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Body to sensitize 4,000 youths on adolescent health in Lagos, others

The Youth Empowerment and Development Initiative (YEDI) is to educate 4,000 youths on adolescent health in three states and Abuja as part of activities to mark its sixth yearly summer holiday cam The states include: Lagos, Akwa Ibom and Ogun. Tagged: “SKILLZ Holiday Camps,” the programme would engage the minds and creativities of the youths…

Youth Empowerment and Development Initiative (YEDI)

The Youth Empowerment and Development Initiative (YEDI) is to educate 4,000 youths on adolescent health in three states and Abuja as part of activities to mark its sixth yearly summer holiday cam

The states include: Lagos, Akwa Ibom and Ogun.

Tagged: “SKILLZ Holiday Camps,” the programme would engage the minds and creativities of the youths through fun, sports and educational activities to support their transition into healthy adults.

According to YEDI’s Executive Director, Oje Ivagba, the Camps, which started in 2013, offers adolescents in disadvantaged communities a fun-filled learning immersion on health and life skills during the summer holiday.

He said: “The summer holidays are high-risk periods for youth as they often have little supervision and few opportunities for structured learning activities.

To accelerate the reach of our programs in building healthy youth and communities, YEDI has consistently convened this week-long, non-residential community-based behavioural change health camps to offer adolescents the opportunity to acquire knowledge and skills on sexual and reproductive health, HIV and Malaria prevention and life coping skill.”

He added that participants would have access to voluntary HIV testing and counselling services.

Head of Programs of the organisation, Tomisin Ojo stated that the camp complements YEDI’s year-long in-school and out-of-school interventions and facilitates linkages to specialized health support for at-risk adolescents.

“The camps provide participants with a safe space to learn healthy habits and important life skills, using football, games, and other activities in an interactive environment,” she noted.

She added that participants would also be empowered with soft skills and craft training for economic empowerment.

Ojo said the camps would run for eight hours each day for five days at the locations.

“Some of the activities include physical exercises, bed-net demonstrations, talent hunt and exhibition; quiz competition; and a football tournament aimed at advancing fair play.”

The Holiday Camp was sponsored by ExxonMobil, Common Goal and M.A.C AIDS Fund.

The program deploys sport-themed curriculum adapted from Grassroot Soccer South Africa, which combines football drills, games and other physical activities, with health education curriculum delivery, vital discussions and biomedical interventions.

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