"I Decide My Life and the Life of My Municipality": An Intervention Model for the Promotion of Sexual and Reproductive Human Rights in Colombia

Adolescence is a period of search for personal autonomy, during which young people progressively acquire competence and confidence in decision making. In Colombia, it has been found that decisions about sex, contraceptive use, pregnancy or marriage/cohabitation are proximate determinants of adolescent fertility, so it is assumed that the development of these skills is crucial to create environments that favor the exercise of Sexual and Reproductive Human Rights (SRHR). To identify a model that facilitates understanding the essential components to promote SRHR among youth, we have developed a research program in a rural Colombian community since 2008. Using participatory methodologies, we have been able to systematize an intervention model called "I decide my life and the life of my municipality". The model aims to provide rural youth with opportunities to exercise their SRHR and to develop competencies regarding smart decision making and definition of a significant life project.

Consistent with the sociological approach, the model includes three components: Individual, interpersonal and contextual. At the individual level, the model promotes a safe space for young participants to a) answer three fundamental questions for the construction of their sexuality: Who am I? What do I want to do? Who do I want to be in the future?; b) develop critical skills to analyze, from a gender perspective, social reality and identify environmental situations that preclude them from exercising their SRHR and c) identify themselves as rights holders, able to make smart decisions and to plan future actions aimed at changing situations that affect their sexuality and their sexual and reproductive rights. The interpersonal component facilitates access to opportunities for young people to be motivated to participate in real experiences of social action. These experiences require youth to implement their ability to a) identify, from a gender perspective, situations of rights violation, b) make decisions and c) plan future goals and define specific actions to achieve them. Finally, the contextual component promotes the involvement of young people in the design and implementation of social mobilization and advocacy processes, aimed to increase awareness in the community and the local government authorities, regarding the SRHR of children and youth.

The full intervention was pilot tested with a group of seven high school students (5 females) from a public school of the municipality. This group participated first in the individual component of the intervention and then, as part of the other two components, took part in the development and implementation of a communication strategy for social mobilization (a radio broadcast) and in other advocacy activities. A scaled-up pilot test was implemented during 2011 with all students in 9^th grade in a public school of the municipality (N = 30). In this same school, the intervention is currently being replicated with all students from grades 6^th to 11^th. Impact evaluation will include assessment of changes in self-efficacy for decision-making, future time perspective, sensitivity to gender inequality, prosocial behavior, empowerment and social participation. Results from this evaluation will be presented in the poster.