This program is one of the legacies of the Lausanne 2020 Youth Olympic Games, a unique bridge between Lausanne and Dakar that forges links between experts from the medical world to promote health and well-being.
“Dakar en Jeux” workshops address important questions
A pilot programImpact Spark was organized during the recent “Dakar en Jeux” Festival, which brought together 200 teenagers from schools in the region to celebrate the diversity and energy of Senegalese youth through sport, music and culture.
From November 7 to 9, as part of the project Impact Spark, health professionals from Switzerland and Senegal came together to lead six thematic workshops combining learning and sporting activities. Each workshop addressed an important health theme, using interactive elements such as quizzes, team sports and movement-based games to engage participants in an accessible way. Activities such as volleyball, slacklining, soccer, breaking, taekwondo and basketball were chosen to reinforce messages of resilience, teamwork and positive life choices.
On the program for the six workshops, the following themes:
- Violence prevention: Use of volleyball to address non-violent conflict resolution and emotional control.
- Sexual health awareness: Promotion of vaccination against papillomavirus and promotion of STI prevention through balance exercises.
- Malaria prevention: Focus on prevention strategies through a team football activity.
- Addiction awareness: Raising awareness among young people about the risks of addiction, ending with a breaking session highlighting positive and healthy self-expression.
- Oral Health Education: Teaching oral hygiene and resilience through participatory brushing and taekwondo activities.
- Mental health and well-being: Promoting social support and emotional awareness through basketball.
CHUV experts, including pediatricians and psychiatrists, worked closely with local health professionals to ensure the effectiveness of the program, combining Swiss and Senegalese expertise to respond to the specific health challenges faced by young people in the host country.
Senegal
