Country Highlights - Day 3

Three days are behind and seven more are coming. More than 100 activities are conducted in more than 40 countries in two days. Let’s have a look what was done on 3^rd day of the campaign.

Algeria

Four young activists in Algiers recorded a Y-PEER song to talk about youth leadership and prevention of HIV among youth – getting to zero. It’s in the process of finalization and will be presented in coming days of the campaign. Interested? Let young voices be heard and spread the world!

Another great activity with wide mass media coverage was conducted. Y-PEER could distribute widely  the 10 DoA Press release via TV, radio, social media channels. Additional to this they had on-line session with journalist on main topics of 10 DoA campaign.  The program will be launched soon. It means more is coming!

This is not all. Additionally to the above, Y-PEERians met with leaders of Adventist Church to discuss about their support to migrants and PLHIV, and in promotion of STI and HIV screening among population. An inspirational activism of young people!

Bulgaria

By indicating 10 DoA campaign we can’t talk about peer education and peer educators, their role and importance. In this regard Bulgarian Red Cross Youth Shumen and club “Rebels” Varna organized an inter-regional training in Shumen with participation of 25 volunteers. The topics were “Interactive methods for being a good Peer Educator” and “Why am I a Peer Educator“. Participants could listen to and share experience with trainers as Adrian Yordanov, Focal Point-in-Charge of Y-PEER Bulgaria, Paulina Kaloyanova, Peer Educator from club “Rebels” and Preslava Ivanova, Youth Coordinator of the club of Shumen. The main point of this training was to make volunteers realize the importance of being a Peer educator and what should they do in order to succeed in this area in the foreseeable future. This training will be continuing on 4^th day of activism, too. We wish good luck in promotion of peer education!

India

        There was overwhelming response received in the second workshop of “Annual Adolescent Peer Educators’ Orientation Course in Life Skills” that was conducted on the topic “Preventing Substance Abuse & Allied High Risk Behaviors”, with almost 150-200 participants from various kinds of schools, in and around Delhi. This was held in National Science centre, New Delhi by Expressions India- The National Life Skills Education & School Wellness Program. The workshop started with the reporting of the previous workshop by some of the peer educators, followed by street plays and finally laying the ground for today’s theme by showcasing different movies related to “Substance abuse”. The participants were divided into groups and were asked to give presentation on topics assigned to them. After this case study was discussed reflecting about allied high risk behaviors associated with abuse of substances. The information material in the form of booklet was also distributed to help the peer educators in conducting the similar session in their schools. The other events that are going to happen under 10 DOA were also introduced in the gathering.

        Along with all these, Y-PEERians in India have facilitated a session on “Importance of plant in our life” with the school students of 7^th , 8^th and 9^th class of Khulia Sebashram School, Sambalpur. The students of this school planted trees. They also planned and designed a campaign to share their learning with the villagers. In the campaign they designed and practiced the slogan, posters, drama, song, and other entertaining activities. Also a rally in the entire village was organized and performed it in front of the villagers.

        This awesome initiative was very much appreciated by people of the community. They  promised to support the students to make a green environment in the area. Besides the villagers requested young people to facilitate more issue based campaigns by which they can get knowledge on other issues. After this campaign many children also came forward to plant trees in their cornfield. Isn't this inspiring? That is how we make world change! 

Jordan

        Media plays a very important role in changing minds, and Y-PEER Jordan used this tool in a very effective way.

        On the third day of 10DOA Young people from Y-PEER Jordan and partner organizations have attended Caffeine program on radio Mazaj FM. They have made a very interesting and entertaining discussion on continuing activities related to gaining advocacy and documenting experience. Not only discussing these topics, but also giving the listeners in Jordan more knowledge on how young people in Y-PEER are involved in the decision making process in their country and around the world. Together with other partners' of National Network respresentatives they gave huge overview on the things done and future plans of the 10DOA Campaign.

        One other activity performed in Jordan during the 3^rd Day of Activism was an interview given by Y-PEERians for the radio station of the University of Jordan, which is an important media, as the main target audience of this station are young people. During this interview listeners could learn more about the campaign and got inspired by the enthusiasm of Y-PEERs, their big contribution and involvement.  Wondering what the Day 4 will bring? Stay with 10 DOA Campaign  FM :)! 

Lebanon

The 3^rd day of activism in Lebanon was launched by raising awareness of young people about HIV and AIDS, stigma and discrimination against PLHIV. The Lebanese Red Cross Youth – Tyr conducted a friendly discussion with young people on HIV issues. It was organized and hosted in the Red Cross center. This activity was dedicated more on increasing of internal capacity of the center on HIV prevention. As a result young people gained clear image on HIV issues,  how to work in the community and how to be sensitive to PLHIV, especially young people.

Macedonia

        Strengthening capacity, exchanging experience, learning more about project management and advocacy, that is how Y-PEER Macedonia spent their Third Day of Activism in Struga.

        Starting with 3^rd of September Y-PEER Macedonia in the frames of 10 Days of Activism is working on capacity building and raising awareness among young people for engaging them into decision making process considering their health and well-being. The trainings which will last until 6^th of Setember, 2012, cover such important topics as project management and advocacy. This trainings were organized for over 40 peer educators in order to strengthen their capacities. During this first day of the training, participants were inspired to push Y-PEER agenda and focus on SRHR, SE, YFS and active citizenship. It is amazing to  feel how young people in Macedonia are infected with Y-PEER spirit are looking forward to contribute to Y-PEER mission. 

Morocco

Y-PEER capacity building trainings are one of the interesting activities with lots of communication, interaction and changing experience. If you are following us, then you are aware that in Morocco young people their activism with peer training. The 3^rd day of the training was dedicated to Reproductive health and STIs issues. Through interactive approach, such as role plays, discussions and constant communication in the training 25 young people could raise their knowledge and skills on reproductive health and STIs and one of the most important is to break taboos in this field. We hope that those young people will be agent of changes and share gained information with others. Good luck in their beginnings!

Pakistan

From September 1^st we are keeping to increase knowledge and skills of young people on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR)  in different part of the world. And the 3^rd day of the campaign in Pakistan was dedicated to raising awareness of 45 young people on SRHR. They were invited to the Noor Mahel Hotal Vehari and get acquainted with Mr. Taswar Abbas, who introduced the activity and gave information on 10 DoA campaign, and Ms. Bushra Manzoor, Mr. Asif Ali who had interactive session on SRHR. Forty five young people actively participated in the session and tried to learn more from trainers. In the end Mr. Umer Draz conducted Review session among the youngsters on sexual education and health. The review was very interesting.

Mongolia

Mongolia national team could organize three different activities on this day. The first activity with involvement of 100 school students was conducted at the opening ceremony of school year. Young activists could share information about 10 DoA campaign and distribute Y-PEER brochures and badges. Young people were invited to join Y-PEER national team and become a volunteer. Of course while telling about Y-PEER activities you share information on SRHR issues, so young activists also distributed condoms among population.

Moreover, they organized a fun activity with drawing Y-PEER and 10 DoA logos on the faces. When a young person was sitting to draw a logo on his/her face, Y-PEERians were sharing information about Y-PEER and 10 DoA campaign. This was promotional activity where everybody could enjoy spending time.

After all these promotional activities, national team joined a concert organized by Students Union to help and support in mobilizing of young people. During concert we could demonstrate short videos on 10 DoA campaign and once again call for activism. The concert was supported by more than 20 artists (youth bands, singers and dancers). They were sharing positive messages and encouraging young people for activism. This was a great event to promote the campaign and end the 3^rd day.

Romania

10 DoA campaign is reaching young people though different activities in order to increase their knowledge and skills in the field of SRHR. An interesting activity was organized in 5 public libraries of Bucharest by Marie Stopes International Romania. This organization developed a questionnaire on contraception and distributed it. All young people who filled the survey received a free subscription to the public libraries network for five years. This was a pleasant activity with pleasant present.

Turkey

        Y-PEER Turkey FPC Ali Karakaş, attended a radio program called ‘’Paylaştıkça’’ (“Sharing”)  at the governmental and one of the main radio stations of Turkey with the largest coverage around the country, TRT Radio, to give information about 10 DoA in Ankara. During his interview Ali has shared with the listeners lots of important information regarding the campaign objectives and aims, the activities made up to day and plans for future. This activity was a very important input in the awareness raising about Y-PEER and 10 Days of Activism, youth rights on SRHR and access. Interview that FPC Turkey has attended not only is a good contribution to the campaign, but is also a good sign showing the interest of mass media towards 10 DOA campaign. Looking forward for more news from 10 DOA in Turkey, and fascinated by the upcoming 7 days of Activism! 

Uzbekistan

        The day 3 of 10 DOA Campaign turned out to be very fruitful for Y-PEER Uzbekistan, where the campaign activists have conducted two seminars in different cities and a great workshop.

        The first one, was a seminar for 21 young people “We are youth, will build future without HIV/AIDS”, which was organized and hosted by CYI “Kelajak Ovozi” in Tekmez city, school #7. This seminar was conducted in the frames of “10 DoA” Campaign. During this session participants could get information about the Campaign, Y-PEER Network and basic information about HIV/AIDS.

        Another seminar held by Y-PEER Uzbekistan was conducted in Djizzak city, Teachers' Training Institute, and the topic of this seminar was “Prevention of HIV/AIDS”, where 23 young people gained information about the campaign, HIV/AIDS prevention, Y-PEER Network and how to use the interactive methods.

        The third activity conducted on this day was a workshop “Healthy generation – Healthy future” organized by NGO “Mehrjon” in Kuvasay city. This workshop was organized for newly married women and young girls. Trainers gave them information about HIV/AIDS, Reproductive Health and personal hygiene. At the end of the workshop information materials about HIV/AIDS and STI were distributed to the participants. This workshop was held along with the partners of Y-PEER network, such as CMY “Kamolot” Kavasay city branch, who hosted the event, Administration of Kuvasay city, Sport and Culture department of Kuvasay city and Fund “Mahallya”.

        The overwhelming job done by Y-PEER Uzbekistan is just the beginning of the campaign, and there is one whole week behind, join us if you are inspired by what these guys do, and keep tracking coming days! 

Keep on following daily updates of what young people are doing in different parts of the world! 

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Zahra Benyahia

Name:Zahra Benyahia

Age:24

Country: Algeria

You made me know who I am…

The International AIDS Day, the prevention session, some good talks with great activists calling for youth leadership combined to my devoted love for human rights. Yes! This is just how I met my aim in life.

In 2008, after attending my first conference on HIV and AIDS, I realized that what I wanted to do with my life, is going beyond my formal clothing and perfect smile of the hotel manager I used to be.

The next day, late in the afternoon, I knocked the door of an NGO called AIDS Algérie: Hello, I am willing to dedicate my time and everything I’ve got to contribute to the fight against AIDS.

For me, this was the most remarkable step toward true happiness and active citizenship.

My journey in the AIDS response started providing peer education among university students. For me, field work and outreach programs contribute to the creation of a direct impact on the target population and implant effective communication between peers for positive change in behavior, access to information and its assimilation as well as orientation to health facilities and counseling.

My experience as a Y-PEERian helped to build my communication skills.  The support of the NGOs: Aids and El Hayet guided me to identify clear roles for me as a young activist in the support to key populations as well as to people living with HIV to meet the national goals of my country while including the international targets from the MDGs, the political declaration and UNAIDS strategy by 2015.

From outreach to programming, elaboration of proposals, reporting, monitoring, media, planning, civil society opened to me all doors to meet meaningful participation not only in SRHR of young people but also in processes of strategic thinking in the Aids response.

In summer 2011, the office of UNAIDS rewarded me with an amazing experience of capacity building. I became a trainee and benefited of it’s support to clearly understand and meet the global policies of programs fighting AIDS. Thanking them would never be enough for their availability to assist me and believe in my abilities of a young leader in my country and my region. Probably, one of the most noteworthy confidence UNAIDS and the NGOs I work with gave me was during my participation in the new generation leadership of UNAIDS secretariat called CrowdOutAIDS.

This project used media tools and crowd sourcing technology and aimed at designing a strategy by and for youth to better involve them in the Aids response and better respond to what is important to them. Since the launch of the initiative, with peers, we had a productive role in the discussions at country, regional and national level on subjects that concern us as young people such as reproductive health, prevention, access to services and fight against stigma and discrimination as well as empowerment of leadership, technical and financial support and gender equalities. During the period of share, I joined offline open forums where I could work on bringing together youth activists, vulnerable and most at risk youth to participate with their recommendations. Afterwards, I was selected to be in the drafting committee where I could continue defending the concerns of youth from the MENA region. As challenging and hard as it seemed to be, this first collective action of young people to share their perspectives and ensure their voice is heard is the most revolutionary, informed, supportive,  equal and respectful step toward youth leadership.

This is my humble story among values, believes, people and loads of hopes for a cause that knew how to dominate all of me to defend it and stand up for it today, tomorrow and forever…

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Pooja Yadav

Name: Pooja Yadav
Age:28
Country: India

Trust me, the way I am writing and sharing about my life right now, it never used to happen ten years back. During my adolescence and college years, I was quite introvert, did not have much confidence to talk with people, had low confidence, self esteem, juggling with the changes inside related to emotional and physical aspects, initiating and handling relationships, shyness towards opposite sex, questioning about my own identity, and somehow willingness to do something to stand differently in crowd but lacking that courage and proper guidance to take a desired initiative. The only positive thing that gave me confidence was the faith of my classmates in me, they found me trustworthy with whom they can share feelings and were sure that I will listen to them. But I would always seek for someone who can listen to me, give me proper guidance that would help me in understanding my issues and help me to develop my skills to deal with challenges of life. The time kept on moving, during this phase of turmoil, my mother always stood by me and somehow helped me in dealing with the problems but apart from that place of a guide or mentor was lacking.

I was relieved as I have completed my graduation, but that relief was temporary one. My mother was hospitalized; I could not clear my entrance exams for post graduation. God is omnipressant, this time he came to me in the form of counselor, you can say it was my destiny or by chance, when I was too much stressed, that person offered me guidance, helped me in dealing with stresses that I was going thorough. She introduced me to life skills training course that was conducted by “Expressions India “- The Life Skills Education and Wellness Programme”, every year. I still remember, when I attended their first session, my no question was left unanswered. This give me a clear thought about what I wanted to become, that was the moment where I realized that I want to be  the same person whom I lacked in my life- the counselor.

By this time, my post graduation had started and opportunities started knocking at my door one by one. I joined “Expressions India “, project headed by Dr Nagpal, by then and got a platform to enhance my skills and knowledge. I was the part of technical team “Expressions India” for the “Adolescent summit” in which around 50 schools of Delhi participated to voice their opinion about their needs and concerns. To my surprise, I was in the front. I was an extrovert and was the helping hand for many students.

Other series of opportunities and exposure helped me in understanding diverse issues of adolescents and gaining confidence in dealing with them. The big turning point of life came in 2007, when I got to work for  WHO India Country Office draft a toolkit for GSHS and to do documentation of Global school based student health survey in India along with development of India specific training package. I did know the importance of workshops by then, the importance of such sessions for developing youth who are waiting for guidance and support  like me during my adolescence. The memories of youngsters sharing their story are still afresh in my mind. Since then I keep on trying to provide myself as a cushion for their issues.

Today's youth is able to bring about change in their communities, but many young people still do not have access to the most basic information about how to make informed decisions regarding their own health. I realized that if we have to bring a change, there is a need to work with stakeholders :” Expressions India- The life skills education and wellness programme”, gave me a chance to engage myself with various government projects.

Apart from being associated with Expressions India, I am working as Counseling Psychologist in a school, catering to the developmental needs of different age groups. My role here involves Counseling and guidance sessions with students, teachers and parents on individual level, group sessions, conducting various seminars for parents and teachers, holding life skills and career workshops for students, developing reading material, awareness camps, advocating for special need children etc. It gives me an immense pleasure, when I am able to bring smile to someone, when I can help someone in trusting oneself, when I try the parents or teachers to understand the changes their children are going through, when I answer the questions I receive in question box related to ARSH(Adolescent reproductive and sexual health) and help someone to be confident about self etc.

I try my best to bring a difference in someone’s life. I feel that everyone has the power and its possible for everyone to make a direct positive impact on someone’s life but it all depends on your perspective..In my opinion , the best I can give back to this world is by  making someone happy, by helping other person to share his loneliness by talking to them, by making them realize that they are important for me , to accept them unconditionally and lastly to help them in bringing positive changes in themselves to lead a happy life.

The girl whom I left ten years back, still come to my dreams but this time with a smile! And I would like to conclude with the famous lines by Robert Frost

“The wood are lovely, dark,and deep,

But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep, and miles to go before I sleep..”

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David Lawrence

Name: David Lawrence
Age: 24
Country: Great Britain

Over the past 6 years I have been incredibly fortunate to gain a wealth of experience, expertise and fantastic friends all over the world, solely by volunteering in the field of SRHR.

I’d always grown up loving volunteering and knowing that I wanted to become a doctor. When I finally started medical school in 2006, I wanted to continue volunteering in something that was both medical but also had a big social element. It was no surprise that I was instantly drawn to my university’s local peer-education programme that taught students about all aspects of sexual and reproductive health. As I fell in love with this volunteering post I became more and more involved, setting up a different group that taught CSE to secondary school students in the local area. Soon I became the National Coordinator of a group called Sexpression that did this all over the UK, representing over 1,000 student doctors who all felt passionate about young people’s SRHR.

This involvement in such a large and vibrant network introduced me to the wider, global reality of SRHR. I was able to appreciate the wonders and shortcomings of my home country and see the lived realities of my peers in the UK compared to those from all over the world. This knowledge fuelled my passion further and took me around the world, working with young people from a multitude of cultures to empower them to achieve their SRHR.

Such exposure coupled with a lot of reading about the determinants of health, and SRHR in particular, taught me so much about how an individual can be a facilitator for change, how groups can work together to achieve something they believe in and ultimately, how to be an SRHR activist. Colleagues far more worldly and experienced than I taught me so much and have helped shape me to be the activist that I am continuously becoming overtime.

Activism for me is a big term: it covers so much. I’ve been an activist most regularly at the local level, working with small groups of people trying to facilitate change in communities but I’ve also had the fortune to see how large-scale activism works at events such as the International AIDS Conference and the United Nations Commission on Population and Development. Most impressively, at these large, political events, I have seen how young people are increasingly being involved in decision-making processes, their voices becoming louder and perceived as more legitimate than ever before. Full and meaningful participation is not exactly where we are at but I believe that if young people keep on making enough noise then we shall not be ignored for much longer.

The more I understood about activism and how effective advocacy can positively impact on individuals, groups and societies, the more opportunities I have to discover that I am most definitely not the only one! There are so, so, so many young people across the globe who are as passionate as I am, and they are some of the best people to work with: when young people who share a vision are brought together, the successes we can achieve are vast and inspiring. I am honoured to be selected as a Young Face under 30 for the 10 Days of Activism (10DoA), but I just hope that my testimony can also speak for the multitude of other young people I represent and who work even harder than I do. As I begin my career as a doctor and my time is increasingly dominated by my clinical work, I implore young people who are thinking of getting involved in SRHR activism to go ahead and do it: the support is infinite, the personal development is unbelievable and the impact you can have is life changing. Together, young people can do it!

David Lawrence.

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