Session internationale N 2 Alison CROSS Vice-présidente du

Session internationale N° 2 Alison CROSS Vice-présidente du Conseil International d’Education des Adultes (ICAE) Vice-president of International Council for Adult Education (ICAE) fr : 3 / en : 1 Sous le patronage de la Commission nationale auprès de française Paris Franc UNESCO 5& 6 2015 février 4 e forum mondial/ 4 th world forum

Sexuality Education for the 21 st Century: What is “really” relevant for children and youth in the Caribbean Context. Alison Cross, Ed. D. Consultant Educational Psychologist VP ICAE, Caribbean Region Jamaica, W. I.

Overview • Background • Trends and Causes of Risky Behavior - in the Caribbean Context • Developing appropriate skills - a critical challenge for our teachers. • Using successful learning models to improve our interventions • Initiatives undertaken - Challenges and Successes • Summary and Reflections

Background • 2/3 of the population is under the age of thirty • Caribbean children and youth live in a hypersexualised environment • Many parents and teachers are ill-equipped to have the necessary conversations. • We attempt to shape the lives of young people without including their perspectives. • “At risk” youth affected by a number of social, psychological and physical problems. • Worrying upward trend for this young population on issues of HIV/AID’s infection, adolescent pregnancies, issues of drug trafficking and other risky behaviour.

Trends and Causes of Risky Behavior in the Caribbean Context • Youth challenges: • • • Early sexual initiation, HIV/AIDS, Sexual and physical abuse, School leaving, Unemployment, Crime and violence, Substance abuse, Drug dealing, And social exclusion.

Trends and Causes of Risky Behavior in the Caribbean Context Significant negative outcomes that are particular to the Caribbean region: • Sexual and physical abuse • Onset of sexual initiation • Highest incidence of HIV/AIDS outside of Africa • incidence of rage among young people

Developing appropriate skills: a critical challenge for our teachers • Educational levels of Caribbean Students – Students underperforming – Teachers failing to teach our students effectively 70% English A Math 60% Pass rate 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Antigua and Barbuda St. Kitts Dominica and Nevis Trinidad OECS Avg. St. Lucia and T. Belize Caribbean Grenada Avg. Jamaica St. Vincent and the G. Table I: CSEC exam results Caribbean Examinations Council (2011). Statistical Bulletin 2011. Guyana

Developing appropriate skills: Successful Learning • Amazing successes in sports and culture • Success in sports internationally shows that our youth have the discipline and the social skills to learn and excel. • Youth making positive contributions in the literary arts, music, dance, art and craft, and the many world renowned music festivals. Our youth are creative, disciplined, innovative and very able to learn – in spite of the poor academic results in the classroom.

Use successful learning models to improve our interventions • Children and youth learn best when they can see a clear purpose in learning activities • have an active role • co-constructing • interpreting • applying • making sense of information presented • making connections • when motivated • when socially involved with others

Initiatives undertaken – Challenges and Successes Jamaica and the Caribbean are actively involved: • Creating an enabling environment to reduce vulnerability to HIV and other diseases: Strengthening: • the legal/policy, • political, social and cultural agenda • and frameworks to provide sustained and effective services in the population.

Policy Health and Family Life Education (HFLE) in school Barriers to implementing HFLE include: • HFLE not an examinable subject • Teachers not comfortable discussing many sexuality issues • Teachers used to “chalk and talk” rather than “brining it to life” with interactive discussions The variables impeding the successful delivery of this content need careful review.

Policy Advocacy to remove barriers to the delivery of health care to youth • Efforts to make Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) information more accessible to young people accelerated • Currently medical personnel and clinicians are prosecuted for providing SRH services to those under 16 yrs. – including HIV counseling and testing

Media Campaigns Caribbean Broadcast Media Partnership (CBMP) – “Live Up” campaigns • Integrating HIV information into programmes and entertainment • June 2013 – PSI Caribbean and CBMP launch regional contest – Caribbean youth to submit songs with messages to combat HIV/ AIDS stigma • Winning song “Wi Love Wi. Self”, Jamaica

Media Campaigns Jamaica’s ran several Campaigns promoting faithfulness, condom use and gender specific behaviours: • “Stick to ONE Partner” • “Pinch, Leave an Inch and Roll” • “Real Man Nuh Ride Widout Condom” Success was in their catchy titles, informal nature, and their youth audience…but not without challenges.

Community Level Efforts: UNICEF and SDC Caring, Healthy, Organised, Cohesive, and Empowered (CHOICE) communities programme. • Communities chosen from high risk indicators related to children and adolescents – teen pregnancy, high rates of illiteracy, STI prevalence • Programme designed for communities to empower themselves – from the “grassroots” • SDC questionnaires expanded to include data on children and youth, capturing data on risky behaviour and sexual attitudes for the first time

Capacity Development: Support to the Health Sector Mentor Mom Programme • 27 HIV+ teenage moms trained and now delivering peer education and referrals to approx. 500 pregnant teens in high HIV prevalence parishes Success story – these Mentor Moms now show pride in self, self-esteem, positive spirits From shunned to “tun up”

4 Successful Innovative Initiatives 1. “Talk up Yout” – over 3000 youth participate • • A unique TV programme designed to give children and youth a voice through mainstream media Youth share views on challenges with: o early first sex o teen pregnancy, o transactional sex, o issues relating to poor parenting, o fear to achieve their life ambitions due to poverty and violence in their communities. This effort is shaping national debate on sexuality education issues

4 Successful Innovative Initiatives 2. “Bashy Bus” project Children First Agency (NGO), Ministry of Health, UNICEF, mobile reproductive health clinic-emphasis on HIV prevention for at-risk youth. A Safe place providing: • Individual, group, peer-to-peer counseling and testing for HIV • Youth Reproductive Health & Life Skills Info. – Health Education through Community Drama and music – – “Taking the information to the youth”

4 Successful Innovative Initiatives 3. “Ashe Edutainment” The Ashe Company focuses on social and behaviour change communication designed to empower youth to make positive choices to live a healthy lifestyle. Works to improve knowledge and attitudes through games, music, dance and drama. Edutainment package includes musicals: • “Parenting Vibes in a World of Sexuality” • “Safe, Stupid or What!” After presentations the team holds sessions to discuss issues in the musicals and to empower youth to develop their own messages through music, dance and drama

4 Successful Innovative Initiatives 4. Edu. Sport • Not a sexuality education programme, but focuses on building children’s abilities to make more positive life choices. • Sports for Development (S 4 D) a priority action area. “Playing for Success” focuses on the following skills for at-risk children and youth: • Leadership • Self-confidence • Teamwork Coaches link sessions with school curriculum

Summary and Reflections • Can’t be “business as usual”. • Our programmes must focus on the strengths and interests of our children and youth – the arts, music, sports, ICT. • We must pull from research on how children learn best. • Non-school learning models are engaging our youth –what can we learn from this?

Summary and Reflections • Sexuality Education can’t be “imposed” on our children and youth in a “one size fits all” effort • Perhaps working more closely with our children and youth as they guide us to develop the programmes they want. “Let’s create the possibility
to enable each one to learn throughout their entire life. ”

Thank You!