Students Attend HIV/AIDS Prevention Workshop in Manchester

A health promotion team from the Ministry of Education and Youth is currently hosting a two-day HIV/AIDS Prevention and Life Skills Management workshop for students, at the Kendal Camp in Manchester.
This is being done in collaboration with Women’s Media Watch and the Ministry of Health.
The workshop, which ends on March 7, is aimed at sensitizing student leaders or peer counsellors from 10 schools within the region about various aspects of HIV/AIDS, Anna-Kay Magnus Watson, HIV/AIDS Programme Officer in the Education Ministry told JIS News.
“This workshop is a part of the Ministry’s HIV programme, which is currently targeting student leaders who will be trained at a later date to impart the skills they acquire to their peers. What we are trying to do is to get off the ground a master training programme, where we will train teachers and students who will in turn teach their peers in schools across the island, about prevention and life skills of HIV/AIDS,” she explained.
Mrs. Magnus Watson pointed out that this is being done to ensure that the majority of schools across the island would establish and maintain their own training programmes, while the health promotion team would visit these schools to evaluate and monitor the programmes and to provide help where necessary.
Meanwhile, Training Co-ordinator of Women’s Media Watch, Hillary Nicholson said the workshop was focusing on gender practices and how they impact on HIV/AIDS infections.
She noted that topics being addressed include: ‘Sexuality among Teenagers and Young Adults’; ‘Sexual Pressures among Males and Females’, and ‘Sexual Rights’. She also informed that sensitization is being carried out by using different aspects of the Performing Arts, including videos, drama and music. “The students will use role plays to demonstrate what they have learnt,” she said.
Miss Nicholson said that peer counsellors and guidance counsellors would benefit from training in negotiating skills, which would help them to “negotiate healthy sexual behaviours, the use of condoms and practices that they are uncomfortable with”.
The next student workshop will be held on March 14 and 15 in Montego Bay, St. James and will host students of Region 4.