Real talk participants and facilitators
EBENEZER--The St. Maarten AIDS Foundation facilitated its Real Talk and BOOSTER Real Talk workshops for male students of the St. Maarten Academy PSVE School.
Forty first form students participated in the 3-day Real Talk workshops October 22-24 and 39 fourth form students participated in the BOOSTER Real Talk workshops on October 23.
The slogan of the empowerment workshops was “They were Keeping It Real!”
“The key goal of these workshops is to inform, educate and to encourage healthy and wise choices,” stated an AIDS Foundation press release on Tuesday. “We guide students on how to overcome obstacles in life and provide information on how to deal with peer pressure and respecting oneself. We create a safe and non-judgemental environment where the young men can engage in different activities and ask questions on topics that are interesting and relevant to them.”
The foundation explained that this is achieved through the use of different forms of games, videos and open discussions.
Facilitators of the Real Talk workshops were Gabriel Flanders, Fabiana Richardson, Heather Caputo, Rene Violenus, Erick Van Arneman, Natasha Carty, Janet Urighre Jose and Naila Carty. Facilitators of the BOOSTER Real Talk were Andwele Illes, Priya Raju and Edsel Monzon.
