Luangnamtha, 15 August 2014 - Every year 12th August sees the commemoration of International Youth Day. This year, the global event will be celebrated under the theme: “Youth and Mental Health”. It is essential to focus on adolescent girls’ health, safety, education, engagement and empowerment. When they have knowledge, self-esteem, confidence, friends, mentors and health services, they are more able to exercise their rights and become agents of change. Most importantly, we are making sure young people’s voices and priorities are incorporated in development plan and policies as important development actors.

In Lao PDR, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) collaborates with the Ministry of Education and Sport (MoEs), department of Non Formal Education (NFE), Vientiane Youth Center and Clinic for Health and Development (VYCHD), Youth Peer Education Network (Y-PEER), Fanglao dance company, Lao Youth Network (LYN) and Lao Youth Union (LYU) to organize a one-week dance and peer education workshop from 8-14 August, and an information and dance event on 15 August, based on the key message: “Stay in School, Preventing Teenage Pregnancy” in Luangnamtha Province. This message acknowledges the importance of adolescents’ sexual and reproductive health and rights and their ability to have control over their physical and mental integrity,

During this one-week workshop the young local attendees will receive a training program that combines basic dance training and introductory peer education on Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health (ASRH) provided by dance teachers of Fanglao, outreach workers of VYCHD and two peer educators from Arrow from Luangnamtha. The workshop provides an opportunity for young people to mobilize other young people to raise awareness on and improve understanding about Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health (ASRH) issues among young people from Luangnamtha. It also provides an opportunity for VYCHD to promote ASRH information and services to local young people. The existing network of Y-PEER and LYN make use of the event to extend their network at provincial level. As a result, local youth who will be trained at the dance workshop will perform on the International Youth Day event on 15 August.

The event on 15 August is divided into 2 sessions –a formal information session where the results of the Adolescent and Youth Situation Analysis (AYSA) are disseminated. Participants are the Provincial Vice Governor, Non-Formal Education (NFE), Lao Youth Union (LYU), Y-Peer and Lao Youth Network (LYN). The entertaining evening session consists of dance performances by the trained young people from the workshop, FangLao and local traditional dance performers, as well as quizzes, questions and answers on sexual and reproductive health, a video on teenage pregnancy and much more.

The “infotainment” event aims to raise awareness about youth issues among local authorities in Luangnamtha based on the findings and recommendations of the Adolescent Youth Situation Analysis. For local young people it creates a space to get accurate sexual reproductive health information from the booths, from the participation in the quizzes and from the dance performances which highlight messages relating to ASRH.

For more Information please contact:

Ms. Vanly Lorkuangming

Communication Associate – UNFPA

Tel: + 856 21 315547

Mobile: + 856 20 77822456

E-mail: lorkuangming@unfpa.org