Get to Know Yourself

“Get to know yourself: A training package for health promoters, health educators, community health workers and peer educators promoting sexual health among young people promoting sexual health among young people” consists of two part, Part one is a book entitled “Get to know yourself: A sexual health guide for young people” and Part Two a handbook entitled “Get to know yourself: A handbook for health promoters and peer educators facilitating sexual health programmes among young people”. Part one "Get to know yourself: A sexual health guide for young people" book This book is meant for young people, aged 15 years and older, females and males, virgins and those who are already sexually active, who want to lead a healthy life. Young people are often faced with a huge responsibility of making decisions about their sexuality usually with little or no information, or with confusing information they obtain from their friends. This book gives information on sexual health that will enable you to feel confident about making decisions about your life. The book is easy to read, and makes it easy for young people whose parents find it challenging to talk to them about sexual health matters, to read it on their own. "Get to know yourself: A sexual health guide for young people" aims at providing accurate information about sexual health that will enable young people to develop responsible sexuality, mutual respect between females and males, and good relationships that will result in the improvement of their quality of life. The book is meant to directly address the reader. The book came into existence as a result of my work as a researcher and lecturer in youth health, health promotion and public health that indicated limitations in accessing sexual health information among young people especially in under resourced areas of South Africa. To ensure book’s relevance to the targeted youth, the topics covered in the book were suggested by women and girls during a study of puberty rites for girls, questions asked by students and young people who participated in sexual health workshops. Lastly, the limited access to sexual health information observed when working in under resourced communities and the alarming rates of HIV and AIDS in many under resourced communities in South Africa and other countries made me realise the need for an easy-to-read book that will be accessible to the majority of people – the youth in the stated age cohort. "Get to know yourself: A sexual health guide for young people" aims at providing accurate information about sexual health that will enable young people to develop responsible sexuality, mutual respect between females and males, and good relationships that will result in the improvement of their quality of life. The book is meant to directly address the reader. The book will assist young people in understanding themselves as persons and young people in general, the human body and gaining knowledge and skills that will enable them to: • Form attitudes, beliefs and values about your body image, sexuality, development and interpersonal relationships; • Take responsible steps to prevent teenage pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections (STI), HIV and AIDS. • Ensure access to the sexual health information by all young people, the book could be translated into different languages as the need arise. To health promoters, health educators, community health workers and peer educators The book is meant to assist health promoters/ health educators/ community health workers/peer educators in facilitation of sexual health promotion workshop with young people and during training of peer educators in the communities. For effective training you need a handbook that aims at developing health promoters/health educators/community health workers/peer educators’ skills in facilitating sexual health education and training peer educators in the communities. The handbook will guide you and your peer educators in training peer educators and conducting sexual health education programmes in the communities. It is paramount that when conducting sexual health education workshops that all participants have access to a copy of the “Get to know yourself: A sexual health guide for young people”. It is equally important that when training peer educators at community level that all participants have both books, “Get to know yourself: A sexual health guide for young people” and “Get to know yourself: A handbook for health promoters and peer educators facilitating sexual health programmes among young people. Part two "Get to know yourself: A handbook for health promoters, health educators, community health care workers and peer educators facilitating sexual health among young people” The “Get to know yourself: A handbook for health promoters, health and peer educators facilitating sexual health among young people” was developed mainly for health promoters and peer educators who facilitate sexual health education programmes in the community. The handbook must be used together with the “Get to know yourself: A sexual health guide for young people” book and all participants should have access to it especially during training. The handbook is meant for health promoters and young people who want to make a significant contribution towards the health and wellness of young people in their communities by becoming peer educators. They will use the handbook to facilitate peer educators workshops entitled “Get to know yourself: Sexual health education workshops” in their communities, churches, clubs, cultural organisations and traditional rites of passage. Although the main focus of the workshops is on young people, these workshops can also be used for more mature people to advance their knowledge on sexual health. Sexual health peer educators who will use the handbook will be trained by health promoters, nurses, health educators, community health workers and others or can even train themselves by practicing facilitation as indicated in the handbook. This handbook will guide health promoters and peer educators in training peer educators and conducting sexual health education programmes in the communities. It is paramount that all participants attending the peer educators training have a complete package. It is equally important that when conducting sexual health education workshops in the community that all participants have access to a copy of the “Get to know yourself: A sexual health guide for young people”. The training runs over a period of one week, three days spent on the content and required skills, and practice over a period of two days for the peer educators to perfect facilitation skills. During the training sexual health peer educators will be guided on how to prepare and run the workshops effectively. It is advisable where possible for peer educators conduct at least one workshop under the supervision of a health promoter before conducting workshops on their own.