
Referência do Projeto: 2021-2-MT01-KA220-YOU-000049937
Link para mais informações sobre o projeto:
https://www.terrampacis.org/projects/current-projects/youth-health-literacy-162.html
Projecto
O projeto – Youth Health Literacy [YHL] – é financiado pela Comissão Europeia, através de fundos concedidos pelo Programa Erasmus + (Ação-Chave 2 – Youth – Cooperation Partnerships in Youth) com o número de referência: 2021-2-MT01-KA220-YOU-000049937 e tem a duração de 24 meses (01/03/2022 – 29/02/2024).
Este projeto baseia-se nas evidências crescentes de que a saúde e a literacia estão intimamente ligadas e, portanto, influenciam outros parâmetros como pobreza, desigualdade e discriminação. A literacia em saúde é assim uma estratégia para contribuir para a melhoria da saúde da comunidade, participação e bem-estar onde a saúde é um direito humano básico que garante às pessoas autonomia e responsabilidade para sua própria saúde e bem-estar. Apesar dos seus inúmeros benefícios, a literacia em saúde continua a ser um desafio para o público europeu. Os resultados da investigação mostram que mais de um terço da população da UE enfrenta dificuldades em encontrar, compreender, avaliar e usar informações para gerir a sua saúde, especialmente a saúde sexual e mental. Embora de acordo com OMS, as intervenções de educação em saúde terem caráter formativo, pois conseguem integrar processos que permitem a modificação do comportamento e se tornam uma ação consciente, racional e voluntária; a literacia em saúde refere-se às capacidades e conhecimentos dos indivíduos necessários para aceder, compreender, avaliar e usar informações de saúde, permitindo-lhes tomar decisões sobre cuidados de saúde, prevenção de doenças e fornecer meios para uma vida saudável.
Espera-se, com este projeto, contribuir para melhorar a literacia em saúde dos jovens, nomeadamente através da produção de manuais, para trabalhadores e organizações juvenis, como um meio de facilitar o empoderamento dos jovens para alcançarem esse estado de bem-estar social, físico, sexual e mental. A saber:
(1) Manual de literacia em saúde para jovens (IO1) que visa fomentar as competências e atitudes de literacia em saúde no quotidiano dos jovens;
(2) Manual de saúde mental e jovens (IO2) que visa apresentar estratégias para abordar o tabu, o estigma e os mitos associados à saúde mental para facilitar a conversa em torno da saúde mental;
(3) Manual de abuso de drogas e bem-estar juvenil (IO3) que visa fornecer recursos educacionais interativos sobre como abordar o problema do abuso de drogas no bem-estar e estilos de vida saudáveis dos jovens;
(4) Manual de género, sexualidade, saúde sexual e higiene sexual (IO4) que visa fornecer um recurso de e-learning que proporcionará uma compreensão mais ampla do público-alvo sobre sua saúde e higiene sexual;
(5) Manual de serviços de saúde amigável para jovens (IO5) com base digital que visa fornecer recursos educacionais interativos de e-learning que proporcionarão uma compreensão mais ampla sobre o uso de informações de saúde para combater a desinformação sobre informações de saúde no ambiente online.
Objectivos
O projeto Youth Health Literacy [YHL] tem como primeiro objetivo, contribuir para alcançar o bem-estar social, físico, sexual e mental dos jovens. Paralelamente, serão desenvolvidos recursos educativos de acesso livre, para trabalhadores e organizações juvenis, como um meio de facilitar o empoderamento dos jovens para alcançarem esse estado de bem-estar social, físico, sexual e mental.
Assim, o consórcio procura desenvolver um conjunto de 5 recursos educativos (IO – Intelectual Output´s):
IO1. Literacia em saúde para jovens;
IO2. Saúde mental e jovens;
IO3. Abuso de drogas e bem-estar juvenil;
IO4. Género, Sexualidade, Saúde e higiene sexual;
IO5. Serviços de saúde digitais para jovens.
Notícias
This manual looks at how gender and sexual health literacy influences youth health. It starts by highlighting that gender and sexual health literacy refers to access to the right knowledge and development of the right skills or attitudes on how sexual health and rights are influenced by socially constructed gender norms. Gender literacy involves understanding social and cultural aspects of gender, including the roles, norms, and expectations associated with being a man, a woman, and non-binary, and the impact of gender on one’s identity, expression, sexuality, and relationships.
Whereas sexual health literacy involves the understanding of one’s own sexual identity, and the range of sexual behaviours and practices that exist. Gender and sexual health are not fixed nor static concepts, they are both reflected by an ongoing process that requires ongoing learning, reflection, and awareness about one’s body, gender, sexuality and engaging with diverse perspectives and experiences of the people who do not conform to the traditional gender norms. It also refers to acquiring knowledge, and skills to access, understand, evaluate, and apply sexual health information within social, sexual, and health contexts to make informed decisions regarding sexual health and well-being.
Socially and culturally constructed sexual and gender norms that do not allow the youth to connect with their gender identity, sex, and sexuality, leave many youth without ever realising what sexual and emotional intimacy means in relationships. Taking a step further, the manual explores how understanding differences in gender and sexuality influence how youth get in touch, express their sexual desire. Expressing one’s sexual desire requires emotional safety, but emotional safety requires good communication and listening skills without which it is not possible to build a safe space. And without emotional safety, it is not feasible to express one’s sexual needs and desires.
This manual conducted consultations with youth on the role and contribution of youth work to the planning, designing, and the implementation of effective youth-centred interventions to prevent drug abuse among young people. The manual starts by addressing youth drug prevention information and continues presenting findings from youth consultations on drug prevention such as: smoking, tobacco use, alcohol use, drug use, and combined substance abuse. The manual further looks at how family, school, community-based prevention interventions are the most effective in reducing drug abuse among youth.
It presents media-based prevention interventions such as awareness-raising campaigns on the effects of drug abuse among youth as effective because of their fidelity, scalability, and sustainability. Among the interventions for alcohol use, the manual sees school-based alcohol prevention interventions as being associated with reduced frequency of drinking among youth. For drug abuse, the manual presents that the combination of school, community, and media-based interventions based on a combination of social competence and social influence approaches through youth work in non-formal education settings, show more protective effects against drug and substance abuse among youth.
Youthhood is recognised as a period for onset of behaviours that not only affect youth health outcomes limited to this period. Unhealthy behaviours such as smoking, drinking, or illicit drug use that often start in youthhood, are closely related to increased morbidity and mortality in youth and represent major public health challenges. Poor academic performance, increased youth unemployment, poor health and well-being, accidents, suicide, mental illness; they all have drug abuse as a common contributing factor that have a major impact on the youth, families, communities, as their effects are cumulative, contributing to costly social and mental health problems.
This manual identifies the impact of perceived racism and both racial/gender discrimination on mental health of racial and gender minority youth. Whereas racial, gender discrimination is a human rights violation and a psychological process affecting racialised individuals, there is no evidence-based resources on its effects on their mental health. So, this manual looks at how perceived racial and gender discrimination becomes a risk factor for mental, emotional, behavioural, and substance use disorders among racialised youth submerged in the victimhood of lived experiences of discriminatory and racist events.
The manual starts by creating a theoretical foundation on youth mental health determinants: youth mental health and wellbeing; mental illnesses and mental health; mental health risk and protective factors; mental health promotion and prevention; and rights-based approach to youth mental health. Then presents research results from consultations with racialised youth. In this research, we sought to identify how negative youthhood experiences shape youth mental health outcomes: such as experiencing the intersectionality of racial/gender discrimination, racism, gender-based violence, and internalised racism.
Then the manual looks at racial discrimination; internalised racism, gender discrimination, and gender-based violence as risk factors for youth mental health. It further looks at the stigmatisation of youth mental health: stigma, prejudice, and discrimination against youth with mental illness is a very big problem. The youth often avoid or delay seeking help due to concerns about being treated differently and/or fears of losing their jobs and livelihood. The manual concludes by looking at mental health education in youth work: non-formal mental health education, youth work and mental health education, community-based youth-friendly mental health interventions; and how the youth are addressing mental health stigma.
This manual offers a youth health literacy education to strengthen the youth’s capacity to obtain, process, understand, and apply basic health information needed to make appropriate health decisions, but also to raise awareness of the importance of achieving a greater state of youth health and well-being. The manual contributes to the improvement of youth health; considering that health literacy is a crucial public health matter: a fundamental component of the pursuit of youth health, well-being and human rights that guarantees youth’s autonomy and responsibility for their own health and well-being.
Youth are continuously bombarded with health information, more worryingly, health misinformation and disinformation, and thus, they have difficulties and encounter obstacles in finding, understanding, and analysing the essential health information they need to safeguard their own health and well-being. The manual contributes to the improvements of the current state of youth health literacy by providing youth health literacy education that reflects the needs of youth: identifying the health knowledge, skills, attitudes, and habits that youth want to develop in order to achieve an optimal health and well-being, especially with regard to youth health and youth’s rights to health.
Through youth engagement, we tried to ascertain how youth perceive youth health literacy and especially what they think could be improved in order to make it easily accessible for all. Thus, the manual gives guidelines for youth workers, youth organisations often faced with situations of youth distress due to youth health misinformation and disinformation but do not have tools to promote youth health literacy among young people. So, the manual provides justification for youth health literacy, offers a framework, and concludes with suggestions for the most effective way to include youth health literacy in youth work practices in context of non-formal education.
Disseminação
Blog: “A teacher’s take on youth health literacy”
Since I was young, I aspired to become a natural science teacher. But now that I see this dream realised, a collective responsibility shared with my colleagues falls upon me, to contribute to the health literacy of my young students. I understand that youth health extends beyond mere physical well-being. It is about recognising that a strong foundation of health is crucial for turning aspirations of young people into reality, especially for those less fortunate.
When granted the autonomy to make informed decisions about our bodies and health, we take charge of our well-being. We grasp that comprehensive sexual education is key to empowerment, enabling us to make responsible choices about our sexual health, reducing unwanted pregnancies, and preventing the spread of sexually transmitted infections. Mental health is another vital aspect that transcends the subject I teach but should be present throughout the community. In a world that often feels overwhelming, I feel the need to break the stigma surrounding youth mental health. This realisation often comes from our own experiences, as we sometimes suffer and witness our friends, relatives, partners struggling due to a lack of openness.
It was with this topic of mental health that I addressed the risks associated with drug and alcohol use, which are so common among youth who gravitate towards new and thrilling experiences, tempting them to experiment with substances out of curiosity. It was by speaking openly about it that I captured the audience’s attention during an initial session of the science course. The more informed we are, the better we can defend ourselves, and the stronger and healthier we are. So, health literacy becomes our guiding light, a powerful tool equipping us with the knowledge to make informed choices. Good health literacy outcomes guide us toward a future where we can contribute positively to society as healthy, responsible, and engaged citizens.
Co-funded by #Erasmusplus to promote #YouthHealthLiteracy, #YouthHealth, and #YouthRightsToHealth.
Blog: “Outsider no more, a journey of self-discovery”
At 34, looking back on my life, I have often felt like an outsider. This sense of not fully belonging was not solely due to my sexuality but was also heavily influenced by my body. As a black woman who is plus sized, these two integral parts of my identity consistently left me with the feeling that I did not quite fit in. Throughout my life, I never truly felt like I belonged: whether it was during my time at high school or as a member of the youth group at the church; that sense of not being completely included lingered.
Being lesbian does not fit into the traditional dreams that my family had for me. My father would find it impossible to accept, and my mother would surely die of shame. And how could I ever face the judgmental looks of the ladies at church? They already regarded me with condescension, pitying my mother for having such a masculine daughter. As soon as I graduated from high school, I knew I had to leave that place behind. I needed to find a job far away from the suffocating prejudice that surrounded me. Leaving was not easy, personally and financially. But I needed to feel better, it was not possible to live like that. The sadness, loneliness I experienced was detrimental to my mental health.
Looking back, I now know it was a burden that I should not have had to carry for so long. And today, I can take pride in having managed to break free from that unhealthy anguish. Though the journey took me many years and required a significant amount of resilience. At times, I wished I had someone whom I could openly talk with about my own struggle and get support. Nevertheless, along this path, I discovered my own strength. Along the way, the journey taught me to appreciate my own resilience and determination. It has been a liberating experience, and I started to build a sense of belonging that had eluded me for so long. It was worth it because now I can finally embrace my identity and be proud of myself.
Co-funded by #Erasmusplus to promote #YouthHealthLiteracy, #YouthHealth, and #YouthRightsToHealth.
Blog: “Breaking free from those invisible chains”
I was born into poverty in a run-down neighbourhood of a big city where drug use was all too common. Growing up in such an environment, drugs became an everyday part of life for many in my community, and they cast a long shadow over my early years. I witnessed the devastating effects of drug abuse on families and individuals. It seemed like an ever-present spectre, one that could easily engulf anyone who ventured too close. The allure of drugs, coupled with the harsh realities, creates invisible chains that bind one to an obscured reality, making it difficult to break free and find a way towards a brighter future.
During my time in school, the relentless pressure to conform weighed heavily on me. It seemed like many of my peers were already delving into the world of experimentation, including trying out drugs. However, I found myself in a different situation. Limited financial resources and a deeply ingrained belief that stealing was morally wrong served as a barrier, preventing me from succumbing. Nonetheless, there were moments when the boundaries between what was considered right and wrong became hazy, and I stood at a crossroads, uncertain about the direction I should choose.
In those challenging moments, I grappled with conflicting impulses and struggled to discern which direction would guide me toward a more promising future. It was not easy, but I found strength in the support of a few caring individuals who believed in me. They encouraged me to pursue my education and to channel my energy into positive activities. Slowly but surely, I distanced myself from the pull of drugs and focused on building a better future. My path was marked by challenges and setbacks, but it was also defined by resilience and the belief that I could rise above my circumstances. Over time, I discovered my own passions and talents, and I began to see a future beyond those not-so-invisible chains.
Co-funded by #Erasmusplus to promote #YouthHealth, #YouthDrugPrevention, and #YouthDrugPromotion.
Blog: “My youthhood, a parenthood experience”
I was just 16 years old when I found myself facing an incredibly challenging decision. I had discovered that I was pregnant, a revelation that shook my world to its core. In a society where conversations about youth sexual health and rights were often met with stigma and judgement, I was acutely aware of the challenges that lay ahead. Upon confiding in my closest friends, I was met with a barrage of well-meaning but pressure-laden advice. Some urged me to consider abortion as the easiest option, while others insisted that having a child at such a young age would ruin my life.
However, I knew that I needed to make a choice that was true to myself and my beliefs. During this emotional turmoil, I decided to seek guidance from professionals who could help me navigate this complex journey. I scheduled an appointment with a psychologist who specialised in youth sexual health and reproductive rights. In our sessions, I found a safe space to voice my fears, hopes, and dreams. The psychologist helped me explore my options, explaining that my decision was a deeply personal one and that I had the right to choose the path that felt right for me. After much contemplation and support, I decided to continue my pregnancy and face the challenges ahead with determination and courage.
This choice allowed me to assert my rights and make a decision that aligned with my own values and aspirations. I advocate for an open conversation about sexuality, free from judgement and false moralism. I believe that tolerance and information also entail accepting that some individuals choose to become young mothers. And therefore, talking to youth about these important topics should not be taboo and stigmatised. The further society distances itself from open dialogue about youth sexual health and rights, the harder it becomes for the youth. I think that stories like mine, break the silence, erase the stigma, and build a future where understanding and support prevail.
Co-funded by #Erasmusplus to promote #YouthHealth, #SexualHealth, #SexualRights, and #GenderLiteracy.
Consórcio
Coordenador:
- OID: E10066051 – MINISTRY FOR GOZO – Malta
Victoria (www.mgoz.gov.mt)
Parceiros:
- OID: E10098263 – TERRAM PACIS – Norway
Oslo (https://www.terrampacis.org/)
- OID: E10123580 – COMITATO D’INTESA TRA LE ASSOCIAZIONI VOLONTARISTIC HE DELLA PROVINCIA DI BELLUNO – Italy
Belluno (www.csvbelluno.it)
- OID: E10071909 – COLEGIUL NATIONAL IENACHITA VACARESCU – Romania
Targoviste (www.ienachita.com)
- OID: E10065178 – E.I.A., SA – Establishing Entity of Universidade Atlântica – Portugal
Barcarena (www.uatlantica.pt)
Contactos
Atlântica, Instituto Universitário
Fábrica da Pólvora de Barcarena
2730-036 Barcarena
Prof. Doutora Ana Pires
+351 214 398 215
Instituição Coordenadora do Projeto:
Financiamento:
European Commission – Programa Erasmus+
KA220 Youth – Cooperation Partnerships in Youth
Referência do Projeto: 2021-2-MT01-KA220-YOU-000049937


