𝐒𝐏𝐂 𝐋𝐀𝐊𝐀𝐒 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐇𝐈𝐕 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬

Promoting wellbeing and breaking the stigma surrounding Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) among students, the Liberal na Alyansa ng Kabataang may Adhikain sa Serbisyo (LAKAS) conducted a seminar on sexual health literacy alongside free HIV screening on May 13 at San Pedro College (SPC), Saint Therese (ST) Building 703-704.

Entitled “Sexual Health Literacy through Information, Nurturing, Education, and Screening” (S-LINES), the event was conducted in partnership with LoveYourself PH, Health and Wellness Center (HWC), and Junior Chamber International (JCI) Malagos Davao.

“The real purpose of this event was actually our vision to break the stigma, to reduce the stigma, and to bring a culture of openness to San Pedro College because we all know we are a Catholic institution — basically very conservative,” said Kent Lawrence Catalo, S-LINES chairperson.

Invited speaker Michael Diacosta, LoveYourself PH administrator, shared his expertise by emphasizing the need to address HIV-related issues, particularly among the youth who are considered among the most vulnerable sectors.

Moreover, the project included pre-test and post-test assessments to measure participants’ knowledge before and after the seminar, alongside monitoring the number of students who underwent HIV screening.

“We want to make sure na in the next following years in SPC LAKAS this will still be present and hopefully mas mapabetter siya. Maybe maka-create pa mig further initiatives na maka-ensure gyud mi na ma-inculcate sa students ang proper education on HIV… the students themselves, sila na ang maghimo og ripple effect within their communities,” Catalo shared.

[We want to make sure that in the coming years, this program will still continue in SPC LAKAS and hopefully become even better. Maybe we can create further initiatives that will truly ensure proper HIV education is instilled among students, so that the students themselves can create a ripple effect within their communities.]

Catalo also expressed gratitude to participating students and partner organizations for helping make the event possible.

“I am really grateful to my co-project heads in SPC LAKAS, and we’re also grateful to the Health and Wellness Center since they really helped us along the way, also to one of our sponsors, which is the organization JCI Malagos,” he added.

Students who underwent screening also participated in one-on-one post-counseling sessions conducted on the same day.

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