Adolescents and young adults need access to sexual and reproductive health that is inclusive and comprehensive. Youth organizations and educators must have the necessary tools and information to provide the help the youth needs.
Adolescence is a critical period in which youth experience significant brain development and begin taking risks, developing autonomy, and exploring new social relationships. During that period, young people start asking many questions, and many doubts arise, especially regarding sexuality. This underscores the importance of ensuring their access to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) to guarantee safe and positive experiences and avoid adverse sexual outcomes such as sexually transmitted infections (STI) contraction or unplanned pregnancies.
Youth workers and educators must be properly trained and provide the correct resources to help and solve any doubts young people might have. They must be prepared to break taboos and create safe spaces where adolescents feel confident and can speak about their needs and concerns. These specialists must develop materials and methods that embrace diversity — regarding race, social background, religion, etc — are gender-transformative, and include LGTBIQI+ perspective as well as persons with disabilities.
In other words, young people’s SRHR programmes should provide non-judgemental and rights-based care, and provide choices and opportunities designed to meet everyone’s needs. Therefore, the main goals that training materials and youth associations must consider are to understand human sexuality and puberty; how to form healthy relationships; eliminate gender-bases stereotypes; prevent unwanted pregnancies; prevent or reduce the risk of HIV and STIs; prevent sexual coercion, sexual violence, or transactional sex.
Nevertheless, it is also crucial to remember that, apart from speaking to youth workers and educators, Generation Z also consults websites and uses social media. However, not all sites provide truthful and helpful information and, if youngsters lack access to quality sources, they might be in danger and go through stressful experiences. New tools and adapted media must also be set in place to help them consider all the aspects mentioned.
That is why the project Alex the SexEdBot has been created. It aims to provide training and resources to the youth workers by equipping them with the pedagogical/technical skills needed to purposefully use the chatbot for the administration of holistic SRH education. The main result of the project will be the creation of an innovative chatbot (verified by SRH experts) that will reflect the realities of Gen-Z youth today and solve any doubts they might have. It will be inclusive, non-gender biased, LGTBIQ+ friendly, and adapted to persons with disabilities. The website will be ready soon, stay tuned!
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Bibliography:
Dhanoa, Avnit & Ehsan, Fatima & Huxter, Kayla & Moller, Christine & Nolet-Mulholland, Liam & Dahal, Rimsa. (2020). Young and Risky: Sexual Behaviours among Generation Z and Millennials. Eureka. 5. 10.29173/eureka28749.
Rutgers International. (2016). (publication). Essential Packages Manual: Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights Programmes for Young People. Retrieved from https://rutgers.international/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Essential-Packages-Manual_SRHR-programmes-for-young-people_-2016.pdf.
Family Health International. (2010). (publication). Curricula and Other Educational Materials on Youth Sexual and Reproductive Health. Retrieved from https://www.fhi360.org/sites/default/files/media/documents/Curricula%20and%20Other%20Educational%20Materials%20on%20Youth.pdf.
Offering Sexual and Reproductive Health Services to Adolescents in School Settings Can Create More Equitable Access. (2022, August 3). [web log]. Retrieved from https://www.childtrends.org/publications/offering-sexual-and-reproductive-health-services-to-adolescents-in-school-settings-can-create-more-equitable-access.
Pfeiffer, P. (2023, March 30). Why is Generation Z turning to social media for sex education? [web log]. Retrieved from https://statenews.com/article/2023/03/why-is-generation-z-turning-to-social-media-for-sex-education?ct=content_open&cv=cbox_latest.