Thread:Impacts on Youth Enterprises (13)

Hi All

YES!! I strongly believe that HIV& AIDS should be incorporated in the course reasons’ being that the pandemic has become part of our daily lives and we are faced with the harsh reality that if one is not infected then they are affected. I also believe that the people and especially youth do not know much about the pandemic and through the training they are able to overcome their deepest fears and get answers to questions they fail to ask under normal circumstances. I also believe that there is a strong desire by the youth to learn more about the disease. I can attest to this through personal experience. I have been training youth in Gender and entrepreneurship using the ILO training package since 2008 and although the training package did not incorporate the HIV and AIDS component in it. I took the initiative of including it as part of the training. At the end of the training package before evaluations facilitate on HIV and AIDS as well as Human Rights and Childrens Rights. And it was through these most heated and interesting discussions that I realised that HIV and AIDS should be incorporated. Hence, I would strongly like to recommend the HIV and AIDS component in this course.

Presentation

I would begin this particular session by asking participants into groups where they would answer to questions like:

1.	What is HIV? 2.	What is AIDS? 3.	What are some of the ways in which one can be infected by HIV? 4.	What are the modes of prevention? 5.	Is circumcision the answer to reduced HIV infections? 6.	How does HIV & AIDS affect their businesses as youth? 7.	How do we youth protect ourselves from the pandemic?

From the presentations one is able to know where to start from on the presentation thereby drawing the participants into discussions that would highlight issues, myths, belief and what reality is. I would also present to them the dangers of multiple concurrent partners, the importance of knowing ones status and how HIV & AIDS not only robs them of the much needed necessary financial resources, but also the their time but end their lives at their most productive stage.

Thanks