I find myself reflecting on the experiences I have shared over the years since being exposed to the SALT approach. Sometimes I wonder what would have happened had I not been exposed to the approach. I remember Usa and Gaston who introduced us to the approach, they were fantastic. The workshop was different, not the regular workshop that I was accustomed to, there was something exciting in the air. I was made to reflect on who I was as a human. It was a weird question "why are you human?"…

Today was presented the opportunity for the participants to practice their SALTiness; their ability to apply the process to a community. The group was divided into two groups to work with the two communities that came today for the sessions. there were the parents' group from Youth Challenge Guyana and the HIV peer educators from the Guyana Defence force. 

I had the opportunity to sit in with the group working with the peer educators from the army and my impression is that…

Colleen McEwan…

I was so excited to see what today would turn out to be. After having so much fun yesterday i was anxious to experience learning in a fun-filled, laughter filled environment. I admit, i feel the love in the room with all the participants being fully involved in the process.

I liked that most participants turned up on time. I could feel the enthusiams in the room, after yesterday people wanted to have more. This is a good thing, we should always have people wanting more, not because we…

Today saw the beginning of the another Community Life Competence (CLC) training in Guyana. it brought back memories of my training in February of last year. I remember trying to have an open mind yet curious to know what the training was all about. From listening to participants expectation I could have sensed that a lot of them felt the same way i would have felt on the first day of my training. 

As participants came in today, signed registration sheet, collected their training…

Colleagues, find feedback on ACP conducted in Trinidad and Tobago. I think that there is much we can learn from this feedback.

1. 1.       What do you expect from this event?

• More info on networking  +goal setting
• The exposure to a new approach of dealing with HIV/AIDS, its spread and impact and a greater understanding  of  the role of communities, all stakeholders.
• I expect to learn “new” skills, concepts,…

I have been thinking.....sometimes we hold on to the past which directly affects if we actualize our goals or fail.Too many times we are forced to listen to those that sit and complain about the past experiences using it as reason why something is not going to work in the future. To those of you who do that, I say wake up and smell the coffee. Yes I believe that we need to learn  from our past experiences, that we can transfer skills and lessons learnt  to create new and better…

We have finally arrived in Trinidad. After all the planning by the Constellation and UNAIDS Trinidad, we are here ready to transfer the AIDS competence process to of Trinidadian friends. Sometimes we fail to acknowledge and appreciate those that work behind the scenes; those that put together the bits and pieces. So I just want to say thank you to all those that worked so hard behind the scenes in putting this Trinidad experience together.

After a really good breakfast this…

Today, myself and some others from the CLCGuyana, did the dreambuilding and self-assessment processes with the HIV field officers of the Guyana Red Cross. The group again demonstrated  that there are different learning levels in adults. It demonstrated that with increase knowledge of the communities you work in the easier it is to do self analysis.

From feed back it was learnt that participants appreciated the fluidity of how facilitators coordinated themselves in presenting the the…

So i am a very late in sharing my experience in Lethem. Sometimes we fail in telling a story when at the right time, it has dawned upon me that time waits on no man and that we should tell even if its in a couple of words the story. I have been busy, yes, but i could have made the time to share the story. Better late than never...

Travelling in to Lethem was a nightmare, the journey was long and tiring; what it does however is provide lots of time to reflect on life and what…

Colleagues,

as I had mentioned to most if not all of you, I will be integrating the SALT process into my program here at Youth Challenge Guyana, What this means is that I will be taking all my volunteers arriving to participate in our field projects through the process. I have groups in arriving in country 5-6 times per year. I have two groups for the remainder of the year One next Month the other in December.

November the 5th will be the day set aside for the…

My organisation's tag line says "the experience that lasts a lifetime" Even as i sit an reflect on the AC process and the process involved. It makes me realise that this will add to my experiences that will last me a lifetime.

The SALT process will be fully integrated into my work, I truly believe that it will only make things better for the communities we work in. It is a process i believe that gives back to the community, it helps the work with the strengths they have. Too long has…