Anlaids is a partner association of Health4U, an education and orientation programme for university and professional careers promoted by the Fondazione Johnson&Johnson, with a focus dedicated to health, wellbeing and life sciences.
Together with Rosario Galipò, a psychologist and psychotherapist who has been working with the association for 17 years, we addressed the issue of the prevention and promotion of health at school. How should the educational community be involved? “School is an idea environment in which to activate educational and informational courses not only for the students, but adults (parents and teachers), too. Moreover, if schools promote health, they can orient the entire community to promoting healthy lifestyles, contributing to the development of a favourable context for students to acquire and develop the knowledge, skills and habits necessary to live healthily even as adults.”
“Healthy young men and women will learn more efficiently. If inserted into a positive learning environment, they will be more likely to stay in good health. Furthermore, students who enjoy school and have better interactions with competent adults have fewer problems related to risky behaviour and a greater possibility of performing well at school.”
Galipò believes this approach is fundamental for HIV, AIDS and STD prevention. The empowerment of young men and women allows them to enjoy their sexuality and relations responsibly, promoting essential skills for protection from risk.”
Since 1993, Anlaids has activated a National School Project (PSN) that has been updated to incorporate social and epidemiological behaviour with new and more rapid communication tools. “Young men and women do not have an adequate understanding of STDs, a very widespread group of contagious diseases, and they often do not know who to turn to. Sexual and emotional education are one of the most important means through which to promote sexual wellbeing and an essential component of the global strategy for HIV and STD prevention in Europe.”
AIDS is still a potentially mortal disease if untreated. It was discovered 40 years ago and since then, only in Italy, it has claimed 45,000 victims. Today, however, there is a cure. However, without prevention and adequate therapy, it still represents a problem. In 2020, at least 310,000 children contacted HIV globally – one every two minutes. Another 120,000 died of AIDS-related causes, one every five minutes.
Therefore, it is important to work on prevention with youth. “Our activities in schools, based on the Anlaids guidelines, call for the co-development of educational/informational courses on HIV and STD infections that are integrated into their core courses to make sexuality safer,” explains Rosario Galipò. “Moreover, we believe that it is important to actively involve young men and women in prevention and health education activities through specific educational/informational programmes working via peer education.” And this work addresses not only information, but experience, too, to improve their relations with others and themselves.
Rosario Galipò believes the experience with Health4U was “positive, stimulating and interactive,” as it “provided them with the opportunity to introduce students to health education at 360 degrees.”
“I am increasingly convinced that important life choices for adolescents are based on the knowledge, on discussion and the space created by experts that will allow them to express their feelings and be able to identify their true interests, addressing, as planned by Health4U, studying, research and passion to improve everyone’s quality of life.”
“Youth need to listen to learn, but they also need to be listened to …” Our educational proposals are based on a participative approach that involves students directly. Technology has allowed us to reach them remotely, too, to listen to their opinions and sensations and answer their doubts and questions on these issues.”
Participation was certainly active. Indeed, “prevention with and fore youth” means allowing each student to be an active protagonist – not a spectator – of prevention initiatives, as this reinforces the learning process and individual responsibility.
