… throws a spotlight on adolescents surviving COVID-19 period
To highlight the challenges adolescents face in their transition from childhood to adulthood and recognise the critical issues of development, publishers of the Discovery Teens Magazine (DTM), has launched the second edition to assists both teens, parents, and teachers, especially in this dreadful COVID-19 times.
To achieve its intended objectives, the second edition of DTM was painstakingly put together with vital contents including a comprehensive review of adolescence, and parenting adolescence, career choices & development, sexual reproductive issues, culture & values for life, and child protection issues.
Other germane topics include the impact of COVID-19 on adolescents, youth & gender equality, child marriage, French with ease, disability not inability, and questions with answers, among others.
Managing Editor of DTM, Mercy C Adjabeng, speaking at the launch emphasised that DTM’s objective is to provide credible information that would help educate and guide adolescents to make informed choices, noting that modernity, advancement in technology, and some negative socio-cultural influences have impacted the transition process and therefore a holistic approach to enhance the adolescents’ growth is paramount.
“We did research and found out that the coronavirus impacted adolescents differently. We know that their main way of engaging is socialising but with the complete ban on such gatherings, some of them did not know how to handle it and the parents that should have to help them were themselves confused. So, we concluded that we need to create platforms where adolescents will feel free to ask questions and express their needs in a way that they will get help.
This improved version also comes with French with ease content because Ghana is surrounded by Francophone countries and French is an international language so the ability to speak it is an advantage, however, a lot of students find it difficult because of how it is presented, so we had support from the French Embassy in Ghana to encourage adolescents to learn a second language,” she said.
Guest speaker, DJ Switch, in her address indicated that adolescents in the country have talents, goals, and potentials that are not harnessed nor developed because they lack the right mentorship and guidance. She, therefore, called on parents, teachers, and all adults to give a listening ear to adolescents, guide, and protect them in order to be able to develop their talents to full potential.
“My fellow adolescents, despite the many challenges, issues, and risks that we are exposed to, we still must remain focus on developing our talents and potentials. We must also avail ourselves to be guided, advised, and mentored in order to enable us to develop the leadership qualities in us because we are the future leaders,” she said.
Sex education and self-defence mechanisms must be thought in schools, homes, churches and all social engagements with the teenagers to help the adolescents identify the threats and protect themselves against the same to remain safe, she added.
