Youth for Reproductive Health in Križevci: 'How Does the Banana Affect the Head?'

ABOUT ACTIVITY

For the first time in Križevci, high school students occupied the premises of the City Council during the "Take Action!" programme on Wednesday, April 19, 2023. A total of 22 students from four high schools – Gimnazija Ivana Zakmardija Dijankovečkoga, Srednja škola "Ivan Seljanec", Srednja gospodarska škola and Glazbena škola Albert Štrige – took the opportunity to learn more about the work of the City administration.

Mayor Mario Rajn welcomed the students and emphasized the importance of community engagement and involvement in the rich civil scene of Križevci. He expressed his readiness to support all ideas from students since young people's health is extremely important to the City of Križevci. "There are no taboo topics when it comes to young people's health," he concluded.

The biggest issue for high school students in Križevci is related to reproductive health

Under the guidance of their coordinators – Ana, Paula, Sanela, and Antonio – the students wrote four project proposals, three of which were related to reproductive health.

The project "ActION-> ReactION -> ReproductION" aimed at educating and encouraging schools to acquire menstrual and contraceptive products. The project "How Does the Banana Affect the Head?" connected mental and sexual health through open dialogue with experts in the field. The "Be Responsible!" project aimed to educate young people about safe sexual relationships and the proper use of condoms in collaboration with an expert who would create a safe and inclusive environment for discussions about sexual health. On the other hand, the "#let'seat" project focused on raising awareness of the importance of a healthy diet through food preparation and tasting at the Secondary Economic School in Križevci.

At the end of the day, Luka, Martina, and Nikolina from the Youth Council of the City of Rijeka provided brief updates on the progress of the groups and shared ideas about the importance of youth participation in decisions related to young people’s health.

Young people in Križevci will get an answer to the question "How Does the Banana Affect the Head?"

The simulation of the debate in the City Council of the City of Križevci was very constructive and focused on improving the project proposals. Marko Martinčević, a member of Koprivnica-Križevci County Council, praised the presenters and shared advice regarding the presentation of their ideas, while Lucija Kero, the City of Rijeka youth officer, emphasized the alignment of the students' ideas with the needs of young people in Križevci.

The winning project "How Does the Banana Affect the Head?" was announced by Sanja Čavić, the youth officer of the City of Križevci. The project connects two important topics for young people in Križevci: reproductive and mental health. The main activity, a talk show with experts, will provide answers to questions from young people collected through a survey.

The project will be carried out until the end of the school year with the financial support of the City of Križevci and the mentor support of youth workers from the Youth Center Križevci.

You can view the photo gallery here.

The project "Think, act, participate! - Strengthening Youth Participation Through Active Involvement in Policy-making and Advocacy" is implemented by the Association Delta in partnership with the City of Rijeka, the City of Opatija and the City of Križevci. The project is co-financed by the Central State Office for Demography and Youth, the City of Rijeka, the City of Opatija and the City of Križevci.