Brickdam Secondary shines at adolescent health debates competition
DPI, Guyana, Wednesday, May 30, 2018
Brickdam Secondary School won the inter-school debates hosted by the Ministry of Public Health – Adolescent Health Unit. The debates were among a series of competitions to spread awareness on adolescent related health issues with special focus on the Human Papilloma Virus Vaccines.
Janice Williams, Teacher at the Brickdam Secondary Schools receives the winning trophy of the debates competition from Dr. William Adu-Krow, PAHO/WHO’s Country Representative to Guyana.
Other categories included poetry, visual arts and essay writing competition. Tucville and Mae’s Secondary Schools were awarded first position in these categories.
The competitions were hosted in collaboration with PAHO/WHO and targetted students of all ages.
The team from Brickdam Secondary comprised three young students, Rehaca Adamson, Abiké Barker and Britney Valladares, currently in the 12th grade who debated on the moot ‘Adolescents have the right to access sexual reproductive health services without parental consent’. Britney Valladares was awarded the best speaker prize.
The 2018 adolescent health debating competition was held under the theme “Don’t raise your voice, improve your argument” The initiative came after health data indicated that knowledge of programmes within the public health sector, promoting preventive and healthy lifestyles were limited. The decision was made to engage students since they ‘speak the same language’ as their peers.
Director of Primary Health Care, Dr. Ertensia Hamilton said that in preparing for these competitions, the students gathered a wealth of information on these health topics. This, she noted, now puts them in the category of persons who are better equipped with knowledge and information on adolescent health.
Best Speaker, Britney Valladares, Brickdam Secondary School.
“You are now the agents of change …let the word continue to spread, not just stay with you. Spread it among your peers. You go back to your homes and begin discussions with your parents about this,” the director stated.
PAHO/WHO and the Ministry of Public Health has recognised that targetting the youth population in this manner is the most effective way of sensitising children and their families on health topics.
PAHO/WHO’s Country Representative Dr. William Adu-Krow, spoke of a similar exercise conducted in the African continent, where it was effective to equip children with health information and have them share it with those around them.
“There was a study done in Ethiopia whereby they trained primary school children. They gave them information, health information and they asked the children to go home and tell their parents and then they monitored those who told their parents, and after six months they conducted a review. It was found that the primary school students actually went home and told their parents, and their parents learnt from them”, Dr. Adu-Krow stated.
As the year progresses, the Ministry’s Family Health Services Unit is moving towards educating the general public through different mediums on the practice of healthy lifestyles at all ages.
By: Delicia Haynes
Images by Jameel Mohamed.