Sexuality, emotionality, healthy responsibility: take care of yourself A sexual education project

Vilelas, J; Sousa, J; Baltar, P; Rodrigues, L

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.10/2261

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INTRODUCTION. Adolescence is a period of doubt and discovery, during which the biggest problems related to the discovery of sexuality arise. Portugal is part of the European countries with the largest number of teenage mothers. Despite the rising availability of information in this area, this phenomenon still occurs with all the negative consequences involved. This project intends to develop and implement a Sexual Education project named "Sexuality, Emotionality, Responsibility: Take Care of Yourself", which aims at promoting healthy behaviours on an individual and group level (prevention, self-protection and protection of others). METHODS. This is an action research project. During first phase, a questionnaire will be applied to teenagers (10 to 18 years of age), who attend a group of schools in Lisbon area. Subsequently, "Love Workshops" will be implemented, aiming at progressively developing self-responsibilization, promoting physical, psychological, and social health. In schools, dialogue and discussion areas between students, parents, teachers and, eventually, other professionals will be created. Peer education will be one of the used strategies because prevention messages will thus be adapted to different values and needs of each peer group, mediated by "Affection Ambassadors", facilitating behavioural change. At the final phase, people involved will assess the intervention process. CONCLUSIONS. We hope to be able to promote prioritization of sexual education as a determinant of health, contributing to empowerment and emotional development of teenagers, aiming at healthy and responsible sexuality, through nursing interventions that use dynamic methods focused on the teenager and the group.