Impacts on Youth Enterprises
Our colleagues being infected or affected by HIV/AIDS can have a great impact on their productivity, our perceptions and thinking, and eventually, our productivity too.
SCENARIO:
You are training young people in Entrepreneurship.
- Should discussions on HIV/AIDS be incorporated into the course? Why?
- Make a presentation to them on the impacts of HIV/AIDS on Businesses, especially on a Small Business (youth enterprise) like the ones they intend to set up. <just give them a graphic picture of HOW HIV/AIDS effects the various aspects (or production elements) of their business.>
In the current context, this should be the major cross cutting issues especially for small scale enterprises .if they do not include these issues there may be many implications on their business like; Low productivity, customers concern on quality, extra cost for insurance and safety net issues and discriminations and work disruption ,after all those issues will make MSMES unsustainable
Thank you Ekanath. What do other members think?
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
Incorporation of HIV/AIDS lessons into Training Young People in Entrepreneurship I think YES. Because,
- these young ones are the future of the world.
- they will form the future human and knowledge resource for individual countries and the world at large. If they are not aware now, we may lose most of them to the menace. Our greatest resources will be wasted to the drain.
- today, young people are agents of change and we need to build capacity to fight HIV and AIDS. They are capable of being peer educators so trainings of such nature will be a platform for them to learn more about the menace and also about modern methods of delivering HIV and AIDS education to others.
- they can also be in the position to educate or even counsel elderly people in society such as parents through youth advocacy work. In Ghana now, the youth are beginning to enjoy attention for government and civil organisations since are becoming aware of their potentials and capabilities. That is why I personally comment the organisers of IPYET for creating this platform to also talk about HIV and AIDS.
Making a presentation to them on the impacts of HIV/AIDS on Businesses, especially on a Small Business It is praiseworthy to give a presentation on HIV and AIDS on the impacts of HIV/AIDS on Businesses.
- As Confucius the Chinese philosopher & reformer puts it "I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand." I see that the impression of presentation will be stronger especially if it goes beyond mere presentation. Graphic presentations, video shows and other forms of presentations like role play etc. will help such participants to understand and appreciate the need to continue advocacy work on HIV and AIDS and to also help their personal development. Of course, small businesses (youth enterprises) are sources of livelihood to so many people and a presentation will go a long way to inform, educate and communicate better on their impact on small businesses (youth enterprises)
Dear all,
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Hi All,
1.Yes, discussions on HIV/AIDS should be incorporated into the course, but not just HIV/AIDS, other issues that promote health and well being such as exercise, rest and leisure etc should also be included because they promote a healthy mind and body which is essential for business success.
Discussions on HIV/AIDS is important because it will ensure that employees get adequate information on HIV/AIDS prevention and care from the workplace , where they spend a greater amount of their time daily. It will also safeguard businesses from low productivity which may result from high morbidity and mortality due to HIV/AIDS.
2. Presentation: The impact of HIV/AIDS on business operations is a factor that every entrepreneur should take seriously. HIV/AIDs associated illness can reduce productivity of staff, and death resulting HIV/AIDS could mean loss of valuable contribution and a drain on the psychology of other employees, which could also affect productivity.
The impact of HIV/AIDS is greater on small businesses, because they have small number of employees. Therefore, when an employee in a small business goes down with HIV/AIDS, it will affect productivity more.
To safeguard business from the effect of HIV/AIDS, every entrepreneur, especially SMEs should ensure that there is an HIV/AIDS workplace programme in place. The workplace programme should focus on HIV/AIDS prevention, care and support
Dear Colleaques,
YES.
NEEDS FOR HIV/AIDS FOR YOUTH IN ENTREPRENEUR. The need to have HIV/AIDS Course contents for the Youth in Entrepreneur programme are AS follows:
Youth are vulnerable in nature to abuse,exploitation, unintended pregnancy,Sexual Transmitted Infection (STIs) and HIV
- Youth approach adulthood with conflicting and confusing messages about sexuality and gender
- Youth like adventure in life (trial period)
- They are sexual active group
- Youth are the pride of any nation
- They contribute to the development of any nation
- They are the major workforce of any growing nation
- They are extremely vulnerable to HIV/AIDS infection with a prevalence rate of 5.2% in Nigeria
- Almost 50% of all new HIV infections are among young people (Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, 2004)
- Youth can create demand and provide HIV information and life skills as peer educators
Presentations on HIV/AIDS Programmes on Youth in Entrepreneur The following are my suggestions on programmes for Small Entrepreneur on HIV/AIDS which are mainly on ‘The Principles, Methods, Prevention, Treatment and Management’.
- Understanding HIV and AIDS -Situation of HIV/AIDS in the world
- Differences between HIV/AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections
- Sign and Symptoms of Sexually Transmitted Infection
- Wrong Beliefs about Cure and Treatment for Sexually Transmitted Infections and HIV/AIDS
- How to Get and Spread HIV/AIDS
- Habits that increases the Risk of Getting infected with AIDS Virus
- Building a strong Defense against HIV/AIDS
- Methods of HIV Transmission and Prevention Management of AIDS -Signs and Symptoms of HIV/AIDS
- How To Prevent Getting Infected with HIV Virus
- Methods of Preventing HIV Infection
- Voluntary Testing for HIV/AIDS
- Pregnancy and HIV/AIDS
- Care and Support for Affected Person
- Being Your Sisters and Brothers Keeper
- Note: Some of the above topics can be diagrammatically illustrated with pictures for simplicity of terms
Hi Victor & team, Im really loving the discussions. YES! Discussions on HIV/AIDS must be included in the course. The Sub-Sahara region is the most affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic in the world. And as indicated by other participants, youths and young women are the most affected group. As young leaders, we should therefore be taught how to best handle and manage this topic so that we present it in the best way possible. It would also be very important for us to approach the subject with level headedness bearing in mind that some of our colleagues participating in this training could actually be infected. Let charity begin at home<smile>
Be-The-Best!
Yes discussions on HIV/AIDS be incorporated into the course. This is because:
- HIV/AIDS has a great impact on enterprises due to loss of production hours when someone is sick or goes for treatment or attends funerals.
- HIV/AIDS is normally attached with a lot of stigma, so there is need to openly discuss methods of prevention of acquistion and transmission of HIV/AIDS.
- HIV/AIDS has affected a lot of youths and hence the need to be continually senstised on how it is transmitted and how it can be managed if acquired.
Presentation
I would give this quote:
“AIDS is uniquely destructive to economies, because it kills people in the prime of their lives. Especially in its early stages, the epidemic tends to strike urban centres, the better educated, the elite in leadership and the most productive members of society. These deaths leach profits out of businesses and economies. There are already several examples of the enormous impact which corporate action can have in the fight against HIV/AIDS. They exist both in the workplace, which is one of the most effective places to educate and reach people, and in global efforts through advocacy, in-kind support, engagement with partners and direct donations.” Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the United Nations, 12/01/2004
And ask the youth entrepreneurs to discuss by giving examples from their communities and enterprises.
1. Yes. It should be incorporated into the course. With our department before entrepreneurs are trained, they fill the entry form and in it there is a question that ask if they think HIV/AIDS has an impact on Business. They answers we get show that there is a lot to be shared with young people about it. If such discussions are incorporated then entrepreneurs will have new thinking about HIV/AIDS, make new plans and establish new approaches.
2. THIS IS WHAT I DO WITH MY TRAINEES I give them hand outs of case studies about HIV/AIDS at work place. We discuss them and provide some information. I also invite employees from the National Aids Council (NAC) to do presentation about HIV/AIDS and Entrepreneurship. At the Youth Centre I use to conduct trainings there are Peer Educators and HIV Counseling and Testing Unit which few of the trainees visit after or during trainings.
