Respect for diverse love, gender, and sexuality in adolescence

Topics addressed at the III National Congress of Sexual Health, Second International Congress of Sexual Health and the Local Forum: “Thinking together about Adolescence”.

The Faculty of Health Sciences of UCudinamarca held between November 8 and 10 the III National Congress of Sexual Health, Second International Congress of Sexual Health and the Local Forum: “Thinking Together about Adolescence”, and the celebration of the 10 years of the Adolescent and Youth Friendly Unit of the University of Cundinamarca, Girardot Branch.

The international congress was held in academic partnership with the Secretariat of Education, Secretariat of Development, Secretariat of Health of the city of Girardot, University of Chubut, Argentina, Clínica del Buen Trato of the Universidad Surcolombiana, Unidad Amiga de los Adolescentes y Jóvenes of the Universidad de Cundinamarca, Secundaria Girardot, Universidad de los Llanos and the Confederación de Adolescencia y Juventud de Iberoamérica Italia Caribe (Codajic).

The national congress addressed five central themes of the current context for youth, such as: “Talking about Sex Education,” with an interdisciplinary vision and how health experts must learn to integrate adolescents into this formative process. The second topic explained the concept of “New Masculinities”, a men's movement that advocates for equality between men and women in all aspects of life.

Diversity, psychoactive substance use, and the management of violence were other central themes of the academic event. Nineteen research projects were also presented during the congress, showcasing their technical and scientific advancements and experiences related to public health and trends among young people and adolescents.

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“We, the health professionals, parents, the education sector, and the justice sector, must empower ourselves, learn, and guide adolescents in their current context on issues of diversity, gender, and sexuality, keeping in mind that this is the population group at greatest risk, because according to recent studies, it is at this stage of life that young people begin their first sexual experiences,” highlighted Carlota Castro Quintana, Coordinator of the Adolescent and Youth Friendly Unit, University of Cundinamarca, Girardot Branch.

Student communities, health professionals and general attendees participated in workshops, an exhibition of 10 posters, a painting contest, photographs and talks with expert speakers from Paraguay, El Salvador, Argentina, Cuba, the Basque Country and Colombia.

Miguel Rueda Sáenz, PhD in Psychology from the University of the Andes, and director and founder of Pink Consultores, spoke with the student community in a discussion about “orientation in diversity”, and gender identities and the meaning of prejudice, homophobia and transphobia and how these actions can be determining factors in the development and well-being in people's lives.

“The message of the discussion on diversity seeks to call for love, to respect the way we love each other, to establish love as the logic for interacting with others. All human beings can work together to make respect visible, eliminate prejudice, and especially in university spaces and other public places, so that these are safe and prejudice-free spaces for people with diverse sexual orientations, gender identities, and relationships,” said psychologist Rueda Sáenz.

Local Forum: “Thinking Together about Adolescence”

The forum included the participation of 10th and 11th grade students from private schools and public educational institutions, psychologists, teachers, community leaders, parents, and health professionals from the city of Girardot, who addressed and exchanged different points of view on topics related to the integral development of adolescents.

The academic event, led by Argentinean Mónica Borile, a doctor specializing in comprehensive adolescent health, and doctors Paola Cáceres Corredor, María Lucía Mesa Rubio, Verónica del Rosario Cerón, Ida Esquivel, María Esther Ortiz, and Claudia Inés Navarro, developed the Problem Tree Workshop on topics such as sexuality, suicide, bullying, pregnancy, depression, contraception, family, addictions, and violence.

One of the purposes of the forum was the management of internationalization, a strategy outlined in the Rector's Plan, under the heading: Internationalization, engaging with the world, understood as an academic dimension, for the exchange of knowledge, experiences and expertise, and the formulation of joint research projects between students, research teachers or experts.

“The congress and forum aim to promote the university as an educational destination and experience, international university interaction and the export of research projects, as well as the creation of university networks and exchange of experiences and knowledge among the participating universities to strengthen inter-institutional relations, the relationship of extracurricular activities to raise awareness of other cultures; it is also a contribution to social projection, from the thematic core, Nursing Care of the Child, School and Adolescent,” highlighted Nohora Reyes Jiménez, professor of the faculty of Health Sciences, and leader of the internationalization process of the Nursing program.

10 years of the Youth and Adolescent Friendly Unit

The Youth-Friendly Unit's health services project, led by the University of Cundinamarca and the Nursing program, has benefited thousands of people in the city of Girardot and the Alto Magdalena province for 10 years.

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The project was launched in 2008 and has been aimed at establishing a space for adolescents, young people and adults to provide services in: family planning, sexual health counseling, cytology testing, support for pregnant young women, prevention and mitigation of psychoactive substance use, preconception counseling, breast and testicular assessment, support and assistance for victims of violence, and counseling on voluntary termination of pregnancy, according to current regulations established by the Constitutional Court.

In this sense of relevance, Carlota Castro Quintana, project leader, and the professional team that supports the Friendly Unit, along with the program management, headed by Nurse Sandra Carmona and the teachers, recognize the graduates who received academic training in the specialization of sexual health, professors, and local and national entities that have contributed to the development and implementation of this successful project for 10 years.

“I am proud to have been part of this in-depth assessment of health for young people. Personally, it has marked me as a student and as a professional. It is very valuable to provide support and guidance to people, to understand and not judge. This professional practice changed my life and strengthened me in my professional work,” said Yessica Toro, a graduate of the Nursing program.