For the majority of the time, I was engaged in research on HIV prevention for Jamaican youth–which culminated in a presentation of findings (Securing our Future_ Presentation) and the distribution of the Report, which is featured in the my previous post.

Port Antonio, Portland, Jamaica

In addition to that research, I was very busy traveling across the Jamaica, visiting five Social Development Commission (SDC) offices–Portland, Trelawny, St. Thomas, Kingston and St. Andrew, and St. James–to deliver key human rights materials, as part of the thrust to mainstream human rights (HR) in the everyday work of SDC community development officers.

The main training material that I used was the SEJ Community Development Manual for Trainers, which outlines the modules, subjects, presentations, forms and other useful tools for introducing residents to their development rights and responsibilities.

The Memorandum of Understanding signed between Jamaicans for Justice and the Social Development Commission in October 2009 sought to establish a partnership aimed at strengthening its officers for more effective community development programming. The commitment included:

1. Delivery of five training of trainers workshops to 65 participants,
2. Execution of a national print (newspaper, brochures and posters) and electronic (radio) multimedia campaign for four months,
3. Facilitation of nine community workshops across three unique communities and parishes reaching a minimum of 75 residents,
4. Establishment of an archive of HR materials in key locations in the parish, which are accessible to the public,
5. Integration of HR components in the annual plans of SDC officers as at March 2010,
6. Integration of HR as a key topic/ sub-topic in presentations by SDC officers to community leaders, etc.,
7. Distribution of digital support materials on HR to SDC officers in order to build their knowledge base on HR.

At a later date, when I’ve evaluated the key components of the MOU, I will publish the SWOT report, but preliminarily, all stakeholders agree that HR awareness is critical for community development.

HIV prevention

The following Report, Securing our Future: Lessons in HIV prevention for girls and young women (Jamaica) is a follow-up to the ‘Report Card on HIV Prevention for girls and young women, Jamaica’ (2006).

It presents current data on key points raised in the Report Card, outlines the recommendations of youth, from the National Youth Declaration, for addressing the gaps and challenges raised by the Report Card, and evaluates the data to justify the current value and importance of the Report Card.

The general position of the Report is, improving and increasing actions on HIV prevention for girls and young women is critical because “women are not only being infected with HIV more frequently than men, they are becoming infected at a younger age. The numbers of new infections peak among women between the ages 15 and 25 years, while for men this peak occurs a decade later, between 25 and 35 years old” (Mann & Tarantola: 1996).

Based on this situation, an absence of HIV prevention actions for girls and young women translates to an insecure and unsustainable future for all Jamaicans.

In managing the HIV Prevention Project since August 2008, I have done a whole lot of planning and research in order to ensure that success was achievable. The success of the Stakeholders Meeting was largely due to my high level of motivation, but I will not dare underestimate the hours that I spent preparing the following documents which also guaranteed my success with the HIV Prevention Advocacy Project–at least from the scientific point of view: Advocacy Plan, Advocacy Monitoring & Evaluation Report, Press Release, Media Advisory, Advocacy Introductory Letter, Stakeholders Meeting Invitation Letter, Advocacy Presentation, Stakeholders Database , Advocacy Meetings via telephone and face-to-face, and Stakeholder Meeting Invitation Cards.

I shared my presentation space with Shellie Ann Anderson a wonderful young woman who I met through the social networking site Facebook, who emerged as Top Recruiter of our Facebook Cause and Group. My Advocacy Presentation focussed on the need to complement HIV Prevention programming with the Internet, specifically Web 2.0 technologies, so as to increase interactivity, inclusiveness, and reaching out to youth through avenues that they are already participating in.

A number of issues were raised by meeting participants, which included the need for the revision of the Jamaica Report Card to reflect changes in the national environment since its publication; the need for it to be sensitive to the culture of Jamaica in terms of the use of terminologies such as: rape, buggery, and cult; and the need for the inclusion of minorities, such as Rastafarians and Musicians in HIV Prevention Programming for Youth.

By the end of the meeting, participants came to consensus that there was need for the following next steps:

1. Update of the Jamaica Report Card (2006),
2. Revise the Draft Youth Declaration to reflect the concerns, recommendations, and gaps articulated by the Stakeholders Meeting participants,
3. Facilitate follow-up meeting with stakeholders, in mid January 2009, who signed the Commitment Form to support the National Working Group (NWG) on HIV Prevention for Youth, and
4. Circulate the revised Youth Declaration to participants who committed to supporting the NWG for their feedback within two weeks subsequent to hosting the Stakeholders Meeting.

Some stakeholders expressed concern about the formation of the NWG, because of their belief that it might represent a duplication of work being done by other working groups and boards, which were formed to oversee HIV/AIDS programming in Jamaica. They reiterated the need for collaboration and partnership as an alternative approach to the formation of an independent NWG.

Sexuality Education for Jamaican Youth

Since getting my hands on a copy I have perused much of its contents and I must say, this is a must get for anyone who is in the business of designing a curriculum for educating young people in Jamaica about sexuality, whether it be in the church, school, workplace, or general community.

I particularly loved its outline of the six core areas of a complete sexual education program and the guidelines provided for those of us who are in the business of educational research and evaluation. This is an excellent resource for lesson planners, curriculum developers, evaluators, researchers, and the average person who wants to understand the rationales behind sexuality education for youth. I will definitely be drawing on this resource in my lobby for improved HIV Prevention services for Jamaican youth.

View and Support our HIV Prevention Cause and Group.

Recommendations: Youth Symposium on HIV Prevention