relevance, especially for in-depth SRH discussions with older adolescents.
This “Holistic Life Skills for Youth Development” training was a resounding success, providing critical information and skills that will undoubtedly contribute to the well-being and personal competence of Yaoundé’s youth. The positive results underscore the profound importance of investing in comprehensive life skills education.
Thank you to all the participants, facilitators, and supporters who made this program a success! Together, we are building a brighter, healthier future for the children of Cameroon.
