THE VALLEY, Anguilla--More involvement of parents and guardians, additional sex education opportunities in schools, serious discussions on termination of pregnancies and the creation of identity acceptance programmes were some of the points that dominated Youth Consultation 2016 held in Anguilla on Wednesday, October 5.
This year’s consultation, held by St. Maarten AIDS Foundation and its youth wing in collaboration with Anguilla Community Action Network (ACAN) and French St. Martin’s Cité Scolaire Robert Weinum, brought together 62 teenagers (15 from Anguilla, 15 from St. Martin and 32 from St. Maarten) for deeper insight into the impact teenage pregnancy, talking to parents about sexual reproductive health, gender identity and living with HIV have on the teenager’s world.
The presentations at the consultation were “Teenage Pregnancy” by Dr Alfredo Callo, Jelani Simmons and Jeanille Gibs; “Living with HIV” by John C. Lake and Dr. Gerard van Osch; “Gender Identity” by Rajesh Chintaman and Simone van Dijk; and “How to Talk to Parents” by Minelvi Pietersz-Martina.
The day-long event, which facilitated an international consultation within the smallest parts of some of the largest parts of the European Union to brainstorm and consult, ended with a framework for the creation of documents on each topic, strategy to engage and energise teenagers and officials, and definite action plans.
Over the next two weeks the Foundation’s youth wing will finalise reports on the four breakaway topics, which then will be presented to the respective Government officials. Comprehensive reports on each topic will allow for a greater insight into current positive and negative trends within the teen world, activities that impact attitudes, intervention possibilities and behavioural change suggestions, among other things.
One of the key outcomes will be the creation of country-specific documents that can be used as guidelines by the three Governments and other non-governmental organisations to tackle teen pregnancy, gender identity, cross-generational sexual reproductive health discussions, and living with HIV from a teen’s perspective.
The programme, emceed by youth wing member Jermain Smoorenburg, allowed for intense debate and reflection on the cultural and attitude differences of the delegates of varying nationalities, who reside in three neighbouring overseas territories of the European Union in the Caribbean. While St. Maarten/St. Martin had similar positions on some topics it was clear that Anguilla has a much more conservative view.
Anguilla Minister with responsibility for Health and Education Evans McNeil Rogers said education was key to tackling several of these issues. He said, “The presence of young people at the conference shows that they are being educated.”
He said St. Maarten/St. Martin and Anguilla needed to work together as one in tackling diseases and these issues that affect teens. “We are connected every half an hour,” he said, referring to the fact that ferries ply the St. Martin channel every half hour.
St. Maarten Parliament Chairwoman Sarah Wescot Williams said in her capacity as European Union Regional Authorising Officer for HIV/AIDS that this consultation proved that strides were being made. She praised the teenagers for stepping up to the plate.
St. Maarten Minister of Education Silveria Jacobs, who spent several hours with the students and participated in the presentation discussions, said she was impressed with the students’ enthusiasm and that the discussion with the teens proved that consultation with the youth on health and education was important. “Government can’t do everything,” she said adding that the teenagers’ input would add important knowledge.
Reflecting on hearing the three national songs at the opening of the consultation, Jacobs suggests that the islands should consider a unifying song for Anguilla and St. Maarten/St. Martin. Her suggestion was met with loud applause.
ACAN Chief Executive Officer John C. Lake has already made plans to formalise the creation of ACAN’s youth arm with the intention of involving the teens of the Anguilla delegation. He said the establishment of the youth arm fell well within ACAN’s strategic plan and would come at a time when it is celebrating its 10th anniversary.
St. Maarten AIDS Foundation Director Rajesh Chintaman called on Government officials to use the results of the consultation in their various teen policies and in future policies. It is the Foundation’s hope that policymakers will be able to access the information collected and use it to create effective intervention and action plans that work at making a positive impact on teens and the general population.
Chintaman said the Foundation was excited about continuing the collaboration with St. Martin’s Cité Scolaire Robert Weinum. He said the school’s Principal Frantz Gumbs and Teacher Guillemette Lanoe were very supportive and enthusiastic about a continued exchange of ideas and knowledge.
As a show of support for youth initiatives, Anguilla Chief Minister Victor Banks and Assistant Home Affairs Minister Everly Bradley were also present, along with several other Government officials.
The event was organised in a manner that stimulated good discussions and left a lasting impression on all involved.
