reproductive health services for adolescents - Pathfinder International

Module 16/Unit 3
Specific Objective #2: Discuss the life skills that are necessary for
the healthy development of adolescents
CONTENT
Knowledge/Attitudes/Skills
LIFE SKILLS FOR HEALTH
DEVELOPMENT
Adolescents need skills to:
• Help clarify their needs and rights.
• Express themselves effectively.
• Decide upon a course of action.
Among the most important life skills are
assertiveness and decision-making.
Assertiveness
• Demonstrating assertiveness does
not mean imposing beliefs or views
upon another person, but involves
expressing beliefs, thoughts, and
feelings in a direct, clear way at an
appropriate moment.
• To be assertive implies the ability to
say “yes” or “no” depending on what
one wants. For example:
−
−
“I don’t want to have sex.”
“Yes, I want to have sex if we use
a condom.”
• Being able to express what is truly
felt or desired can have important
consequences for adolescent
reproductive health. Being clear and
assertive can help:
−
−
Avoid guilt and increase selfrespect.
Resist peer pressure to engage in
sex, drug use, etc.
Training/Learning Methods
(Time Required)
TRAINER PRESENTATION (5 MIN.)
The trainer should:
• Using the content on the left-hand
side of the page, review life skills and
the concept of assertiveness.
ASSERTIVENESS PRACTICE
EXERCISE (25 MIN.)
The trainer should:
• Explain that this exercise will help Px
understand how adolescents might
need to use assertiveness for
effective communication.
• Ask the Px to sit in a circle and play
the role of teenagers who will
respond assertively to statements
you will read. See Trainer's Tool 3.1:
List of Statements to Practice
Assertiveness.
3.1
• Toss a ball (or other small object) to a
Px who will go first.
• After his/her response, ask the Px to
evaluate how assertive the response
was and to provide examples of other
assertive responses.
• Repeat with another Px using the
next statement and so on until you
complete the statements.
Ask Px, was it difficult to respond
assertively If so, why Were the
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Adolescent Curriculum