Saturday, November 13, 2010
PARTICIPATORY INTERACTIVE PEER EDUCATION [PIPE] AS A TOOL FOR EFFECTIVE COMMUNITY EDUCATION & MOBILISATION FOR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
PARTICIPATORY INTERACTIVE PEER EDUCATION [PIPE] AS A TOOL FOR EFFECTIVE COMMUNITY EDUCATION & MOBILISATION FOR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT.
WHAT IS PIPE?
PIPE is a structured, participatory, interactive communication tool designed for community mobilization, and applies entertainment as a vehicle for intensive and sustained education in communities and hard-to-reach groups.
This concept can be adapted for community education and mobilization in a wide range of development issues, from health, democracy & governance, to the environment, food and water security.
It is being applied to HIV/AIDS infection prevention and management education in communities and hard-to-reach groups in three states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, in Nigeria.
This presentation here is as PIPE applies to HIV/AIDS information and education programming.
PIPE APPLIES THE NARROWCAST CONCEPT
PROJECT AT
EMPOWERING ADOLESCENTS & YOUNG ADULTS AND THEIR PARENTS WITH SEXUALITY INFORMATION TO ENCOURAGE SEXUAL ABSTINENCE AND PARENT- CHILD COMMUNICATION ON SEXUAL & REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH ISSUES, THROUGH NARROWCASTING A DRAMA SERIAL ON HIV/AIDS IN EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS, FAITH-BASED ORGANISATIONS AND COMMUNITY CENTRES IN NIGERIA.
Project AT is an interactive youth/family empowerment programme designed to inform and educate adolescents, young adults and their parents, on sexual health issues including HIV/AIDS using entertainment as a vehicle. Specifically, Project AT uses the power of television plus the advantages of (Participatory Interactive Peer Education – PIPE-), to educate young people through the facilitation of the young people themselves, and reinforced with parental involvement.
AT stands for ABSTAIN < COS OF> TOMORROW.
Project AT employs the PIPE MODEL, developed by Dr, Richie Adewusi, Youthaid Initiatives and The Centre for Family & Reproductive Health Initiatives.
THE PROBLEM.
Discussions about sexuality issues in our society, like many other societies, are rather private. However, the problems brought about by sex and lack of understanding of sexuality issues (HIV/AIDS especially), are having serious impacts on Nigerians, especially adolescents. This becomes obvious in view of the 5% national prevalence median, and the 5.2% prevalence among people in the 15-24 age bracket.
Since 1998, UNAIDS has reported that over 50% of all new HIV infections occur among people aged 10-24 years (UNAIDS 1998 WAC document).
Young people within this age range (10-24 years) are either in secondary schools, tertiary institutions, doing National Youth Service (NYSC), gainfully employed, or in our communities waiting for admission into one form of tertiary educational institution or the other. Others are learning one form of trade or the other or are just idle. Sexual activities among people in this age range is also high as it has been recorded that 63% of young women (would) have experienced sexual intercourse by age 18, and HIV/AIDS among adolescents have taken an epidemic proportion (Journal of Women Health and Law, 1999:10), quoting a research conducted in Lagos State.
HIV epidemic is fast eroding existing human and material resources, while the functions of available resources are also changing, often in response to far broader, more urgent range of needs. Young people are more vulnerable for several reasons.
Young people are ill-prepared to face the challenges of sex and sexuality issues, and as such, have little or no understanding of how infections and conceptions occur (even among those that are sexually active), because parents are embarrassed to discuss sexuality issues with their children due to cultural and religious inhibitions. Others lack information, or the skills necessary for sharing sexuality information with their children. Schools’ curricular equally, have little or no content on sexuality issues, (until recently, in a state like Lagos). So, peer and media influences on sexual behaviour of people within this age range is heavy and often times, mislead young people to engage in risky sexual behaviours which pre-dispose them to risks of HIV infections, unplanned/unintended pregnancies and their numerous health as well as socio-economic consequences for young people, their families and society in general. This is a dangerous scenario considering that youths hold the key for the future.
There have been responses to this epidemic by way of HIV/AIDS/Adolescent Reproductive Health (ARH) issues awareness raising through different information, education and communication interventions for young people. However, these activities do not often lead to the desired behavioral change as they are didactic, boring and often times do not include/involve the young people in their design and implementation.
Furthermore, they are in most cases uncoordinated and not sustained, making it difficult for their outcome with regards to behaviour change to be monitored and measured. In other words, they most certainly create awareness about HIV/AIDS/Adolescent Reproductive Health issues and the problems inherent in these issues, they do not however empower the young people to practice lower risk/no risk sexual behaviours.
Though there is high risk of HIV infection/unplanned teenage pregnancies due to increased level of casual/unprotected sexual activities among young people within this age bracket (10-24 years), and the evident epidemic proportion of HIV prevalence rate among them, they are however mostly ignorant about their HIV status because there is apathy to accessing HCT services due to problems associated with stigma and discrimination, as well as lack of adequate information about the availability of HCT centres/services, which could mean that the spread of the virus among this age bracket and beyond it, may continue if nothing coordinated and sustained is done to encourage young people who are sexually active to access HCT services and practice secondary virginity, while empowering those who are not yet sexually active to protect themselves by abstaining from sexual intercourse until they are married.
THE INTERVENTION.
There is therefore a need to employ a concept and tools that would engage and involve young people in educating themselves on HIV/AIDS/ARH behavioural change issues in an entertaining format that also involves them in the design and implementation. It is also a scientific fact that electronic media interventions, which are not supported by off-air inter-personal communication components, cannot bring about behavioural change by themselves.
To this end, the NARROWCAST multi-media option of using an educative television drama serial on HIV/AIDS/ARH issues, produced specifically for the family, which would give the young people the opportunity for facilitation, entertainment, learning and return demonstration of what they would have learnt at the end of the NARROWCAST, which is coordinated by a trained youth facilitator, using various off-air Behaviour Change Communication (BCC) materials, and sustained over a 26-week period is a format that has indicators through which behavioural outcomes can be measured.
This project is a product of lessons we have learnt from pilot interventions carried out with young people through two television programmes – YOUTHAID LIFELINE AND GENERATIONS.COM, a monthly tabloid – THE BIG ISSUE, an inter-school drama competition – THE LAST CANDLE AND KEEP OFF THE GRASS! , and an annual youth focus group discussion programme – THE YOUTH AGENDA SUMMIT, and several peer health educators’ training programmes since 1996 which have enabled Youthaid Initiatives to know what works with young people.
TARGET GROUPS
In-school and Out-of-school young people aged 10-24 years, and their parents/guardians.
OVERALL PROJECT GOAL
Mitigating the impact of HIV/AIDS in Nigeria by providing Sexual and reproductive health information, as well as HIV infection prevention and management information to in-school and out-of-school young people aged 10-24 years, and their parents, through a participatory interactive approach over a one year period.
PROJECT AT- THE PIPE CONCEPT
This project uses the narrowcast concept which as stated earlier, combines the known advantages of television as a major source of information on sexuality issues for young people, and the interpersonal communication advantages inherent in peer education, made possible by facilitated viewing sessions of a drama serial produced for television played back on a specific day of the week at a specific time of that same day every week, for 24 weeks, with a high probability of having the same audience ( powered by sheer quest for finding out what happens ‘next’), watch the production every episode till the end of a particular series.
The facilitated viewing sessions provide the young people with the opportunity for interactions bordering on questions/answers, contributions/clarifications and coordinated HCT referrals; which can be monitored and evaluated in a more specific and accurate manner for behavioral change than through a broadcast process.
Since the audience for narrowcast is expected to be a captive audience (schools, churches and community centres) that is expected back every episode of the programme ( to know what happens ‘next’ to particular characters ), which is guaranteed to hold due to the availability of the necessary technical and human resources like multi-media projector/screen, generator and facilitators. Unlike in broadcast, where there are conflicting choice of programmes on other channels, power failure and the limited participatory options, Narrowcast is designed to optimize participation and interaction within a target group, and through that target group, other groups that have communication relationships with the primary target group.
Considering the fact that young people are known to appreciate information sharing and interaction with there peers, training them as facilitators is expected to enhance participation which we believe will encourage, eventually, behavioural change, specifically abstinence, or the empowerment for HIV infection risk assessment, which would lead to accessing HIV Counseling and Testing (HCT), since it is known that all adolescents and young adults are not on the same level, with regard to sexual experiences and behaviours.
The narrowcast process makes it possible for accurate records to be taken regularly that would profile the viewers, their contributions, the clarifications they receive, referrals given, materials distributed and ultimately if there are any real impacts in terms of behavioral change.
PROJECT AT viewing centres are known as T-A-L-K CENTRES.
A T-A-L-K CENTRE is expected to host 100 participants or more weekly. However, project evaluation would be based on 100 participants per centre.
T-A-L-K stands for TIME to pay ATTENTION and LEARN, to acquire KNOWLEDGE required, for HIV/AIDS infection prevention and management.
PROJECT AT – THE PIPE PROCESS
For this project, Youthaid is introducing two television drama materials on HIV/AIDS, TSHA TSHA & KING UBOKA: A HARVEST OF WHIRLWINDS.
Tsha Tsha sets a new standard for youth television. Tsha Tsha is set in Lubusi, a fictional town in Eastern Cape of South Africa. In the dusty streets of this improvised rural town, the serial follows the lives of four 20-somethings as they negotiate a bumpy course along the path of adulthood. Although the characters do not live in the big city, they certainly deal with big issues: AIDS, death, love, relationships and sex and its consequences. Tsha Tsha is heavily entertaining and sub-titled fully in English.
KING UBIKA:A HARVEST OF WHIRLWINDS is a 24 episodes TV drama serial written by Dr. Richie Adewusi, for Family Health International/Nigeria. It was produced by Tade Ogidan; it has been aired on over 30 TV stations in Nigeria, and on MNET. It portrays the cultural factors that fuel the spread of HIV, and the impact of AIDS on traditional institutions, families and individuals.
Project AT involves playing back of the 30-minutes/less HIV/AIDS drama serial followed by another 30-minutes/more of interactive session facilitated by a trained youth.
Ten young persons are trained as facilitators/Peer Educators for each T-A-L-K CENTRE.
Facilitating the interactive session is expected to encourage questions/answers and clarifications by the facilitator. Participants can put their contributions into songs, poems, paintings and drama. This ultimately allows for a return demonstration of what they would have learnt in the course of the narrowcast sessions.
Relevant public service announcements and television spots produced for ARH/HIV/AIDS, or for this target audience can be played back any number of times in the course of the narrowcast process, at each of the T-A-L-K CENTRES for effectiveness. Other behaviour change communication materials like T-A-L-K POINTS and The BIG ISSUE/IMAGINE IT!, produced for this target group are distributed at the T-A-L-K CENTRES.
PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT
The T-A-L-KPOINTS Family Life Education Card game is an ‘off-air’ continuous interaction and education component, that the young people take home that would allow for sustenance of discussions, and clarification of sexual and reproductive health, drug use/abuse, gender and conflict resolution issues within the family setting. The young people receive this game at the T-A-L-KCENTRES, and take home, to play with their parents/guardians.
Participating parents are empowered, to form a network of concerned parents (The Concerned Parents Network – COPANET-), through seminars and workshops on Parent-child communication on sexual and reproductive health issues at local government areas, state, and national levels, to put Parent-child communication on sexual and reproductive health issues in the front burner of national discourse, as provided for in the National Strategic Frame work for HIV/AIDS.
PROJECT AT -THE PIPE OUTCOME
This process through this project is expected to empower adolescents, young adults and their parents, with information and education on sexuality issues in a manner that is culturally acceptable and would enable them to assess their HIV infection risk factors and therefore practice a greater up-take of abstinence behaviour, and for others, accessing HCT. This project is also expected to ignite the creative abilities in the target group in such a way that they can turn their energies into putting what they have learnt or what they expect or what they can do or what they want done about the various situations and challenges that young people face as far as sexuality issues including HIV/AIDS and relationships are concerned into paintings, songs, poems and dramas that they can exhibit for the benefit of themselves, their peers and society in general. This would ultimately also allow adults and youth programme planners and other stakeholders on adolescents and young adults’ issues to have a peep into the minds of the target group which helps with understanding how they feel and what their struggles are like and what can be done with these feelings and struggles.
AT4LIFE FESTIVAL.
Participating youth groups from different institutions/communities or different halls of residence/houses within the same institution are expected to present their own productions either as songs, poems, paintings or drama in a competition format at the AT4LIFE FESTVAL, at the end of 24 episodes of KING UBIKA:A HARVEST OF WHIRLWINDS, thereby creating a network of concerned students/youths helping other young people and society. This is to encourage full participation and further contribute to monitoring and evaluation/sustainability of the project.
This process is applicable both to urban and rural adolescents and young adults alike.
WHAT IS PIPE?
PIPE is a structured, participatory, interactive communication tool designed for community mobilization, and applies entertainment as a vehicle for intensive and sustained education in communities and hard-to-reach groups.
This concept can be adapted for community education and mobilization in a wide range of development issues, from health, democracy & governance, to the environment, food and water security.
It is being applied to HIV/AIDS infection prevention and management education in communities and hard-to-reach groups in three states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, in Nigeria.
This presentation here is as PIPE applies to HIV/AIDS information and education programming.
PIPE APPLIES THE NARROWCAST CONCEPT
PROJECT A
EMPOWERING ADOLESCENTS & YOUNG ADULTS AND THEIR PARENTS WITH SEXUALITY INFORMATION TO ENCOURAGE SEXUAL ABSTINENCE AND PARENT- CHILD COMMUNICATION ON SEXUAL & REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH ISSUES, THROUGH NARROWCASTING A DRAMA SERIAL ON HIV/AIDS IN EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS, FAITH-BASED ORGANISATIONS AND COMMUNITY CENTRES IN NIGERIA.
Project A
A
Project A
THE PROBLEM.
Discussions about sexuality issues in our society, like many other societies, are rather private. However, the problems brought about by sex and lack of understanding of sexuality issues (HIV/AIDS especially), are having serious impacts on Nigerians, especially adolescents. This becomes obvious in view of the 5% national prevalence median, and the 5.2% prevalence among people in the 15-24 age bracket.
Since 1998, UNAIDS has reported that over 50% of all new HIV infections occur among people aged 10-24 years (UNAIDS 1998 WAC document).
Young people within this age range (10-24 years) are either in secondary schools, tertiary institutions, doing National Youth Service (NYSC), gainfully employed, or in our communities waiting for admission into one form of tertiary educational institution or the other. Others are learning one form of trade or the other or are just idle. Sexual activities among people in this age range is also high as it has been recorded that 63% of young women (would) have experienced sexual intercourse by age 18, and HIV/AIDS among adolescents have taken an epidemic proportion (Journal of Women Health and Law, 1999:10), quoting a research conducted in Lagos State.
HIV epidemic is fast eroding existing human and material resources, while the functions of available resources are also changing, often in response to far broader, more urgent range of needs. Young people are more vulnerable for several reasons.
Young people are ill-prepared to face the challenges of sex and sexuality issues, and as such, have little or no understanding of how infections and conceptions occur (even among those that are sexually active), because parents are embarrassed to discuss sexuality issues with their children due to cultural and religious inhibitions. Others lack information, or the skills necessary for sharing sexuality information with their children. Schools’ curricular equally, have little or no content on sexuality issues, (until recently, in a state like Lagos). So, peer and media influences on sexual behaviour of people within this age range is heavy and often times, mislead young people to engage in risky sexual behaviours which pre-dispose them to risks of HIV infections, unplanned/unintended pregnancies and their numerous health as well as socio-economic consequences for young people, their families and society in general. This is a dangerous scenario considering that youths hold the key for the future.
There have been responses to this epidemic by way of HIV/AIDS/Adolescent Reproductive Health (ARH) issues awareness raising through different information, education and communication interventions for young people. However, these activities do not often lead to the desired behavioral change as they are didactic, boring and often times do not include/involve the young people in their design and implementation.
Furthermore, they are in most cases uncoordinated and not sustained, making it difficult for their outcome with regards to behaviour change to be monitored and measured. In other words, they most certainly create awareness about HIV/AIDS/Adolescent Reproductive Health issues and the problems inherent in these issues, they do not however empower the young people to practice lower risk/no risk sexual behaviours.
Though there is high risk of HIV infection/unplanned teenage pregnancies due to increased level of casual/unprotected sexual activities among young people within this age bracket (10-24 years), and the evident epidemic proportion of HIV prevalence rate among them, they are however mostly ignorant about their HIV status because there is apathy to accessing HCT services due to problems associated with stigma and discrimination, as well as lack of adequate information about the availability of HCT centres/services, which could mean that the spread of the virus among this age bracket and beyond it, may continue if nothing coordinated and sustained is done to encourage young people who are sexually active to access HCT services and practice secondary virginity, while empowering those who are not yet sexually active to protect themselves by abstaining from sexual intercourse until they are married.
THE INTERVENTION.
There is therefore a need to employ a concept and tools that would engage and involve young people in educating themselves on HIV/AIDS/ARH behavioural change issues in an entertaining format that also involves them in the design and implementation. It is also a scientific fact that electronic media interventions, which are not supported by off-air inter-personal communication components, cannot bring about behavioural change by themselves.
To this end, the NARROWCAST multi-media option of using an educative television drama serial on HIV/AIDS/ARH issues, produced specifically for the family, which would give the young people the opportunity for facilitation, entertainment, learning and return demonstration of what they would have learnt at the end of the NARROWCAST, which is coordinated by a trained youth facilitator, using various off-air Behaviour Change Communication (BCC) materials, and sustained over a 26-week period is a format that has indicators through which behavioural outcomes can be measured.
This project is a product of lessons we have learnt from pilot interventions carried out with young people through two television programmes – YOUTHAID LIFELINE AND GENERATIONS.COM, a monthly tabloid – THE BIG ISSUE, an inter-school drama competition – THE LAST CANDLE AND KEEP OFF THE GRASS! , and an annual youth focus group discussion programme – THE YOUTH AGENDA SUMMIT, and several peer health educators’ training programmes since 1996 which have enabled Youthaid Initiatives to know what works with young people.
TARGET GROUPS
In-school and Out-of-school young people aged 10-24 years, and their parents/guardians.
OVERALL PROJECT GOAL
Mitigating the impact of HIV/AIDS in Nigeria by providing Sexual and reproductive health information, as well as HIV infection prevention and management information to in-school and out-of-school young people aged 10-24 years, and their parents, through a participatory interactive approach over a one year period.
PROJECT A
This project uses the narrowcast concept which as stated earlier, combines the known advantages of television as a major source of information on sexuality issues for young people, and the interpersonal communication advantages inherent in peer education, made possible by facilitated viewing sessions of a drama serial produced for television played back on a specific day of the week at a specific time of that same day every week, for 24 weeks, with a high probability of having the same audience ( powered by sheer quest for finding out what happens ‘next’), watch the production every episode till the end of a particular series.
The facilitated viewing sessions provide the young people with the opportunity for interactions bordering on questions/answers, contributions/clarifications and coordinated HCT referrals; which can be monitored and evaluated in a more specific and accurate manner for behavioral change than through a broadcast process.
Since the audience for narrowcast is expected to be a captive audience (schools, churches and community centres) that is expected back every episode of the programme ( to know what happens ‘next’ to particular characters ), which is guaranteed to hold due to the availability of the necessary technical and human resources like multi-media projector/screen, generator and facilitators. Unlike in broadcast, where there are conflicting choice of programmes on other channels, power failure and the limited participatory options, Narrowcast is designed to optimize participation and interaction within a target group, and through that target group, other groups that have communication relationships with the primary target group.
Considering the fact that young people are known to appreciate information sharing and interaction with there peers, training them as facilitators is expected to enhance participation which we believe will encourage, eventually, behavioural change, specifically abstinence, or the empowerment for HIV infection risk assessment, which would lead to accessing HIV Counseling and Testing (HCT), since it is known that all adolescents and young adults are not on the same level, with regard to sexual experiences and behaviours.
The narrowcast process makes it possible for accurate records to be taken regularly that would profile the viewers, their contributions, the clarifications they receive, referrals given, materials distributed and ultimately if there are any real impacts in terms of behavioral change.
PROJECT A
A T-A-L-K CENTRE is expected to host 100 participants or more weekly. However, project evaluation would be based on 100 participants per centre.
T-A-L-K stands for TIME to pay ATTENTION and LEARN, to acquire KNOWLEDGE required, for HIV/AIDS infection prevention and management.
PROJECT A
For this project, Youthaid is introducing two television drama materials on HIV/AIDS, TSHA TSHA & KING UBOKA: A HARVEST OF WHIRLWINDS.
Tsha Tsha sets a new standard for youth television. Tsha Tsha is set in Lubusi, a fictional town in Eastern Cape of South Africa. In the dusty streets of this improvised rural town, the serial follows the lives of four 20-somethings as they negotiate a bumpy course along the path of adulthood. Although the characters do not live in the big city, they certainly deal with big issues: AIDS, death, love, relationships and sex and its consequences. Tsha Tsha is heavily entertaining and sub-titled fully in English.
KING UBIKA:A HARVEST OF WHIRLWINDS is a 24 episodes TV drama serial written by Dr. Richie Adewusi, for Family Health International/Nigeria. It was produced by Tade Ogidan; it has been aired on over 30 TV stations in Nigeria, and on MNET. It portrays the cultural factors that fuel the spread of HIV, and the impact of AIDS on traditional institutions, families and individuals.
Project A
Ten young persons are trained as facilitators/Peer Educators for each T-A-L-K CENTRE.
Facilitating the interactive session is expected to encourage questions/answers and clarifications by the facilitator. Participants can put their contributions into songs, poems, paintings and drama. This ultimately allows for a return demonstration of what they would have learnt in the course of the narrowcast sessions.
Relevant public service announcements and television spots produced for ARH/HIV/AIDS, or for this target audience can be played back any number of times in the course of the narrowcast process, at each of the T-A-L-K CENTRES for effectiveness. Other behaviour change communication materials like T-A-L-K POINTS and The BIG ISSUE/IMAGINE IT!, produced for this target group are distributed at the T-A-L-K CENTRES.
The T-A-L-KPOINTS Family Life Education Card game is an ‘off-air’ continuous interaction and education component, that the young people take home that would allow for sustenance of discussions, and clarification of sexual and reproductive health, drug use/abuse, gender and conflict resolution issues within the family setting. The young people receive this game at the T-A-L-KCENTRES, and take home, to play with their parents/guardians.
Participating parents are empowered, to form a network of concerned parents (The Concerned Parents Network – COPANET-), through seminars and workshops on Parent-child communication on sexual and reproductive health issues at local government areas, state, and national levels, to put Parent-child communication on sexual and reproductive health issues in the front burner of national discourse, as provided for in the National Strategic Frame work for HIV/AIDS.
PROJECT A
This process through this project is expected to empower adolescents, young adults and their parents, with information and education on sexuality issues in a manner that is culturally acceptable and would enable them to assess their HIV infection risk factors and therefore practice a greater up-take of abstinence behaviour, and for others, accessing HCT. This project is also expected to ignite the creative abilities in the target group in such a way that they can turn their energies into putting what they have learnt or what they expect or what they can do or what they want done about the various situations and challenges that young people face as far as sexuality issues including HIV/AIDS and relationships are concerned into paintings, songs, poems and dramas that they can exhibit for the benefit of themselves, their peers and society in general. This would ultimately also allow adults and youth programme planners and other stakeholders on adolescents and young adults’ issues to have a peep into the minds of the target group which helps with understanding how they feel and what their struggles are like and what can be done with these feelings and struggles.
A
Participating youth groups from different institutions/communities or different halls of residence/houses within the same institution are expected to present their own productions either as songs, poems, paintings or drama in a competition format at the A
This process is applicable both to urban and rural adolescents and young adults alike.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
1998 YOUTH AGENDA SUMMIT COMMUNIQUE: WE THE YOUTHS OF NIGERIA_WHAT WE WANT.
……SPEAKING OUR MIND
WE THE YOUTHS OF NIGERIA:WHAT WE WANT
This publication may be reproduced in part or wholly without any need for permission, as it is in the public domain. Acknowledgment would however be appreciated.
Produced by Youthaid Projects Inc.(NOW YOUTHAID INITIATIVES/NIGERIA) December 1998
P.O. Box 5785, Ikeja
Lagos-Nigeria
E-Mail: youthaid_ng@yahoo.com
YOUTHAID PROJECTS INC.(NOW YOUTHAID INITIATIVES/NIGERIA)
Youthaid Projects Inc., organisers of the now annual Youth Agenda Summit, is non-governmental, non-profit organisation. Youthaid's focus is to help groom adolescents and young adults to become responsible adults. Youthaid does this by providing detailed, uninhibited, up-to-date and sincere information, education and counseling on Adolescent Reproductive Health and Developmental Issues; and vocational training Programmes. Youthaid was founded in 1990.
Youthaid adopts a multimedia advocacy approach to training, lectures and now the Youth Agenda Summit to inform, educate and counsel not only the young adults but also their parents, guardians and society in general. This is to encourage among other things, parent-child communication on sexuality and developmental issues, goal setting, high self-esteem, skills acquisition through vocational training Programmes, career choice, etc. These we believe, will help to prevent and control high incidences of early involvement in sex, unprotected sex, child prostitution, drug abuse, cultism, teenage pregnancies, abortions, STDs, HIV/AIDS, school drop-out, low income earning, death and other social vices.
BACKGROUND
One aspect of the multi-media approach adopted by Youthaid Projects Incorporated to solve adolescents problems is the television programme, Youthaid Lifeline which is aired live on MITV Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos every Saturday from 9.00-10.00am. Its radio version is Youthaid Liveline. In the last quarter of 1997, a youth club named after the television programme. Youthaid Lifeline Club was inaugurated to feel the pulse of these young ones right there in the studio as they participate live on the programme.
They engaged themselves in debates and quiz as well as respond to questions or contributions made by their friends at home either by phone or through letters. This way, their friends, parents from home are not only encouraged to speak out but also implored to join them in the club where they are trained to be peer educators. Beyond the one hour session in the studio, there are other club activities they engaged in geared towards making their adolescent stage in life a risk-free one, like acting out drama sketches they contribute to the formulations.
JUSTIFICATION
The society through different institutions has had a tradition of presenting to the youths what is expected of them. The summit therefore is a gathering for the youths to present their own views on issues that concern them especially what they expect from the different institutions in the society for the benefit of their parents, guardians and the society in general and particularly for youth programme planners and service providers.
THE SUMMIT
Youth Agenda Summit- is a summit for adolescents and young adults to deliberate on sexuality and developmental issues as they concern them. Each year a topical issue concerning the adolescent and young adults will be brought forward for deliberation at the summit on the 27th of May to commemorate the children and youth day.
Participants will pay a fee or be sponsored to attend the summit each year. Fees paid or sponsorship will be used to provide things like Venue, Summit Brochure, file, Souvenirs, Publicity, Refreshment and some IEC Materials. Participation is open to adolescents and young adults from Schools, Youth Clubs, Religious Organizations and other individuals within the focus group willing to attend from any part of Nigeria. Adults from relevant organizations will also be invited as observers each year.
GOALS
We hope to put our findings together for publication at the end of each summit as reference materials.
We also want to give the youths the opportunity to champion their own causes, as such, the summit is to be a kind of official voice for youths on specific sexuality and developmental issues every year.
We also see the summit as a way of bringing youths from across the country, from different institutions and socio-cultural backgrounds together to socialise.
THANK YOU FOR TAKING YOUTHS SERIOUS
An important aspect of the work Youthaid does with the youths is that of decision linked research.
Youthaid then takes the research findings seriously and design interventions with the youths, with the aim of solving, reducing or bringing the challenge(s) to the notice of those in a position of solving them.
Youthaid takes youth views serious. We cannot afford not to.
This is why, when the members of Youthaid Lifeline Club requested for a platform through which they could join with their friends from other parts of Nigeria, and different background to deliberate on issues affecting them, and make such issues known to adults and the society in general, Youthaid responded by designing the Youth Agenda Summit, with contributions for the format of the Summit coming entirely from the members of the club.
The next level after the summit was to get their views across to the people who touch their lives one way or the other. You are one of such people. Youthaid appeals that you please take them seriously and do something about the issues they have raised.
Youthaid on her part is working on designing and implementing interventions to address some of their requests, starting with parent-child communication on sexual and reproductive health issues, as well as platforms for youth2youth interactions. For one, this Summit is to become an annual event.
Thank you for your interest in the welfare of youths.
Richie Adewusi
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
YOUTHAID PROJECTS INC.(Now Youthaid Initiatives/Nigeria)
Dear Friend,
As you read through this material, we believe that you're doing so because you love the youths and issues that concern us. So we believe you are our friend. Thank you for being our friend.
The Youth Agenda Summit is the platform from which we tell you our mind. Please, take us seriously and do something about what we have said, as it concerns you or where you work.
We also invite you to support the Summit every year by sending participants and helping us to host it by making a financial contribution, which would also help us publish and send the published out-come of the Summit to you and others.
Thank you for reading this publication. Thank you for supporting the youths of Nigeria, by supporting Youth Agenda Summit .This is Our Voice.
Yours faithfully,
Agalabri Obaro
President
YOUTHAID LIFELINE CLUB
THE COMMUNIQUE
WE THE YOUTHS OF NIGERIA
WHAT WE WANT
1
We want an enabling environment that will give us access to a good standard of living, with opportunities for qualitative education, so that we can be empowered to become Responsible citizens of this great nation.
2
We want sexuality education to be integrated into school curriculum at all levels, and such integration to be implemented immediately, with relevant books on adolescent reproductive health made available.
3
We want counseling to be intensified in schools, so as to help monitor students' excesses and curb students' involvement in vices like substance use and abuse, early involvement in sex, unsafe sex and cultism.
4
We want more opportunities for Programmes like this, where we can air our views, interact with others, share experiences and also learn.
5
We want the government to look into the issue of free education so that we youths can have access to basic education.
6
We want the government to improve our teachers' pay so that they can be more committed to us , as we do spend a lot of our time with them and as such look up to them for many things.
7
We want stability and consistency in the educational system.
8
We want the government to create recreational and leisure centres within our neighborhoods where we can put our excess energy to constructive use.
9
We want mutual respect and recognition from our peers.
10
We want opportunities to enable us have a good sense of goal setting and high esteem which will help us attain our goals in life.
11
We want religious leaders to be broad minded enough to address adolescent reproductive health issues and problems from the pulpit because we appreciate and respect their advice.
12
We want youths to be represented in the governing bodies of all religious organizations, so that we can air our views on issues affecting us in them.
13
We want religious leaders to address the problems facing us without hypocrisy and inhibitions, instead of stigmatizing us.
14
We want love, independence, freedom of expression and recognition from our parents, especially, in their manner of approach to us.
15
We want our parents to be more approachable, and to stop the “do as I say” syndrome.
16
We want our parents to see us as unique individuals, so they should stop comparing us with others.
17
We want our parents to be the first to discuss sexuality issues openly and sincerely with us.
18
We want our parents to get up-to-date information on sexuality Issues, and also learn how to communicate the information they have with us without inhibitions.
19
We want the media to present and report educative programmes and not those that would corrupt our minds, and lure us to form bad and anti-social habits.
20
Above all, We want all the facets of the society the family,
religious leaders,government, NGOs, educational institutions, peers
and the media, to do everything possible to make us have sense of
belonging in the world, so as to build us up as leaders of tomorrow.
Each segment of society should discharge their responsibilities
faithfully, having at the back of their minds, the “Love of all” .
WE THE YOUTHS OF NIGERIA:WHAT WE WANT
This publication may be reproduced in part or wholly without any need for permission, as it is in the public domain. Acknowledgment would however be appreciated.
Produced by Youthaid Projects Inc.(NOW YOUTHAID INITIATIVES/NIGERIA) December 1998
P.O. Box 5785, Ikeja
Lagos-Nigeria
E-Mail: youthaid_ng@yahoo.com
YOUTHAID PROJECTS INC.(NOW YOUTHAID INITIATIVES/NIGERIA)
Youthaid Projects Inc., organisers of the now annual Youth Agenda Summit, is non-governmental, non-profit organisation. Youthaid's focus is to help groom adolescents and young adults to become responsible adults. Youthaid does this by providing detailed, uninhibited, up-to-date and sincere information, education and counseling on Adolescent Reproductive Health and Developmental Issues; and vocational training Programmes. Youthaid was founded in 1990.
Youthaid adopts a multimedia advocacy approach to training, lectures and now the Youth Agenda Summit to inform, educate and counsel not only the young adults but also their parents, guardians and society in general. This is to encourage among other things, parent-child communication on sexuality and developmental issues, goal setting, high self-esteem, skills acquisition through vocational training Programmes, career choice, etc. These we believe, will help to prevent and control high incidences of early involvement in sex, unprotected sex, child prostitution, drug abuse, cultism, teenage pregnancies, abortions, STDs, HIV/AIDS, school drop-out, low income earning, death and other social vices.
BACKGROUND
One aspect of the multi-media approach adopted by Youthaid Projects Incorporated to solve adolescents problems is the television programme, Youthaid Lifeline which is aired live on MITV Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos every Saturday from 9.00-10.00am. Its radio version is Youthaid Liveline. In the last quarter of 1997, a youth club named after the television programme. Youthaid Lifeline Club was inaugurated to feel the pulse of these young ones right there in the studio as they participate live on the programme.
They engaged themselves in debates and quiz as well as respond to questions or contributions made by their friends at home either by phone or through letters. This way, their friends, parents from home are not only encouraged to speak out but also implored to join them in the club where they are trained to be peer educators. Beyond the one hour session in the studio, there are other club activities they engaged in geared towards making their adolescent stage in life a risk-free one, like acting out drama sketches they contribute to the formulations.
JUSTIFICATION
The society through different institutions has had a tradition of presenting to the youths what is expected of them. The summit therefore is a gathering for the youths to present their own views on issues that concern them especially what they expect from the different institutions in the society for the benefit of their parents, guardians and the society in general and particularly for youth programme planners and service providers.
THE SUMMIT
Youth Agenda Summit- is a summit for adolescents and young adults to deliberate on sexuality and developmental issues as they concern them. Each year a topical issue concerning the adolescent and young adults will be brought forward for deliberation at the summit on the 27th of May to commemorate the children and youth day.
Participants will pay a fee or be sponsored to attend the summit each year. Fees paid or sponsorship will be used to provide things like Venue, Summit Brochure, file, Souvenirs, Publicity, Refreshment and some IEC Materials. Participation is open to adolescents and young adults from Schools, Youth Clubs, Religious Organizations and other individuals within the focus group willing to attend from any part of Nigeria. Adults from relevant organizations will also be invited as observers each year.
GOALS
We hope to put our findings together for publication at the end of each summit as reference materials.
We also want to give the youths the opportunity to champion their own causes, as such, the summit is to be a kind of official voice for youths on specific sexuality and developmental issues every year.
We also see the summit as a way of bringing youths from across the country, from different institutions and socio-cultural backgrounds together to socialise.
THANK YOU FOR TAKING YOUTHS SERIOUS
An important aspect of the work Youthaid does with the youths is that of decision linked research.
Youthaid then takes the research findings seriously and design interventions with the youths, with the aim of solving, reducing or bringing the challenge(s) to the notice of those in a position of solving them.
Youthaid takes youth views serious. We cannot afford not to.
This is why, when the members of Youthaid Lifeline Club requested for a platform through which they could join with their friends from other parts of Nigeria, and different background to deliberate on issues affecting them, and make such issues known to adults and the society in general, Youthaid responded by designing the Youth Agenda Summit, with contributions for the format of the Summit coming entirely from the members of the club.
The next level after the summit was to get their views across to the people who touch their lives one way or the other. You are one of such people. Youthaid appeals that you please take them seriously and do something about the issues they have raised.
Youthaid on her part is working on designing and implementing interventions to address some of their requests, starting with parent-child communication on sexual and reproductive health issues, as well as platforms for youth2youth interactions. For one, this Summit is to become an annual event.
Thank you for your interest in the welfare of youths.
Richie Adewusi
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
YOUTHAID PROJECTS INC.(Now Youthaid Initiatives/Nigeria)
Dear Friend,
As you read through this material, we believe that you're doing so because you love the youths and issues that concern us. So we believe you are our friend. Thank you for being our friend.
The Youth Agenda Summit is the platform from which we tell you our mind. Please, take us seriously and do something about what we have said, as it concerns you or where you work.
We also invite you to support the Summit every year by sending participants and helping us to host it by making a financial contribution, which would also help us publish and send the published out-come of the Summit to you and others.
Thank you for reading this publication. Thank you for supporting the youths of Nigeria, by supporting Youth Agenda Summit .This is Our Voice.
Yours faithfully,
Agalabri Obaro
President
YOUTHAID LIFELINE CLUB
THE COMMUNIQUE
WE THE YOUTHS OF NIGERIA
WHAT WE WANT
1
We want an enabling environment that will give us access to a good standard of living, with opportunities for qualitative education, so that we can be empowered to become Responsible citizens of this great nation.
2
We want sexuality education to be integrated into school curriculum at all levels, and such integration to be implemented immediately, with relevant books on adolescent reproductive health made available.
3
We want counseling to be intensified in schools, so as to help monitor students' excesses and curb students' involvement in vices like substance use and abuse, early involvement in sex, unsafe sex and cultism.
4
We want more opportunities for Programmes like this, where we can air our views, interact with others, share experiences and also learn.
5
We want the government to look into the issue of free education so that we youths can have access to basic education.
6
We want the government to improve our teachers' pay so that they can be more committed to us , as we do spend a lot of our time with them and as such look up to them for many things.
7
We want stability and consistency in the educational system.
8
We want the government to create recreational and leisure centres within our neighborhoods where we can put our excess energy to constructive use.
9
We want mutual respect and recognition from our peers.
10
We want opportunities to enable us have a good sense of goal setting and high esteem which will help us attain our goals in life.
11
We want religious leaders to be broad minded enough to address adolescent reproductive health issues and problems from the pulpit because we appreciate and respect their advice.
12
We want youths to be represented in the governing bodies of all religious organizations, so that we can air our views on issues affecting us in them.
13
We want religious leaders to address the problems facing us without hypocrisy and inhibitions, instead of stigmatizing us.
14
We want love, independence, freedom of expression and recognition from our parents, especially, in their manner of approach to us.
15
We want our parents to be more approachable, and to stop the “do as I say” syndrome.
16
We want our parents to see us as unique individuals, so they should stop comparing us with others.
17
We want our parents to be the first to discuss sexuality issues openly and sincerely with us.
18
We want our parents to get up-to-date information on sexuality Issues, and also learn how to communicate the information they have with us without inhibitions.
19
We want the media to present and report educative programmes and not those that would corrupt our minds, and lure us to form bad and anti-social habits.
20
Above all, We want all the facets of the society the family,
religious leaders,government, NGOs, educational institutions, peers
and the media, to do everything possible to make us have sense of
belonging in the world, so as to build us up as leaders of tomorrow.
Each segment of society should discharge their responsibilities
faithfully, having at the back of their minds, the “Love of all” .
Friday, June 18, 2010
NWANKAKWA!
NWANKAKWA!
...Indeed.
They Knew
Before hand
Of your Covering
Breathing-Joy-Inspiring Clothings
Prepared of God All-Knowing!
KAAKA
Favoured.Blessed.Covered!
Sunday, June 13, 2010
TWO-WAY STREET
This site is designed to be a platform from which and on which parents and young people can air their views about parent-child, family and other inter-personal/intra-personal relationship issues. Feel free to post your commnents or questions about any of these issue areas. Your feedback is only a click away...
Thursday, June 10, 2010
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