Adolescents Conclude Successful Life Skills Development Program
Photo: SVSG
More than 50 adolescents from seven selected villages, gathered at the SSAB Conference Centre on Friday, for a Lessons Learnt Event on a Life Skills Development Program they were involved in.
The participants were selected based on their attendance to the adolescents development workshops facilitated by Samoa Victim Support Group over the last two years, as part of the Comunitty Intervention approach to ending
violence against children, with UNICEF Pacific. The adolescents came together to share their experiences and knowledge gained from the program's six modules, which focused on equipping them with the necessary life skills to help them thrive in life by learning five core competencies: Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Social Awareness,
Positive Interpersonal Relationship, and Responsible Decision Making. Dr. Akshaya Kumar Mishra, the Health Specialist for UNICEF Samoa, Cook Islands, Niue and Tokelau, gave the keynote address during the event, on behalf of the development partner.
During the event, the participants engaged in Focus Group Discussions (FGD), where they shared their views and thoughts on what they have learned from the program, as well as giving feedback for further
improvement of the program.
One young man stated that the program has helped him be wise with whom he hangs out with, as he now knows that the people he surrounds himself with can influence him.
Majority of the youth shared that they were more interested in Module 4: “Drugs, Alcohol and Peer Pressure”, and Module 6: “Online Safety &
Protection (Cyber Bullying)”, as these are the two most common social issues influencing the lives of the adolescents.
One adolescent representative from Samalaeaulu Savaii stated that learning about the detrimental effects of these substances has helped them avoid it.
A Knowledge, Attitude & Practice (KAP) Survey was completed by the participants at the end of the event.
According to the SVSG President Siliniu Lina Chang, “The responses from the KAP survey will assist SVSG to draw up any behavioural and mentality changes amongst the participants, since they were engaged in the Program from April 2021 to December 2022.
From these responses, SVSG will be in a better position to scale up the program to include other villages.”
The villages represented at the event were Fasitoo-uta, Toamua, Siumu, Fagalii, Luatuanuu, Solosolo, and Samalaeulu in Savaii. The program's six modules included: Module 1: Introduction; Module 2: Addressing Positive Mental and Social Health; Module 3: Respecting Relationships with Others and Preventing
Interpersonal Violence; Module 4: Alcohol and Peer Pressure; Module 5: Peer Support and Help Seeking; Module 6: Online Safety and Anti-Bullying.