NYA, UNESCO trains 70 young social media influencers

The National Youth Authority (NYA) and the United Nations Educational, Science and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) have jointly trained 70 young social media influencers on Sexual Reproductive Health Rights. The training that brought together these young influencers from across the country was based on an initiative by the two institutions dubbed : Youth Reproduction Education through Awareness, Communication and Health Promotion (Y-reach). According to available statistics from the Ghana Health, 555,575 teenage pregnancy cases were recorded between 2016 and 2020. However, 2021 recorded a slightly 4.4% reduction in teenage pregnancy rate. While this indicates a modest decrease in the rate of teenage pregnancy in Ghana,the prevalence of teenage pregnancy remains a major concern especially in the rural areas and among marginalized communities. Equally of great concerns are incidences of sexual and gender based violence, period poverty, child marriage, online body shaming and blackmailing posing further threats to the overall well being of young people through physical, emotional and psychological effects on them. Recognising the urgent need to address these challenges , the NYA and UNESCO have rolled out the Y-REACH Project which allows young influencers to utilize social media infrastructures such as Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, etc. to educate their peers on SRHR odds, with relevant and credible informative contents to address issues of teenage pregnancy, child marriage and the likes. The training took place at the Bedtime Hotel, Koforidua in the Eastern Region with Resource Persons from the Legal Aid Commission, DOVVSU, Social Welfare, PPAG, Muslim Mission, Ghana Pentecostal Council; including a Blogger Kobby Kyei.