Aware of the ill effects of premarital sex and concerned about the welfare of adolescents, FAD has developed a school-based project for Filipino teenagers. A UNFPA-funded undertaking, this project hopes to contribute to the attainment of the goal of the country’s Adolescent Health and Youth Development Program of improving and promoting the total well being of young people aged 15-24. The FAD project - in particular terms - seeks to provide information and counseling services on adolescent health, sexuality and reproductive health to students of five non-CEAP (Catholic Education Association of the Philippines) colleges and universities in Metro Manila. Prior to its introduction in the campuses, the project requires empirical data on which to base the formats, methodologies and contents of its ensuing project. From such understanding, it will allow project implementers to develop activities and services that are tailor-fit to beneficiaries’ sociocultural milieu and individual experiences.

Attuned to the project’s overall design and data requirement, a qualitative needs assessment was developed and conducted in five colleges and universities in Metro Manila from January to March 1997. A qualitative research was sought because it permitted for a more detailed and elaborate understanding of the phenomenon than quantitative data which are, oftentimes, bland and lacking depth and color. The assessment tackled the views, experiences and needs of campus-based adolescents within the context of their sexuality and reproductive health concerns. In particular, the needs assessment -

1. Examined

• Adolescents’ sexual lifestyle,
• Dating activity and sexual behavior
• Role of peer groups and families
• Perceptions of pregnancies and STD infections, and preventive methods

2. Established and examined

• Adolescents’ information and counseling needs, and
• Current sources of information and counseling
• Suggested topics and preferred sources
• Preferred formats of information dissemination activities
• Qualities of preferred counselors

3. Identified and explored

• The potential role of student organizations in campus-based information and counseling activities.
• Acceptability of student organizations to lead campus-based information and counseling activities
• Factors that will constrain and hasten student involvement in activities
• Suggested names of student organization/s to spearhead activities

Two research tasks were performed in meeting these objectives: the conduct of focus group discussions (FGDs) among students and of face-to-face interviews among school administrators and officers. College students - single, aged 16-20, of both sexes - were involved in the discussions. School administrators/officers - deans, student affairs directors, student council advisers, head counselors and counselors, department chairpersons - served as face-to-face interview respondents. With three FGDs and three personal interviews accomplished in each university/college, the assessment covered a total of 15 FGDs (with an average participants of seven each) and 15 interviews from all five universities and colleges.

The salient findings indicate that unmarried adolescents have dating and heterosexual relationships in varying contexts in which physical intimacies - including penile-vaginal penetration - appear to be part and parcel of these relationships. Young people were perceived to experience unwanted pregnancies more than they experience STD infections. On the whole, teenagers do not have adequate access to pertinent activities and services in the campus. In a sense, these findings were concurred by school officials interviewed except that some of them were apprehensive about the adverse effect that sexual information would have on young people’s sexual behavior. In view of these findings and also based on the recommendations offered by students on the formats, contents and characteristics of the intervention, the following are the challenges for the FAD project:

1. Format and methodologies

Mix two or more formats/methods in an information dissemination activity as the weakness of one can be offset by the other/s.

2. Contents

Formation of knowledge and appropriate attitudes and values among students should be desired, but development of skills (for example: self-esteem, refusal techniques, sexual risk recognition) should be pursued. While knowledge is essential for the occurrence of positive behavior, it is an inadequate tool for decision making conducive, for example, to the adoption and practice of safe sex. Personal and social negotiation skills should be formed or strengthened.

Topics and concepts should be linked with other adolescent concerns and should be viewed within proper, meaningful contexts. As possible, provide familiar examples. Drawings and visuals are a must. Moralizing and nagging should be avoided due to their negative effects.

3. Sources

The use of multiples sources and providers - peers, educators, adult counselors, specialists - will be strongly beneficial as it will result in greater audience reach given that differing individuals have differing preferences. Parents - depending on their availability and capacities - should be involved.

Counselors should be prepared and trained. As adult counselors are perceived to be not knowledgeable of the youth culture, they should undergo re-training. Peers are students' preferred counselors. However, they are not prepared in many ways to do counseling and therefore they should be properly and adequately trained and should gain experience. In view of this, it is suggested that peer counselors be first given the task as intermediate peer counselors to deal with minor adolescent concerns.

Supervision from adult counselors is required.

4. Student organizations

Student bodies will be involved in the planning, implementation and evaluation of the FAD project. However, the term “involvement” is not clear: there is a need to delineate the role and function of student organizations in FAD's intervention project. Are they going to take the lead and organizing roles all alone themselves, or under the close supervision and guidance of appropriate school authorities? Or are the school authorities be the lead organizers and implementers, and student organizations in assisting capacities?

It is suggested that if - indeed - student organizations are to assume managerial and executory roles in the FAD initiative, they first have to be trained. At the initial stage of the project, however, they ought to be supervised by school authorities. An adequate social preparation is imperative before these organizations can be allowed to run the project on their own.

Regardless of the roles and functions of student organizations, there should be prudent selection of organizations taking into account their reputational status, credibility and concerns. It is advised that, in general, a mix of organizations will be more advantageous than just having one implementing organization. The mix should include organizations operating at the university, college and department levels.

Despite fear among some school authorities that the provision of sexual information and counseling will result in irresponsible sexual behavior among adolescents, it is firmly believed that it should be pursued. For one thing, it is quite apparent - from teenagers themselves - that there is sexual activity among the youth; and that they lack tremendous amount of pertinent knowledge, skills and social support crucial to making decisions such that the ill-effects of premarital sex are avoided, or that other options such as sexual abstinence is taken. The increasing independence among Filipino adolescents today and their lack of parental and adult supervision suggests that leaving them on their own without the necessary knowledge and skills to manage their sexual lifestyle is irresponsible. The FAD project should lead school authorities along with parents to provide the best possible preparation for the many problems and conflicts that adolescents will have to face as they mature sexually. It is even thought that information and counseling may not be sufficient: the provision of pregnancy and STD preventive measures, for instance, may be regarded as another challenge. Whatever challenges there still are - in addition to those articulated here - they should be taken as, out there, the Filipino teenagers are having sexual relationships largely unprepared.

Sexuality and Reproductive Health Concerns Among Campus-Based Adolescents. Romeo Lee, Ph.D. Foundation for Adolescents Development Inc, Manila 1997.