Teen Training Teaches Fundamentals for Success
Javid and Javad Allahverdiyev are brothers living in a government institution in Shuvelan, an urban area of Azerbaijan. Separated from their alcoholic father when the boys were young and unable to support them on her own, Javid and Javad’s mother was forced to place her sons in government boarding school. The boys spend most of their time there—five days and nights each week; friends, school, and play are all encompassed within the institution’s walls. The local Children and Family Support Center, established by NGO Save the Chidren, is one of the few places Javid and Javad are able to interact and communicate with their peers outside of the institution.
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Teens learn essential life skills through interactive group sessions which will help them avoid common pitfalls and dangers.
Photo Credit: Save the Children |
The Shuvelan Children and Family Support Center is one of three USAID-funded Centers under the Community-based Children’s Support Program. The Center provides a broad spectrum of services, which includes much-needed psychosocial support for vulnerable children and families. The Center’s Life Skills training for teens delivers sessions aimed to teach participants to protect themselves by making healthy, smart choices. Many of the participating teens reside in local institutions, including Javid and Javad’s residence, Shuvelan Boarding School #1—one of the largest local institutions the Center assists.
For the Allahverdiyev brothers, the activities at the center are essential. Javid recalls that he and his brother were involved in a series of Life Skills trainings starting two years ago. “Since then I have participated in trainings about the harms of smoking, alcohol, and drugs, gained HIV/AIDS awareness, and learned about decision-making and positive communication. We were given pretests before the trainings started and I remember that I didn’t even understand some of the questions back then. After several months of participating in the trainings, not only did I understand the questions, but I was also able to answer all of them easily. Life Skills training was always an interesting activity both for me and other children coming to the center,” Javid reflects. Javid is confident that although he has completed the trainings, he is better informed than some adults in his community about making positive life choices, and he is confident that this knowledge will increase his chances for a successful future by helping him to avoid the common difficulties teens often face.
The Shuvelan Children and Family Support Center has impacted over 230 teenagers from the community, including local institutions, through Life Skills trainings. Protecting youth from making costly mistakes and giving them an opportunity to be informed and empowered to make good choices will help enhance their ability to achieve success. More than 19,000 children have benefited from USAID-funded Community-based Children’s Support Program activities; of these, over 3,000 children have directly benefiting from services at established Children and Family Support Centers.
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