Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1981.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1981.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1987.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1996.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1996.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1987.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1996.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1996.

Young people’s sexual health is a significant public health concern and associated with risks of unintended outcomes. Yet their voices are largely missing in the design of sexual health services, policy and education programmes. This study explored young people’s subjective understandings of their sexual readiness, and sexual health professionals’ understandings relative to how they assess young people’s sexual competence. A participatory rights-based approach was applied to support young people’s active participation in the research process. This involved including young people as co-researchers whose contextual expertise informed research design, ethical issues and interpretation of the data. Qualitative data collected from 20 young people aged 16-18 years, and 16 sexual health professionals, provided insights into the nature of young people’s first sexual intercourse and the context in which it occurs. The evidence suggests that while these young people actively deliberated about having sex, their sexual initiation was mostly spontaneous while under the influence of alcohol, and motivated by presumed peer rewards. Gender differences in expectations, motivations and the impact of first sex were apparent, which reveals more about the wider social structures that regulate their lives. As a result, some young people may find it difficult to resist the hegemonic gender stereotypes enforced by society and their peers, and may initiate sex to ‘get it over with’, whether they are competent or not. Four main constructs, i) rights, ii) respect, iii) responsibility and iv) resilience, emerged that are worthy of further investigation. These could prove useful to inform a more context-based sexual health promotion strategy and measure of sexual competence, as opposed to the current age and risk focus. Adding young people’s perspectives is crucial to develop more equitable, effective and sustainable youth-friendly sexual health education, treatment and advice services, that better engage with young people and more adequately reflects their needs.

As a thesis topic I chose Awareness graduates of the course Life Skills in Zambia. The present thesis consists of two parts - theoretical and practical. The theoretical part with the support of specialized literature devoted to the general description of the development problems of sub-Saharan countries. Furthermore, the theoretical part I describe precisely Zambia in the context of development issues. The last part is devoted to the characteristics of the course Life Skills and NGO ARHA, under whose leadership the whole project was created. The aim of the thesis is to determine the degree of awareness of graduate course Life Skills in Zambia. Examined Life Skills circuits become sex education, HIV/AIDS and gender. These areas were chosen because they are among the most discussed topics in the countries of sub-Saharan Africa. The thesis I established three research questions that relate to the issue. In the research part of the thesis I tried to answer them. It was the following research questions: What is the awareness of graduate course Life Skills in sex education? What is the awareness of graduate course Life Skills for HIV/AIDS? What is the awareness of graduate course in Life Skills gender? For the realization of research, I chose a qualitative research method semi- structured interview. Own research conducted in the building of technical secondary school Kambule in Zambia, where a six-month course in Life Skills took a place. Individual interviews were carried out during the period October - November 2014. The results of research show that the level of awareness of graduate course Life Skills is determined in the context of socio-cultural factors. During the half-year course graduates were informed just by socially tolerated facts. The information transmitted within the preventive and educational programs are considerably truncated, especially in the area of sex education. Life graduates of the course are indeed aware of thepreventive use of condoms, but it is emphasized that premarital sex is a sin. Cult marriages in Zambia has an important role. Due to the fact that Zambia is characterized as patriarchal society are women, especially in marriage, denied many rights. For example it is not generally tolerated the use of condoms within marriage. The research results show just on the above-mentioned facts, which stems from a purely traditional social order. Preventive educational programs are focused exclusively on measures that are in line with the traditional values of society - sexual abstinence and decisive rejection of premarital sex. A major shortcoming of preventive education programs is precisely this form of rigidity, lacking flexible response to current problems in society. Unfortunately, during the six-month course Life Skills graduates weren´t given relevant information that would help them respond to current problems in society. For example promotion and distribution of condoms was prohibited before the course has already started. The above-mentioned facts can be described as barriers in education and in the development of Zambia. Traditional patterns of behavior in Zambia are very deeply rooted and overcoming them can be considered difficult. However, this fact does not involve only the poor form of preventive education programs, but also low awareness participants on the issue. Based on a six-month course Life Skills and research in collaboration with the NGO ARHA was made a publication, which summarizes the lessons learned and also suggests ways how to improve the efficiency of the upcoming course.