MMSA Peer Education Booklet 2014-2015 by Malta Medical Students' Association

MMSA Peer Education and Training Booklet 2014-2015

foreword The Malta Medical Students Association (MMSA) (l-Għaqda tal-Istudenti talMediċina ta’ Malta) is a non-governmental, non-political student organisation founded in 1951. The MMSA has its foundation at the University of Malta where it has been the most active student organisation for the past 10 years. It is a full member of the International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA) and European Medical Students’ Associations (EMSA). The MMSA aims to enhance the medical student life through promoting active participation in the academic system, international exchanges and training in various fields of the public health sector. The MMSA also aims at empowering society to become functionally involved in holistic health decision making. As part of the IFMSA, the MMSA enjoys international status along with 97 other National Member Organisations encompassing over one million students globally. The MMSA is actively supported by the Health Promotion Department.

“It is a truth, universally acknowledged, that students tend to relate to their own peers who are in the same boat as they are rather than professionals whose way of life may be oceans apart from that of the learners. This is one of the cornerstones of peer education. Such an informal approach to health promotion takes place in a cordial environment that encourages participants to ask questions without being scared of ridicule or scandal. The well-trained and enthusiastic young people delivering the message will hence support the growth of the learner’s understanding of relevant issues.” MMSA Standing Committee on Peer Education and Training mission statement

contents Foreword …………………………………………………………………………….….. 1 Message from the MMSA President ..................................................... 3 Message from the MMSA Peer Education and Training Officer ............ 5 Children’s Education ………………………………………….…………………..….. 7 Public Health ........................................................................................ 9 Sexual Education ................................................................................ 14 Human Rights and Peace .................................................................... 17

how to use the peer education booklet In order to help you whilst perusing this booklet, age-group markers in the form of coloured brushstrokes have been added to each respective training session offered by the MMSA to facilitate session selection and narrow down your requirements (however these are simply guidelines): Appropriate for young children (3-7) Appropriate for older children (8-14) Appropriate for teenagers (15-18)

Editor ≈ Francesca Curmi Design ≈ Matthew Baldacchino Proofreading ≈ Joseph Azzopardi Contributors ≈ Francesca Curmi, Gabriel Joshua Ellul

message from the president Peer training is an empowering process. It gives you independence, knowledge and skill. As an association made of medical students, whose primary task is to learn and develop into responsible medical professionals, training is at the heart of our beliefs. The Standing Committee on Peer Education and Training (SCOPET) is aptly named: we train and educate our peers on matters of health, which, in an everchanging and busy world, may be given less importance than they deserve. The term "peers" is indiscriminate. It refers to anyone: child, adolescent, adult, our very selves. As an association we believe that everyone should aim high, everyone should be given the tools necessary to be in control of himself. With the alarming trends in Maltese public health, our role as training officials is increasingly vital. SCOPET tackles issues related to everyday practices, which incrementally pose a risk to our wellbeing: from smoking to sexual health, from child-care to human rights. The values we are trying to instill are universal. Our aim is one: we want to offer a holistic training experience to all our peers. To accomplish this daunting feat, year in, year out, we rely on the help of external organisations, such as the Health Promotion Department, Aġenzija Żgħażagħ and our International Federation of Medical Students' Associations, of which our MMSA is an active member. We work in conjunction with these important healthcare players to provide our peers with the necessary resources to make that necessary step. And that brings me to the most important point in health education: we can only give sessions, information and tuition. The key step in changing one's health habits is a personal one. Our purpose is to make people appreciate that their health is not an intermittent aspect of their lives. Health is not a concept which is brought up with the advent of disease. Prevention is better than cure, as the saying goes. But more so, when new technological and academic advances are paving the way to greater control on our health risks. As budding doctors, this is our aim: we want people to appreciate their health. We want them to understand that life is worth living! And we want to lead them

to this realisation with our passion for training our peers, whoever they are, whatever their age. I invite you to use this publication usefully, as a valuable and informative tool describing what our association is offering, as a voluntary organisation, to train and educate the Maltese population.

Gabriel Joshua Ellul MMSA President 2014-2015

message from the peer education and training officer Dear all, The National Peer Education Programme is one of the biggest projects the Malta Medical Studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Association (MMSA) has to offer. This booklet is aimed at introducing the MMSA and its Standing Committee on Peer Education and Training (SCOPET), in which our Peer Education System plays an important part. The purpose of this project is to enable students to find answers to the various questions they may have regarding controversial issues, in an informative and non-formal manner. Peer Education presents students with scientifically correct information in the form of a discussion, where the student can reflect through interaction and non-formal conversation. Positive peer influence is greatly exploited in our peer education sessions, in order to positively impact the child or adolescentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s decision. During these sessions, trained medical students deliver their message in a friendly manner, allowing the student to feel more comfortable and hopefully be able to absorb more information from the session. Many students, as most of us may have also experienced, may feel a sense of fear, discomfort or embarrassment when asking parents or teachers questions on serious matters such as sexual health or bullying. The teen years are those in which one is most influenced by media, peer pressure and role models, often leading the teen to be misinformed on various matters, which could lead to them making a wrong decision in the future. Therefore, we aim to give the student the proper information and skills in relation to these issues, which are, unfortunately not always covered in school

curricula. As young adults ourselves, we believe that it is essential to enable youths to be more responsible for their health and social development, as well as their well-being. This programme permits our peers to obtain the required knowledge to make a proper and informed decision. Medical students conducting these sessions have been given peer-education training sessions and attended a seminar called NPET Weekend. They are also approved by the International Federation of Medical Studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Association (IFMSA). I invite you to look into this programme, which we as medical students and future doctors, are running with the hope that we can reach and educate as many teens as possible. We hope that you will also consider taking up the different programmes and including them in the curriculum of your students. If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact me on scopet@mmsa.org.mt.

Francesca Curmi MMSA Peer Education and Training Officer 2014-2015

childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s education the tiny helper This is a new project being introduced for the first time this scholastic year. This campaign involves educating young children on the importance of apologising, helping and caring for others, encouraging them to do good from a young age. Children will learn that charity begins from home, and will be taught ways in which they can help out through little deeds. The sessions also include very basic first aid skills, such as learning how to bandage and clean a wound, including what to do when accidents happen, for example, how to call an ambulance should an emergency situation arise.

teddy bear hospital Teddy Bear Hospital (TBH) is our forefront campaign in aiming to dispel medical fear i.e. the fear of doctors, medical procedures, etc. for younger children (preschool and primary students). Our campaign involves school visits, where we organise children into small groups and alternate between different stations (e.g. a family doctor, a surgeon, a dentist). Children have the chance to bring along their teddy bears for treatment and also get a better understanding of what it is to get an injection, or to have your arm plastered, or to go in for an operation as well as grasping some basic medical topics such as explaining how the heart works. As part of our TBH programme, we also offer a hand washing session, where we bring our own soap and washing basins to demonstrate the proper hand

washing technique and provide a better understanding of germs using special soft toys. Children are also given a booklet and a TBH certificate for their participation at the end of the event.

booking childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s education sessions To book Tiny Helper or TBH sessions, or for more information, kindly contact Francesca Curmi on scopet@mmsa.org.mt.

public health focus on obesity and diabetes Our Focus On Obesity and Diabetes (FOOD) campaign is one of our most interactive school campaigns. We begin the session by giving a short presentation about what healthy eating means. We also are proud to implement a new scheme known as MyPlate, to take over the outdated Food Pyramid, which better represents the foodstuffs for a healthy diet in a simple efficient manner. Children are encouraged to make their own MyPlate during the session. They are split up into teams and after working together they then proceed to presenting their MyPlate, highlighting how they divided the foodstuffs. A healthy sandwich-making session follows the MyPlate where children are shown how to make simple, easy-to-remember healthy bites that they can have as snacks, school lunch, etc. The sessions usually end with a series of games that include Healthy Detective and an assortment of sports games.

eating disorders and nutrition Our eating disorders and nutrition sessions are amongst the most successful sessions, having grown and spread beyond the boundaries of schools in recent times including making appearances in local magazines. The session mainly focuses on healthy eating, through the use of visual aids and the newly incorporated MyPlate scheme which replaces the now-outdated Food Pyramid. Our sessions also turn to eating disorders, focusing on the troubles both girls and boys face in this regard. The different forms of eating disorders are covered in detail, highlighting the differences between each, as well as who is most at

risk for each type. Emotional, physical, psychological, behavioural and social signs and symptoms for eating disorders and how they can disrupt proper functioning are also covered.

fitness Fitness is one of our newer sessions, also a part of our Healthy Lifestyles campaign. Fitness sessions will aim to promote exercise amongst children as well as the idea of eating healthy with regards to particular exercises, thus maintaining a balance between the two. Through presentations and professional consultation, the campaign promises to be a stimulating and interesting one.

beat the burn Beat the Burn is the primary campaign about sun safety carried out by the MMSA. It deals mainly with sun protection and maintaining safe and healthy practices when exposed to the sun, especially during the summer months. The peak time for these peer education sessions is usually around the summer holidays (July – September) and late spring (April – May), where through the use of promotional material, visual aids and interactive sessions we help encourage discussing and fruitful thinking as to how best to act in the heat and sun.

hand-washing and hygiene As one of our newest sessions, we have much to offer for hand washing and hygiene. Our session aims to cover the basics of how to wash one’s hands properly and efficiently, highlighting the use of soap and the when-and-where aspect. Especially with younger children, we aim to show how crucial it is to realise how easy it is for germs and microbes to be spread, whether through contact or by other means, and why hand washing is therefore key to limit such

spread. The session also focuses on bringing in an oral hygiene focus, not only by explaining the importance of brushing teeth properly, but also how to keep the gums and recesses of the oral cavity clean and fresh.

anti-tobacco Our anti-tobacco session focuses on the dangers associated with smoking and other tobacco products. This year, we are also focusing what it takes to quit aspect of tobacco and have liaised with Ex-Smokers Are Unstoppable, a European Commission campaign, to provide the public with top-notch information about smoking and quitting. Our anti-tobacco session is perhaps one of our most hands-on sessions, where we use visual aids, together with actual props, such as a Tar Jar (exemplary of the amount of tar that accumulates in the lungs over time), mock-arteries (to simulate the effect smoking has on cholesterol blockages) and videos. Our sessions cover the dangers of smoking, be they common or less-known, cigarettes together with related products and their contents, the difference between first-, second- and third-hand smoking as well as the social and environmental impacts of smoking. We also aim to highlight new alternatives to quitting smoking and propose how and why these products may be deemed safe or not.

substance abuse Our substance abuse session focuses mainly on issues that tackle drugs, alcohol and addiction. Through the use of leaflets and presentations, this NPET session covers a wide variety of related topics including proper definition of a drug, explaining what happens during drug administration, the problems associated with drug intake and withdrawal as well as the side effects and symptoms of drugs. The session also aims to clarify particular points about different classes of drugs and the effect each type can have on the body, as well as to help dispel any urban myths about drugs, alcohol, and addiction. When delivering the session to older students, specific drugs such as LSD, ecstasy and cocaine are also discussed in some detail.

ergonomics The ergonomics session forms part of MMSAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Healthy Lifestyles campaign. Through the use of presentations and live demonstrations, it aims to promote a better understanding of how one can affect his/her body as a result of everyday action (e.g. poor seating position, carrying heavy bags, listening to loud music, poor sleeping posture and inappropriate viewing of monitors).

basic life support skills Being an integral part of medical student education, the need for an expansion of First Aid education has been felt and thus this year, the campaign has been rebranded as Basic Life Support Skills. NPET sessions relating to this campaign will cover very basic concepts of emergency situations rather than actually First Aid, which takes weeks to master and should be taught only by qualified professionals. However, as part of the sessions, we will be promoting the subscription of First Aid courses and highlighting the importance of being capable of giving first aid as well.

booking public health sessions To book any of the sessions, or for more information, kindly contact Francesca Curmi on scopet@mmsa.org.mt. Should you require further help, we invite you to contact the MMSA Public Health Officer 2014-2015 (Martina Gerada) at scoph@mmsa.org.mt.

sexual education the importance of sexual education In Malta, sexual and reproductive health are subjects that still have the power to raise many eyebrows, and some degree of taboo still surrounds the topic of sex and sexuality. This is especially true in the extremely important context of adults educating youngsters. This is why the Standing Committee on Sexual and Reproductive Health including HIV/AIDS (SCORA) aims to provide both teens and the general public with all the skills and knowledge necessary to make proper sexual health decisions. One of SCORAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s greatest challenges is removing the social stigma associated with sexual issues. Through peer education sessions, the students are given the opportunity to learn about these issues in a non-formal, dignified, interactive environment guided by a foundation of respect, equality and freedom of thought. Our aim is not to impose on the students, but rather to equip them with the self-assertion needed to make responsible choices in life. The peer education programme we offer aims to give a comprehensive grasp of the concept of sexual and reproductive health as a whole such as basic human anatomy, sexually transmitted infections, maintaining oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reproductive health, contraceptives, human sexuality, and dispelling certain myths that exist through popular culture. A detailed syllabus that our trained peer educators use as a guide during sexual health sessions can be found by clicking here. The sexual health sessions we offer are based on our detailed syllabus and aims to cover the whole concept of reproductive and sexual health in 3 or 4 sessions of 30 minutes each. It covers a lot of topics such as puberty, contraceptives, self-examination to safeguard reproductive health, sexuality, etc. The students will leave the sessions with a Comprehensive Sexual Education (CSE), which is vital to have, especially during the teen years. We also give schools the opportunity to tailor the sessions delivered if the syllabus is too intense for their students. Our two main sexual health sessions are listed below.

breast awareness and gynaecological consultation

the

first

The session aims at giving secondary school girls the necessary knowledge regarding changes breasts undergo during puberty and how to protect themselves from breast cancer. The session will outline the risk factors, changes associated with breast cancer and self-examination. The second part of the session will prepare the students for their first gynaecological consultation. Most grown women, let alone youths, feel too uncomfortable to go to a gynaecologist. Thus this session will give the youths an overview of what to do before the consultation, how to feel during the consultation and what exactly happens during the visit so that any misconceptions and fear can be erased. This session is approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour long.

menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s issues The session is targeted towards boys aged 11 onwards. Topics tackled in this session include a brief overview of the anatomy of the male reproductive system, changes occurring during puberty, testicular cancer and testicular examination. These peer education sessions are an excellent opportunity to raise awareness on testicular cancer amongst students and to clarify any misconceptions that they may have. We encourage you to hold these sessions because testicular cancer has become one of commonest forms of cancer in the younger male generation. We believe that increasing awareness at a young age is vital in the prevention of this disease.

mr & mrs breastestis sessions This is an international SCORA campaign focusing on the prevention of reproductive neoplasms, mainly breast, cervical, testicular and prostate cancer. It aims to assess the knowledge of 15-18 year olds regarding reproductive neoplasms, as well as to educate the youths about this topic. This is done

through practical sessions whereby the neoplasms are discussed in a new and interesting way in order to educate teens so as to be aware of the risk factors and symptoms of the diseases. The practical sessions also include how to selfexamine the breasts and testes so that any changes can be noticed immediately. We also discuss the social aspects of the diseases as they may affect members of the teensâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; families, as well as the use of vaccinations for cervical cancers and screening for breast and prostate cancers. We plan on keeping these sessions co-ed in order to raise awareness about what the opposite sex may be going through in order to increase understanding, thus these sessions are aimed at mixed schools and sixth forms.

booking sexual education sessions To book any of the sexual education sessions, Mr & Mrs Breastestis sessions or for more information, kindly contact Francesca Curmi on scopet@mmsa.org.mt. Should you require further help, we invite you to contact the MMSA Sexual and Reproductive Health Officer 2014-2015 (Victoria Camilleri) at scora@mmsa.org.mt.

human rights and peace The Anti-Bullying and Human Rights peer education campaign is the new and revamped form of one of the MMSA’s longest running campaigns. The aim of this programme is to increase awareness on several, often controversial issues and thus reduce stigma and misconceptions associated with certain groups of people.

human rights Human rights are of huge significance in today’s world. They are constantly mentioned on the news but are rarely explained. All people are entitled to these basic rights and freedoms regardless of nationality, age, gender, religion, appearance or ability, yet these rights are still taken for granted. The MMSA’s Standing Committee on Human Rights and Peace (SCORP) is teaming up with SCOPET to provide an innovative and educational approach to educating peers on the universal human rights. Debates take place in a controlled environment and peer educators keep in mind the sensitivity of certain issues already present within a class. Case studies from the Maltese scenario are often made reference to in order to discuss the issues more relevant to our country. After a quick icebreaker the first activity begins by dividing the class into teams. The teams are given two minutes to discuss human rights in Malta and are encouraged to make a list of the human rights they already know. The teams present their work and explain which human rights need to be given more importance, as well as why and how it can be done (even at a school level). The class takes a break by watching a video ‘The Story of Human Rights’ and the full list of human rights is tackled. The session moves onto another activity, also involving teams. The class is made to imagine they have been shipwrecked on an island whose inhabitants have never heard about the concept of human rights. The students decide to implement this idea. They need to convince the inhabitants of the importance of human rights and tackle issues which arise one by one. The aim is for the

students to consolidate their knowledge of human rights and discuss the importance of each one. Other activities may include the Peacetest and the Power-walk. In the Peacetest, peer educators present the students with a plan of a bus with different stereotypes of marginalised people seated; each with an empty place next to them. The students are asked to choose where to sit and need to give a reason why. The life stories of the individual characters on the bus are then revealed and each student discusses what his or her feelings, thoughts or attitude would have been had he or she known the stereotype’s life story.

In the Power-walk students are given cards each containing a description of a unique character belonging to society, for example: ’15 year old girl wheelchairbound for life’, ‘Mother diagnosed with terminal cancer’, ‘School headmaster’, etc. Students are given five minutes to silently think about how their life would be had they been this character. Then the activity begins with the peer educator making statements dealing with how much ‘power’ the character has in society (many friends, lots of money, looks forward to the next day, is considered successful, etc…). The student takes a step each time he or she believes that the statement applies to his or her given character. At the end of the activity students discuss their characters, which characters are considered to have more ‘power’ and what they do to help those struggling behind.

anti-bullying Bullying is an aggressive pattern of behaviour where an imbalance of power between pupils is manifested. It can affect students in the classroom or, via social networking sites, even in their own homes. Victims carry around the

burden of bullying at all times and hence bullying is one of the leading causes of depression, fear and low self-esteem in young people.

“A staggering 62 per cent of pupils in Malta consider bullying a problem in their school” Times of Malta, 18th May 2010

The anti-bullying sessions are aimed at raising awareness, particularly by introducing students to the different forms of bullying in order to make them more recognisable. They aim to reduce tolerance to bullying, to aid potential victims in making a decision to take action earlier and to persuade third parties to take a less passive role. Anti-bullying sessions can therefore aid in making the school environment more cohesive and enjoyable for all school attendees. It can also help to prevent the silent suffering of victims of bullying by raising more awareness about the aggression implicated in bullying behaviour. We also aim to emphasise that differences in race, religion, sexuality, ability, class or appearance are common and not something to be ashamed of – hence not bullying artillery. This could include the sharing of real examples of people’s lives affected by bullying; the most negative impacts including; self-harm, eating disorders and suicidal thoughts/actions. The sessions involve a presentation defining all the types of bullying that is relevant to the school environment, whether this is on school grounds or online via cyber-bullying. Cyber-bullying is the newest form of bullying and the sessions reinforce the additional detrimental impact of cyber-bullying – particularly with the increased frequency of use of social network sites such as Facebook. This form of bullying is harmful particularly because it additionally affects victims at home and at all times. By confronting and addressing cyberbullying, we make students aware that it is in no way more tolerated than physical bullying. Anti-homophobia is the newest part of our sessions where we reiterate that homophobic language and behaviour is harmful. This is particularly important for older students to prevent victimisation of adolescent homosexual

individuals, as the school environment can be particularly intimidating. In fact, globally, homosexual teens are two to three times more likely to commit teen suicide than other youths and hence a positive discussion on homosexuality can help to reduce the stigma and prevent such negative results. The cycle of bullying is also discussed in order to emphasise that the bully does not act alone. The act of bullying continues as long as disengaged onlookers and passive supporters do not take action. Overall, the peer-educators work to create an open environment of discussion between the students with an aim to get them thinking about the impact of their actions. Hopefully, students will realise that even a small positive action can make a difference to not only the victimâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s wellbeing, but also the atmosphere of their whole school environment. This project also aims for children to respect their body and to understand the principle of inclusion and equality throughout their learning experience. Differences should be recognised and celebrated, whilst challenging prejudices, perceptions and negative attitudes. The peer education sessions should give pupils the opportunity to share their own understanding while learning from their peersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; experiences.

booking human rights and peace sessions To book any of the sexual education sessions, Mr & Mrs Breastestis sessions or for more information, kindly contact Francesca Curmi on scopet@mmsa.org.mt. Should you require further help, we invite you to contact the MMSA Human Rights and Peace Officer 2014-2015 (Gerd Xuereb) at scorp@mmsa.org.mt.