Police Officer Frank Nous (second right) making a presentation to some workshop attendees.
ST. EUSTATIUS--The We Can Young team in St. Eustatius spearheaded a workshop on how to discuss sensitive issues, such as abstinence, sexuality and relationships with youth. The workshop was conducted by Organization Movisie from the Netherlands on Monday and Tuesday.
We Can Young commenced in 2015 and consists of representatives from Mega D Youth Foundation (MYF), represented by Ursula Lopes and Daughters of the King (DOTK) Foundation, represented by T-Rassia Redan.
The programme is coordinated by the Department of Public Health and directed by HIV/STI Coordinator Shanna Mercera-Gibbs.
Twenty-eight professionals from various local organizations attended the morning workshop, which included informative sessions that taught techniques and methods on how to discuss sensitive issues.
The afternoon session was organized for the youth. A total of 30 students from MYF, DOTK and Gwendoline van Putten secondary school attended.
Sessions included games, discussions regarding how to engage in positive dialogue amongst each other, the importance of setting boundaries in terms of sexuality and strategies on how to handle difficult situations.
The evening sessions were specifically for men and boys with guest speaker and trainer Kurtly Janga from Beat the Macho. He shared his experiences growing up as a child and the importance of fathers being in the lives of their children.
He specified the significance of being a good role model and how fathers can engage in positive conversation with their sons and why it is necessary to reduce macho behaviour in young boys.
Feedback from workshop attendees encouraged the need for more workshops with similar subject matter. Mercera-Gibbs is pleased with the success of the training and is looking forward to having more events throughout the year.
