Chandigarh, September 14:"In an era that flooded with attractive communications on fashion, lifestyle, diverse facets of relationships and brand awareness, it is important to reinforce positive behaviour among adolescents along with values through necessary skill information." Said Mr. SK Setia, DPI (Schools) while giving soon to be launched comprehensive AEP (Adolescent Education Programme) in all the Senior Secondary and Secondary Schools of the city. The programme will be implemented through RED RIBON CLUBS in Schools in collaboration with State AIDS Control Society, U.T., Chandigarh (UT SACS).
Mr. Setia further said that AEP is it popularly known will be implemented from the month of October ’09 onwards to to build capacities of adolescents and to prepare them for facing new challenges of modern day life. The programme is designed for senior students of Class IX onwards with objectives to enhance essential value enhanced Life Skills for coping and managing concerns of adolescence through co-curricular activities (CCA). The Life Skills usually addressed are Creative and Critical thinking, Self Awareness and Self Esteem, Decision Making and Problem Solving, Inter-Personal Relationships and Effective Communication, Coping with Stress and Coping with Emotions. To provide accurate knowledge to students and also develop healthy attitudes and responsible behaviour about process of growing up, HIV/AIDS and substance abuse and to promote respect for the opposite sex and deal with gender stereotypes.
For imparting training to nodal teachers of Red Ribbon Clubs in the city, six Masters Trainers from the city were trained recently in a NACO sponsored workshop in New Delhi. They are Mr. Parmod Sharma, Coordinator, Yuvsatta, Dr. Dazy Zarabi, Programme Coordinator, Regional Resource Centre, Panjab University, Mr. Sandeep Mittal, Dy. Director, TI, UT SACS, two Counselors from Education Department Mrs. Anoopreet Kaur & Mrs. Gurjit Kaur and a parent Mrs. Satinder Kaur.
For effective implementation of the programme Yuvsatta (an NGO) is also identified to streamline the programme. Mr. Parmod Sharma, Coordinator, Yuvsatta also informed that they soon will be planning similar Project with support of UT SACS & NACO to cover all out of School adolescents of the city as well.
Sharing her concerns Dr. Vanita Gupta, Project Director, State AIDS Control Society, U.T., Chandigarh said that more then 22% of India’s population is between 10-19 years of age, representing a vibrant human resource and adolescence is a period of formative dynamic transitions. So what happens in the future largely depends to a large extent on decisions taken by adolescence as they entire their reproductive years. And with ever increasing threat of growing Drug/substance abuse, gender discrimination, child abuse, HIV/AIDS infections, Suicides amongst young people it is high time that we realize the importance of this initiative and take corrective measures.
Dr. Dazy Zarabi, Programme Coordinator, Regional Resource Centre, Panjab University and an important part of the initiative is of the opinion that ignorance is root cause of all evils and only through proper dissemination of knowledge can the life of our students be secured.