Considering the enormity of the HIV-AIDS pandemic and the way, we as people, across the board have responded to it in our different ways, we would volunteer to suggest that we’ve been focusing so much on the problem, for instance in managing the burden of disease.

It seems there is room for a fundamental re-consideration of the approach in some way. There is merit in what is going on in dealing with the arising issues from this pandemic, however, we wonder if we have actually accommodated the voice of the young people. In this we mean, to sit down with them and listen to what they have to say with a different listening that allows growth to happen without a ‘telling attitude’ but an accommodating, acknowledging, “ I see You”, “I Hear YOU” attitude, that allows a different voice and perspective to come out. HIV-AIDS is spoken here for dialogue purposes, the issue could easily be climate change, services delivery, housing, economic development or any other. We speak of HIV-AIDs as central theme that could grab attention for focus on youth leadership development that has the potential to develop a value system that involves or attracts participation than alienates. We the elders know it all and should tell them what to do, BUT, do we know it ALL?

What would it take us to focus on the solution: health and wellness promotion of the teenager in a comprehensive way that involves preventative wellness through awareness of listening to them, education that sources wisdom from the elder, empowerment that comes from promoting resilience built on intelligence of the ‘poor’ or ‘affected’ and new ways of thinking sourced from uncovering the hidden, ‘trapped’ voice? It is about bringing in training tools, principles and skills that already exist in the field(environment/community), sharing experiences from their perspective, to understand what they carry, what their world is experienced from their perspective that then leads to knowledge for them, their empowerment and a better world for them and ours. Ours is simply to ask questions and more questions. No provision of answers, just insightful questions.

Our idea involves facilitating spaces for conversation and play, guided by ‘workshop’ processes to groups of young people(20 per six-to-nine month session period)selected from existing Community Based Organisations and to explore the inner landscapes of the groups and the individual in the group of youths participating in this (mixed gender 16 till 35 years of age) highlighting how their (thoughts, drivers, motivators, values, attitudes, goals, feelings, emotions, inner individual belief systems, assumptions, perceptions, expectations, choices and decisions) formulate strategies of engagement with the self and outside environment in as far as they influence relationships with HIV/AIDS, climate change and collective wisdom in their community(environment).

The issues that will be explored (and hence solutions sought for ) include wellness of the complete person, capacity building, gender inequality, low literacy levels among them, denial of impact on environment, stigma, blame, hidden agendas in interpersonal relationships, ineffective leadership among their personal and group progression in life. It also interrogates promiscuity among the young men of the community so to understand them and not to blame or tell them what not to do, and bring them into conversations with their girl counterparts in dialogue about HIV/AIDS as well as patriarchal dominance, relationship dysfunctional beliefs that hinder integration of the community or perpetuate apathy to do something about healing the community. Perhaps a benefit from this approach could be that to access such issues xenophobia, racism and such difficult topics that influence our lives yet are hidden and illusive to the common mind, in our opinion. If we experience it, there may be a reason to think that something about it is in our midst yet we cannot pinpoint it to fish it out.

Using the impact of speaking in a created space where equality, honouring and acknowledgement takes place, for instance, in a circle and the wilderness nature (for instance Table Mountain), where every participant is 'seen' and ‘heard’ by their counterparts, acknowledged and valued with who (the person in the individual that they bring) are in the circle and what they bring of themselves as individuals, we tap into the individual personal potential, patience, perseverance, vision and innovation to make inroads into resistance, avoidance, apathy and shame that we assume seems to be holding back many of our communities from coming forward with solving issues within their communities. Workshop processes help us break through the belief barrier system of participants that are currently preventing the community from being successful, then we clarify with them their most important values and help them learn to overcome values conflicts while together we identify their true and ultimate values then align the values with the version of success that means true to these youths and help them choose to be successful and remain on this path.

Article Source:www.skills-universe.com

---

Share this article