Schools Programme 2012
OVSA believes it is crucial to target young people (13 to 19 years) during adolescence, as it provides an unique opportunity to support and address many of the health and lifestyle challenges they may face.
Partnered on with Grade 8 learners in 16 high schools across KwaZulu-Natal, the Schools Programme offers 14 comprehensive workshops that address cricital issues around HIV and AIDS, TB, life skills, sexual and reproductive health and rights, Gender and Human Rights. All take into account the social and cultural realities faced by young South Africans.
Developed by educational experts, with input from learners, teachers and OVSA staff, the programme is aligned to South Africa’s National Strategic Plan on HIV, STIs and TB (2012-2016), as well as the National Life Orientation (LO) syllabus. Young people should have a voice that is heard and empowered to address sexual reproductive health, gender and human rights issues – as well as tackle the devastating realities of HIV and TB in their daily lives.
The workshops have been developed to address issues around the South African epidemic drivers, and are also linked to the specific outcomes of the LO syllabus. The accompanying Learner Notebook includes tasks that strengthen literacy skills ans show that the learners have achieved the LO syllabus outcomes.
Facilitator Training
Our workshops are implemented by our OVSA Facilitators who receive refresher training at least twice per annum. This training focusses on workshop content, general HIV and TB knowledge – as well as communication and policy training.
A Spotlight on the Grade 8 Curriculum
A series of 14 workshops implemented throughout the school calendar year, and are supported by a number of programmatic materials, (e.g., the Facilitator Manual and the Learner Personal Journey Notebook) which guide and engage learners. The Facilitator Manual provides an in-depth look at the twelve workshops and includes the following elements: purpose of workshop; workshop outcomes; introduction to workshop; ground rules, warm up games; discussion games; a participatory activity; and discussion and link back to the Learner Personal Journey Notebook – as well as the workshop outcomes. The Learner Personal Journey Notebook includes summaries of the corresponding workshops and provides space for learners to write their own interpretations of each lesson.
Workshop Summary:
PART 1: STARTING THE JOURNEY:
Part 1 introduces the learner’s anticipated partnership with the Schools Programmelife, as a ‘personal journey’ that will provide them with new skills or enhance existing ones, as a means to addressing a number of issues such as values, self knowledge and gender roles and human rights. Specific skills including verbal and non-verbal communication; active listening, expression and managing feelings; negotiation, managing conflict; understanding other people’s needs; setting goals and solving problems are needed to support young people in developing their potential as individuals so that we can pass through life successfully.
Workshop 1: An introductory workshop on the OVSA Schools Programme
PART 2: LIFE SKILLS WORKSHOPS – TALKING ABOUT LIFE SKILLS
- Workshop 2: Values and Human Rights
- Workshop 3: Self Knowledge and Gender Roles
- Workshop 4: Problem Solving
PART 3: SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH AND RIGHTS (SRHR) WORKSHOPS – TALKING ABOUT SRHR AND HIV AND AIDS
Part 3 introduces sexual and reproductive health and rights, and HIV and AIDS issues. Good health is based on a number of things such as what we eat, what we do and especially how we choose to behave and what decisions we make. This section discusses puberty and healthy living, relationships and delaying sexual debut, as well as basic HIV and AIDS information.
- Workshop 5: Puberty and Healthy Living
- Workshop 6: Healthy Relationships
- Workshop 7: Managing HIV and AIDS
PART 4: TUBERCULOSIS (TB) WORKSHOPS – TALKING ABOUT TB
Part 4 introduces three new workshops on TB; aimed to support early case detection and treatment. In these three workshops, learners will learn about the disease, how you get it, why it is dangerous, how to identify it and how to treat it. The workshops also adress the link between HIV and TB – and looks at how to identify the symptoms of TB, why testing for TB is so important and where you can get a test.
- Workshop 8: The Basics of TB and TB/HIV Co-infection
- Workshop 9: TB Detection and Diagnosis, and Stigma
- Workshop 10: TB Treatment Adherence and Support
PART 5: ADVOCACY PROJECTS AND PRACTICAL TASKS – TALKING ABOUT PROJECTS AND TASKS
Part 4 introduces projects and practical tasks. These workshops address project planning and design, project monitoring and implementation and project evaluation. They encourage young people to create their own advocacy projects and to discuss HIV and TB related issues, and other problems that affect their schools and their community. The idea behind these workshops is that young people identify a problem that affects them and find ways to resolve it.
- Workshop 11: Project Planning and Design
- Workshop 12: Project Monitoring and Implementation
- Workshop 13: Project Evaluation
PART 6: CONTINUING THE JOURNEY
- Workshop 14: A reflective workshop evaluating the OVSA Schools Programme and the way forward.