Teen Hub St. Thomas Hosts Sexual Assault Awareness Sessions for Youth

High school students from St. Thomas have benefited from a series of sessions aimed at raising their awareness about sexual assault.

The three interactive and informative sessions, hosted by the Teen Hub at its Morant Bay location, engaged adolescents in frank and age-appropriate discussions on the issue.

Centre Manager, Teen Hub, St. Thomas, Chantal Williams, told JIS News that the initiative forms part of the facility’s broader mandate to educate and support young people across the parish.

“The main objective is to bring awareness of sexual assault,” she said, adding that it is also “to bring information to our youth and adolescents throughout the parish.

“The only way for them to feel comfortable is when they’re able to express themselves and understand that they have a voice and it can be heard,” she added.

Ms. Williams said that the sessions were deliberately structured to encourage openness among participants.

The first two meetings, held on April 13 for males and April 16 for females, were gender-specific, followed by a combined session on April 20.

“The genders understand each other better and so we separated the males from the females because we didn’t want to have any shyness or anybody feeling afraid to talk,” Ms. Williams explained.

She reported that the approach proved effective, particularly among the male participants.

“They were open and honest and asked some serious questions that they really wanted to understand and how they can protect themselves,” she said.

While the female participants were more reserved, Ms. Williams indicated that they remained engaged throughout the discussions.

“They were a bit more quiet but they were still listening,” she noted, adding that “they asked question that they needed to understand for themselves… because even if they’re not going through it themselves, they know somebody who may have been going through it.”

The final joint session aimed to reinforce the availability of support systems for victims of sexual assault and to encourage resilience.

“It’s for them to understand that if they have been through sexual assault, they are not alone. The aim is for them not to be a victim but to become a survivor,” she pointed out.

Ms. Williams told JIS News that a key priority of the centre is “creating a safe space for youth and adults at ages 10 to 24 years old and… up to 29 years old”.

“The aim is to let them understand that the environment is safe, feeling comfortable both for males and females,” she said.

Established by the Ministry of Health and Wellness in 2023, Teen Hub is the second of its kind in Jamaica, following the launch of the Kingston Hub at the Half-Way Tree Transport Centre in 2017.

The Teen Hub project is funded by the European Union’s Spotlight Initiative and implemented through the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Jamaica.

The facility offers a range of services, including homework and research assistance, health screening and counselling – including mental health support – career guidance, and sexual and reproductive health services.