Chevron Malaysia Ltd will hold a series of workshops in selected schools to educate youths on reproductive health. The workshops will be held under the company’s Caltex Body Works programme, which was launched recently as part of Chevron’s Energy for Learning initiative.

The Caltex Body Works programme is aimed at empowering youths with the necessary knowledge and information on reproductive health.

The workshops will be held in eight schools in Selangor, Perak, Terengganu, Malacca and Kelantan between March and October. They will be conducted by the Federation of Reproductive Health Associations Malaysia (FRHAM).

Explaining why they chose reproductive health as the subject for the workshops, Chevron Malaysia country chairman Jeremy Oh said they want to arm young Malaysians with the information and knowledge they need to make informed decisions which would have a direct impact on their teenage life and even later when they become adults.

Oh said each workshop will be held over three days and will even involve sessions for school principals and counsellors.

FRHAM chairman Dr Kamaruzaman Ali said the module for the workshop is based on a peer-to-peer programme and involves a lot of interaction.

"This is a better method rather than giving long talks or seminars. Teenagers are usually more open to their peers, hence allowing more interaction among participants which will increase the effectiveness of the workshop."

James Yeo, a postgraduate student who is one of the volunteers enlisted by FRHAM to conduct the workshops, said the module is very comprehensive and will teach the young participants to understand their body and take care of their own health.

"We’re not educating participants on sex itself but rather the issues surrounding sex such as pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases."

The workshops are endorsed by the Health Ministry as well as the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry.

Source: The Sun, 19 February 2010