SALT VISIT to Wesleyan Church in South Ruimveldt

[Shabakie Fernandes]

The GuyanaFaith-and HIV Coalition  with Group 2 in support of the Community Life Competence process held a sensitization workshop for the youths of the Wesleyan Church to stimulate their Way of Thinking and Ways of Working towards some social Stigmas.   

 

Introduction of participants using a fruit to indicate their personality and helped participants to feel comfortable, relaxed and a part of a community that knows each other.

 

Exercise 1:  ARE WE HUMAN and if so WHY? This stimulated thinking, and it broke down barriers to interaction, towards stigma, and discrimination. The facilitator discussed appreciation towards each other and emphasizes that whatever we do, we do on a human level.

 

The church youths were asked to write one hope and one concern that they as youth have. Their hopes went from righteousness in the world to successful lives, a better community and better family lives. While some concerns were, the lack of moral standards in society, the care of young orphans, their families’ health and the scare of not achieving a successful life.

We shared that as humans we all have hopes and concerns and when you look at each other as humans, their sexuality, race, religion, HIV status etc fades and knowing that each individual have concerns and hopes just like you, helps us as humans to work together to over come these concerns so we can achieve our hopes.

 

A Reflection was done with the youths where they expressed how looking at each other as humans will surely help them in their interaction with peers. They said, “It makes it easier for them knowing that they see each other on a human level.” They expressed appreciation for us being there.

  

[Gaston]

Great and I like that you add the photos. It makes it so lively. And what a beautiful heart full of hopes and concerns!

I had a discussion yesterday with group 4 (Zenita, Nadia, Steve), where we discussed the importance of the space that we facilitate in. How having a classroom space or a board room with a big table can really obstruct the full potential of the exercises. Would you agree? And how can we take care of this as a facilitation team?

One nice thing we often do with youth (or adults!) when we facilitate 'are we human' is to ask somebody to lie on the floor and we draw on a flipchart to surroundings of person. Then we ask people to mention our human characteristics and write them on the appropriate body part (e.g. heart, head, hands, feet, eyes etc).  See an example from Russia here: http://aidscompetence.ning.com/photo/exercise-are-we-human

Finally, are you planning to follow up on this visit and do dream building with this group?