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Developing, encouraging and maintaining information networks is critical to ensuring the sustainability and expansion of our work. G.R.A.C.E. approaches this task in discrete ways: Expanding Youth Education Networks (YEN)
Participants at the first Youth Education Network training in Nairobi, Kenya | | Young people aged 15-24, predominantly women, account for 50% of HIV/AIDS infections worldwide. Yet 70% of our youth do not consider themselves to be at risk. Social inexperience, lack of support and/ or means to adopt safe behavior and peer pressure contribute to this vulnerability. Any hope for a decline in the pandemic will depend on comprehensive prevention strategies focusing on the youth.
“Empowerment of youth for peer education is the cornerstone on which solid strategies for introducing youth-related HIV/AIDS awareness and subsequent behavior change are built.”
UN Children’s Fund, joint UN/WHO program on HIV/AIDS 2000
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| | | During the site visits conducted in January and May 2001, we met with several members of youth organizations, all of whom spoke of their enthusiasm to work as peer educators in providing information on HIV/AIDS. At the same time they spoke of their lack of skills to do this work effectively. A direct result of this was a 5-day intensive training workshop, the "Youth Education Network" (YEN), which brought together 60 youth from 12 organizations and was facilitated by a "mature" youth peer group. Since then, G.R.A.C.E. has supported several youth activities and plans an aggressive expansion of this program. The YEN program strives to - Enhance youth participation in HIV/AIDS prevention campaigns
- Strengthen action, advocacy and activism among the youth, and
- Facilitate their role as peer educators
- Develop leadership skills among youth
The first YEN workshop made it clear that for youth programs to be effective, - HIV/AIDS programs must involve the youth in the design and implementation of educational activities and, e.g. IEC materials targeted to young people
- Activities such as drama/role-playing are important educational and communication tools
- HIV/AIDS knowledge is not sufficient to change behavior: youth need skills, tools and economic empowerment to put what they learn into practice
- Success of peer education programs must win the support, resources and commitment from the community
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One of the Maasai Morans participating in an HIV/AIDS peer education program organized by the Marigat AIDS team. Implementation of action plan was written by David Olechamakany of Marigat, Kenya. | | Strengthen Networking Mechanisms at the Grassroots | | |
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Networks