Sofia, December 2-3 2016
Peer to peer training on health and sexual 
education with participation of young people from Sofia, Plovdiv, Stara Zagora, Yambol, Vratsa, Pleven and Ruse took place on December 2-3, 2016, led by Bulgarian Family Planning and Sexual Health Association (BFPA).
Why is health and sexual health education needed? What does it mean and why is peer education important? Which sources of information are trusted and which are the communicative skills needed for successful implementing of the educational sessions? How to form a good team so that to be successful in presenting the topics connected with puberty, family planning and safe sexual behavior? These and similar questions were discussed during the two day workshop at the exclusive interest and attention of the students.
Interactive methods of teaching were shown and explained, the opportunities the online educational game developed under the TELUS International funded project part of which is the workshop in question, possibility of exchanging knowledge between the participants and asking questions to trainers was given. Among the questions were such based on self experience, as well theoretical – connected with the potential possibilities given by the advancing of the medical science.
„The topic on drugs and addictions helped me mostly. I talked with my friend who smokes and drinks about how serious and disgusting the consequences are – something that I learnt during the training – and he promised to cut it down”, – says one of participants after the end of sessions. From the feedback taken by the participated pupils after the 
event also became clear that among the most interesting for young people knowledge is history of contraception, specificities of sexual transmitted infections, communication and presenting skills. Among the topics on which they will be glad to know more during next sessions are: mental disorders and depression; about relations between boys and girls during the puberty; about relations, feelings and how to be in touch in romantic relationships; about how to talk with parents; about the emotionality, social problems and pregnancy among teenagers; about the heavy existential questions that adolescents are going trough. About the tolerance towards the different peers, vaccinations, sexual exploitation, violence and the trafficking, about the problems related to sexuality and safety, about how to keep us away from people who want to take advantage and violence us – are among the knowledge which young people would be happy to know during next meetings with the trainers.
The team implemented the training ‘About the Share Knowledge’: Dr. Radosveta Stamenkova, Daniela Dikova, Ralitsa Zgalevska and Ventzislav Kirkov from BFPA; Nikoleta Popkostadinova from LOVEGUIDE and Yulia Georgieva from the Center of Humane Policies. Peer to peer trainers already went through a similar course of BFPA and implemented a series of educational sessions in different schools – Ralitsa Hristova, Dr. Maya Kumanova, Nedko Geshev, Janina Guberkova and Iskren Mollov – also contributed to some of the sessions.
The two day workshop is the first part of the peer to peer training implemented by BFPA and LOVEGUIDE, and was supported by TELUS international.
