AHYDPCTT A SUCCESS!

Sheena Reyes
Kalibo, Aklan – The Provincial Population Office (PPO) headed by Mr. Arturo P. Teodosio, Jr., in partnership with the Aklan Provincial Government; Aklan State University SRRDM – Ibajay Campus, Ibajay, Aklan, LGU and Regional Population Office VI conducted an Adolescent Health & Youth Development Peer Counselors Trainers’ Training (AHYDPCTT) last December 4-8, 2006 held at the Aklan State University – Ibajay Campus, Ibajay, Aklan. This was participated by 20 youth leaders of secondary and tertiary levels who came from different schools in the province.

The focus of the training was about the physical, intellectual, emotional and sexual developments of youths and other related issues that they are facing with everyday and on how they are going to deal with those in their everyday lives. It was also tackled different aspects on how to become effective peer counselors that someday they would definitely be using in their actual conduct of peer counseling training with their target audience.

There were fun games and structured learning activities that made the youths enjoy and learn as well. They have learned to discover themselves in a way that everybody has participated and shared every idea they have gotten over in those activities they had. It really made them aware of their individual peculiarities and responsibilities and even made them understand why they are being misunderstood and hard to understand by adults.

This training really was a success and a big help for everybody for it helped them responsibly develop their innate knowledge, skills and attitudes they never thought they had and also build up confidence and respect to everyone especially on the differing opinions and ideas they have shared with which can help them become better persons and also can build rapport to every individual.

These youths who are the pioneers of this training have organized themselves into a group, which is the AHYDP Young Helpers’ Hub to spearhead in planning, coordinating and implementing AHYDP projects, services and activities in the Northwestern part of Aklan. This project is courtesy of Governor Carlito S. Marquez and Congressman Florencio T. Miraflores in cooperation with the PPO. Through this, they can reflect themselves to others and apply all the learnings they have acquired in the training especially to those youths who are going on the wrong path.