Workshop on health and sexuality: Health residents promoting sexual education among adolescents from a public school

Abstract

Objective: To describe an experience of implementing a health and sexuality workshop by family health residents with students from 8^th grade classes from a public school in Florianópolis. Experience report: Workshops were organized in the form of monthly meetings, with 8^th grade classes of morning and afternoon shifts, from the Hilda Teodoro Elementary School, located in the Trindade neighborhood, Florianópolis, from March to December, 2017. The meetings were performed in small groups, with 16 students per class, organized in circle allowing the interaction and participation of all members, lasting from 45 to 90 minutes. During the workshops, lectures, dynamics and conversation were developed, stimulating adolescents to wonder, discuss and reflect about the importance of topics such as teenage pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, sexual orientation and gender identity, machismo, contraceptive methods and anatomy of the reproductive organs. Discussion: Through the experience, it was noticed active participation and rich contributions by the adolescents, mainly of the girls, evidencing considerable interest on the subject of sexuality, especially teenage pregnancy and contraceptive methods. The speeches and points of view highlighted the changes taking place in Brazilian society, towards gender equality and women’s empowerment. Conclusion: Health and sexuality workshops organized by family medicine and family health residents represented a relevant opportunity to interaction amongst Family Health Strategy Residence Programs, Family Health Strategy teams and communities, using the school scenario as a tool for health promotion and social empowerment.