The Volta regional arm of the National Youth Authority (NYA), with funding from the United Nations Population Fund, has organised a training seminar for fifty youth leaders on sexuality and reproductive health issues in the region.

The seminar, which was the second to be held in the region this year, was held on Friday, 20 September 2019 in Ho in the Volta Region. 

Speaking to Class91.3FM on the sidelines of the seminar, the Volta regional Director of the NYA, Mr Yao Semorde revealed that there is the need to equip young people with the necessary skills and tools to enable them understand the consequences of engaging in unhealthy sexual behaviour hence the authority’s partnership with the UN Fund for Population Activity to organise the seminar. 

“We realise the need to give young people the skills and the necessary tools to be able to understand what it means to get engaged in sexual and reproductive activity. You and I will agree that some young people have their potentials curtailed as a result of unhealthy sexual escapades, that is why we see the need to partner United Nation Fund for Population Activity to give young people the necessary skills and tools to be able to discern, understand the consequences of unhealthy sexual behaviour so that they pick this skills." 

Mr Semorde, who indicated that the seminar was the second batch to be held in the region this year, revealed that it was targeted at youth leaders because as leaders, they will be able to propagate the lessons picked from the seminar in their communities.

“Because their youth leaders will go back to their communities, apart from influencing their peers to adopt positive sexual behaviours, they will also be able to talk to the community at large about what they have learnt here, how to get rid of unhealthy sexual adventures, and then focus on life on what they want to be in future.”

The Volta Regional Director of the NYA said: “Young people will be able to live healthy lives; the community at large will be a beneficiary of that health.” 

He also noted that: “It will also reduce the teenage pregnancy we see among young people, it will mean young people or young girls will be able to go to school, study, realise their full potential; they will also get to know their sexual rights, they will get to know their reproductive health rights.”

Mr Semorde also commended the sponsors of the programme, the UN for Population, and encouraged the trainee-leaders to propagate the lessons picked from the training in their communities.