Youth LEAD and VYKAP conduct the TeenGen v.2 pilot training in Vietnam
As part of Youth LEAD’s revival of the TeenGen training manual, Youth LEAD and Vietnam Young Key Affected Populations (VYKAP) conducted pilot trainings of TeenGen v.2 to young people in Vietnam. Supported by UNESCO Regional Office in Bangkok, TeenGen v.2 fosters youth leadership and sexual reproductive health and rights among adolescent young people, including new digital resources such as AMAZE videos.
The trainings were conducted for in-school and out-of-school learners aged 12-18 years old from 12 April to 4 May 2024, in collaboration with the Department of Education and Training, the People’s Committee of Chieng Khoi commune, and Tu Nang Secondary School. With a total of 103 participants, 43 in-school learners attended six training sessions (2.5 hours per training) were conducted for in-school learners at Tu Nang Secondary School; while 60 out-of-school learners participated in a two days of training (7.5 hours per training) in Chieng Khoi commune.
Participants learned about sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, and sex characteristics (SOGIESC), as well as basic information on HIV awareness and prevention. These sessions included fun and engaging games and role playing activities specifically designed to be educational and youth-friendly. One of the highlights of the training was the condom steps race, where participants experienced a fun and interactive way to learn how to correctly use condoms. VYKAP also employed engaging quizzes on HIV to evaluate knowledge on HIV prevention as well as roleplaying activities to help students understand and confidently respond to real-life scenarios related to sexual and reproductive health and rights. Roleplaying was seen as an effective and engaging teaching method for adolescents to envision themselves in different situations. Participants brainstormed and roleplayed scenarios such as what to do if someone wants to have sex, if you want to come out as LGBTIQ+, if you have HIV and want to tell your family, if your partner or friend is HIV positive, and if you have used drugs.
In addition to the training workshop with young people, VYKAP also disseminated the TeenGen v.2 Toolkit to educators for future reference and proactive teaching to students and adolescents. This will enable teachers to utilize and implement the toolkit, with VYKAP committing to provide technical support as needed.
VYKAP plans to continue promoting the TeenGen training manual as a vital program for learners in Vietnam by connecting with the health department and CDC, as well as communicating more broadly to authorities.