Health Promotion Officer Learnerships is a new initiative to help more black children reach their potential. It will include better health education for young black children that will help them make healthy choices, take personal responsibility for their health and contribute positively to society. This will be achieved by increasing the number of professionals who can provide these services in a culturally sensitive way, researching priorities that will help us deliver the best possible services, developing serving communities in a sustainable way so we can continue to deliver high quality services over time – especially where they are needed most – and including vulnerable populations at risk of poor health outcomes such as young children, older adults and people with disabilities.

Health Promotion Officer Learnerships

The aim of the initiative is to help more black children reach their potential.

Health promotion officers play an important role in educating and empowering young people to take control of their health. As a health promotion officer, you will be trained to:

• Help young people develop healthy behaviours that support their overall wellbeing, including physical activity and good nutrition.
• Help young people make informed decisions about how they can best manage their own health and wellbeing.
• Work with families, community members and other professionals to identify local problems and needs relating to the physical or mental health of children under the age of 18 years old.

Currently, there is a shortage of professionals who can provide these services in a culturally sensitive way. This gap is especially pronounced among black educators and health workers. To address this issue, the Health Promotion Officer (HPO) qualification aims to increase the number of professionals who can provide these services in a culturally sensitive way.

The HPO curriculum provides training for people who work with young children, specifically black children and young black male learners; professional skills development on how to use communication strategies that will make effective learning possible for all learners; knowledge about how young people learn their culture or language(s); knowledge about how culture affects the ways in which families respond to illness; knowledge about how communities respond to illness; understanding of HIV/AIDS including its impact on individuals’ lives as well as communities; understanding modern-day issues such as gender violence against women and girl child abuse; values clarification which introduces learners to concepts such as rights versus privileges (rights are equal regardless of race while privileges vary depending on race); decision making skills which help learners understand decision making under pressure situations using health promotion principles

Research priorities that will help deliver the best possible services.

The Health Promotion Officer will be responsible for identifying, planning and implementing health promotion activities to reduce health inequalities in our community. It is essential that this person has a keen interest in public health. The successful candidate will be required to plan, manage and deliver a range of events and initiatives aimed at raising awareness about healthy living and providing support for people who are trying to improve their lifestyles.

The role requires a commitment to supporting people with long-term conditions such as diabetes or heart disease by giving them access to advice, information and practical help (such as healthy cooking classes).

• You will develop a clearer understanding of how to deliver effective health promotion interventions that are based on evidence.
• You will have experience working with children, young people and their families to help them make positive changes to their lifestyle.
• You will also gain valuable skills in project management and research methods which are relevant across public health settings.

Vulnerable populations are groups that are at risk of poor health outcomes. These groups include young children, older adults and people with disabilities. This course is designed to help learners to identify vulnerable populations in their community, develop strategies for addressing their needs and promote the wellbeing of these individuals so they can lead healthy lives. We will also look at ways to address social determinants of health and how this can affect vulnerable populations such as young children or older adults.

As a public health officer, you will be able to:

• Provide health education, promotion and research to vulnerable populations such as young black children and older adults. This could include educating them on how to prevent diseases like diabetes by eating healthy foods and exercising regularly.
• Help the government fund programs that educate people about the importance of exercise, diet and proper hygiene in order to keep themselves healthy. If this program is successful, it may become part of the national curriculum for schools throughout South Africa.”

Conclusion

This is a great opportunity for anyone who wants to work in health education.