On May 31, 2019, as a way to celebrate the International Children's Day, the Sichuan International Medical Exchange & Promotion Association, together with its member unit Minerva Hospital for Women and Children, walked into the Golden Apple School and brought an interesting lecture on adolescent sex health and mental health to the children.
First, Ms. Qiu Yan, Assistant to the President, Director of the Medical Department and Director of the Women's Health Care Department, Minerva Hospital for Women and Children, explained that each kid's body is derived from a fertilized egg which is a combination of the sperm and egg of the parents, and is nurtured in the mother's womb; boys and girls will enter adolescence at the age of 10-14, and experience various changes in body such as voice change, chest development, nocturnal emission, and menstruation; and understanding the function of reproductive organs and health knowledge is a right way for juveniles to get through smoothly the stage of puberty and grow up happily.
Ms. Qiu also mentioned that the private parts include the reproductive organ, buttocks and chest; in case of any unwilling body touch, one can refuse and should learn how to refuse; both boys and girls are likely to be sexually assaulted; in the event of any sexual assault, remember the appearance of the bad guy and tell trusted adults afterwards; and being sexually assaulted is not the fault of the victim, but the fault of the bad guy, so the victim should and could still live an positive and healthy life.
Subsequently, Director Huang Meilin of the Department of Child Care emphasized the importance of emotional regulation to the children. Ms. Huang said that primitive emotions are common to human beings and culturally connected; the basic types of emotions include happiness, anger, sadness, and fear; when facing any negative emotion, one should learn to comprehend, recognize and accept such an emotion, and seek relaxation by taking a deep breath; different things will produce different emotional and behavioral outcomes because of different beliefs and thoughts; and learning to create happiness will bring different flavors to life.
After the fun part composed of singing with hands clapping, Q&A and other lively teaching activities, the children of Golden Apple School had a deeper understanding of how to cherish and protect their bodies as well as emotional regulation. All the parties concerned thanked the Sichuan International Medical Exchange & Promotion Association for providing this platform, and for giving children this valuable opportunity to learn the knowledge on adolescent sex health and mental health.
