The objectives and goals of the project were completely achieved. Forty four adolescents and young peer educator (23 women and 21 men) belonging to 15 groups from MAB were trained by the Reprolatina team as part of the Empower Project.

About five thousand adolescents were reached directly through the educational activities using the manual that peer educators received as part of the Project. These activities included adolescents from their own groups, from their cities and the activities performed in the 3 municipal meetings organized during the second part of 2006.

About 500 adolescents and young participated in educational activities performed by trained peer educators and using the manual in the three municipal meetings performed in Rio Claro, Mococa and Uberaba.

It was created a communication System, based on WebBoard,( Reprolatina Project Experience and using it server) to optimize the communication among the groups and with Reprolatina.

The training manual produced and used by Reprolatina team to train adolescents to act as adolescent health agents, was adapted according to EMpower objectives and goals.

As part of the Project it was produced a manual including all necessary information to facilitate the educational activities using a participatory approach. This was adapted from previous materials produced by the Reprolatina team. In the opinion of all the groups this manual was very useful and is being used as a model to create new ones for other subjects. The expectation is to share these materials with other groups in the future.

During the Project it was identified the need of having some materials to help adolescents in their activities. It was defined then a "kit of peer educator" that was distributed to all participating groups. The kit included booklets and flip-chart produced previously by Reprolatina, selected bibliography, models of penis and vagina for condom demonstration, and a poster.

In addition, other important results, such as changing in their own lives, in their work as peer educators, in their institutions and strengthening MAB, were observed and pointed out by the adolescents as consequences of the project.
Based on the forms that each group filled in and sent to Reprolatina (part of the communication process implemented using Web-board), and on a focus group with trained adolescents representing some groups, facilitated by the co-coordinator of the Project, we can list the main results as follows:

The trained adolescents learned for their own life:

1- How to make decisions, in order to make healthier decisions. We don't have data but they refer a significant acceptance of the condom and greater condom and other contraceptive methods use.

2- How to build a project of life. Learned how to think in the future and how they can affect positively their lives.

3- Learned the consequences for their project life of an unplanned pregnancy and STD-HIV infection and how to prevent these events.

4- What does gender mean, the consequences of gender inequalities and strategies to decrease gender power imbalance.

5- Increased self esteem, self confidence and learned which is the meaning of empowerment and how the attain it.

6- What does advocacy mean and how to elaborate and develop a plan of advocacy, and how to advocate for their rights.

7- Improved communications skills

8- Learned new information and updated others included in the Program ( Contraceptive methods, Vulnerability, STD/HIV- Aids, Sexuality, Adolescence, Sexual and Reproductive rights, Empowerment, Advocacy, Social changing process, Values clarification)

9- Learned what is a significant learning and the differences between the traditional education and the participatory education. Also they learned about Paulo Freire's methods.

For their work as peer educator:

1- With the manual distributed in the training, all the trained adolescents replicated some or all of the modules to their groups.

2- They changed the way how they do educational activities and incorporated the entire subject included in the manual in their activities. In the past the educational activities were "lectures" with some participatory techniques only for integration. Now after training peer educators changed the methods and the aspects included in each subject. For example. In the past adolescents talk about HIV and the use of condom. Now they also include myths and beliefs to deconstructs this wrong information, they give up-dated information and they also include the gender issues, empowerment, decisions and self- esteem, absolutely necessary for changing attitudes and practices. As results of these changes peer adolescents say that now they feel that adolescents enjoy more to participate in the activities and the educational activities are more effective.

3- They learned the pedagogic principles and how to work with groups. The changes of understanding of education influenced in the planning activity, the way how they establish relationship with other adolescents. After training they learned that each adolescent have different rhythm and each of them need to receive attention. It means that the peer educators learned to work with a group and with each individual.

4- Improvement in the efficacy of their educational activities. Their perception is that now they have clearer concepts on sexual and reproductive health issues and they know better how to explain to others.

5- They learned how register, how to evaluate their activities and how to do the necessary changes according to the group.

For their institutions

1- The trained peer educators influenced positively their own group, because they incorporated a new vision, a new methodology and new knowledge. Ex. In training they learned to do a contract for training that includes rules on how to work. ( time, confidentiality, use of cell phone, etc) The result in their opinion is an improvement and strengthening of their group. One group increased the number of participants.

2- They learned how to do advocacy. Some groups conquered their own space, local to have meeting.

3- They empowered, developed communication skills and learned how to participate and how to work as a team. As result, improved the communication and interaction between the participants within the group and between the groups within the MAB.

4- Each group replicated the training in their own groups for the team of peer educators.

5- Increased the participation of adolescents in decision making process in their groups. They are more articulated for actions within the group and within MAB. In their opinion they feel better prepared and empowered after training.

6- Re-organization of the 4 groups from Lavras called MIAL (Movimento de Intercambio de Lavras) constituted by three groups of adolescents and one of educators. The three groups participating in the EMpower Project learned that working together they would have better results. Each group has its own name and identity but, after training they decided to re-organize the activities and work together maintaining also their own groups.

7- The scaling-up process to other groups of MAB, now is extended to other cities with groups not belonging to MAB. The group from Lavras will replicate the training to other two cities close to Lavras. These training courses are already organized and scheduled.

8- Two participants from the group UAI (Idealistic Union of Adolescents) were the only participants of the group still acting and trying to maintain the group, all the other gone for different reasons. After the training they trained others 10 adolescents to be part of the group, increasing and strengthen the UAI group. In addition they did an advocacy plan and got a space (a room) to be the local of the group.

9- Sexual and reproductive health and rights and gender issues were incorporated to the actions of all groups and in the agenda of MAB meetings.

For the MAB

One of the results of the Empower Project recognized by the MAB's groups was that the members has now a technical preparation on Sexual and reproductive health areas and on educational methodologies that ensure they are working with high quality increasing their results with young people.

In addition, the adolescents who participated in the activities are now empowered and better prepared to do advocacy, and besides the activities of empowerment of the members of their own groups, now the groups are really interconnected and maintain close contacts with MAB. This has been considered a very important result because the groups are stronger if they work together. For example, in Lavras, a city of Minas Gerais, there are four groups that were acting separated and now, because of the Empower project they are working integrated in a group they called MIAL (Movement Integrating Adolescent of Lavras) and are in the process of getting a place to meet periodically and are organizing several joint activities. They are also preparing a joint project and a plan for fundraising.

All the MAB groups participating of the Empower Project incorporated in their agenda the organization of a meeting in their cities to replicate what they learned in the training course. They also are exchanging materials through the e-mail network.

Summarizing the main results related to MAB included:

1- Strength MAB's actions and relationships between the groups after the training, because they created a common ground on knowledge and methodology and learned how to do advocacy and to work as a team.

2- Increased the number of adolescents and young prepared to represent the Movement.

3- Incorporated the new methodology and the sexual and reproductive health, rights, gender in the MAB meetings. In the 3 municipal meetings performed during this year in the southeast region, in all of them were included the trained peer educators doing the educational activities included in the manual. In one meeting, 9 out of 10 of the educational activities of almost 3 hours of duration (workshop) performed were done by trained peer educators.

4- Participation of the XIII National meeting of Adolescents organized by MAB with specifics actions and results:

a. Research among participants to assess knowledge about sexual and reproductive rights and empowerment concept.

b. Incorporation of abortion as a new subject in MAB's agenda through an educational activity for participants, facilitated by the young team of Reprolatina.

c. During the meeting, the new directory of MAB was elected and one of the members of the groups participating in the project was elected as president and one of the young members of the Reprolatina team was elected vice-president. In addition 11 out of the 30 members of the MAB's executive committee elected for this period ( 2007 and 2008) are members of the groups participating in the Empower project. For the first time in the history of MAB, the position of the educator was occupied by a young educator. Only one adult is part of the directory. In the past, when MAB started, the MAB was coordinated by adult educators. Now they feel that is a real Adolescent Movement.

Last but not least, the results of the final evaluation showed that there are two issues that need to be resolved.

The first one is that because the educators who coordinate the activities of the groups are not prepared (were not trained) and some times they act as obstacles for the implementation of some activities because they do not have the same theoretical framework and do not understand the philosophy of the projects related to empower and real participation of adolescents. Several participants stated that it would be very important to undertake a training curse for the educators of the groups.

The second one is that adolescents feel that some times they are not well prepared to deal with some cases, especially with very poor adolescents (home-less adolescents) and with drug users, some of them addicts. They feel that they need closer support to deal with this kind of cases.