fp Turks and Caicos

More than 55 youths from across the Turks and Caicos Islands were given the learning opportunity to be trained as peer educators.

The workshop, held Aug. 23-26 at the Ocean Club East Resort on Providenciales, was hosted by the Turks and Caicos National Aids Programme (TCNAP) and sponsored by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).

Peer education is based on the actuality that countless people make changes not merely based on what they maybe familiar with, but on the opinions and actions of their close and trusted peers. Peer educators can correspond and comprehend in ways that the best-intentioned adults can’t, and can serve as role models for change.

Peer education is not exclusively for school-based or community programmes, but has been used in a extensive range of contexts with a diversity of populations, including street youths, factory workers, sex workers, drug users and dealers, prisoners, etc.

“The major focus of the Peer Educators Training 2010 falls into three categories,” said Selvyn Lewis of The barcam, a youth developmental group in Trinidad and Tobago. “The first is the development of the young person’s leadership skills and to do this, some of the exercises are really geared towards exploring self, building character, self-esteem, etc.

“The second area is methodology and giving the participants a vehicle to carry information. The vehicle we have chosen is theatre and drama because it has been effectively used in many programs that we have done over the world.

“Thirdly, these activities are run by the TCNAP, so of course there are facilitators that deal exclusively with issues that surrounds HIV/AIDS, and it is that pattern we’re using in terms of focusing these three areas in terms of imparting knowledge of our participants and potential peer educators.”

“It is about helping young people help themselves” says Aldora Robinson, TCNAP Coordinator. “It is anticipated that the participants would utilize the knowledge and skills learnt to influence change within our youth population.

“We are looking forward to our youths being more active in the delivery of information and services. This will assist us in reversing the effects of HIV/AIDS on our youths within the Turks and Caicos Islands.”