The “YOUTH MEDIA: OUR RESPONSE TO HIV/AIDS”, is a project that intends to promote the use of media, tecnology and communication skills produced by young migrants to motivate adequate HIV/AIDS prevention attitudes and behaviors towards their peers coming from African Migrant from Portuguese Speaking Countries in Africa who live in disadvantaged neighborhoods of Amadora Village surrounding the Lisbon Area.
Our initiatives have already proved the important role of adequate Youth information and communication tools in helping this specific group of young people to access health goods and services. In our programme , Young Portuguese-speaking African migrants living in Portugal - such as ourselves - produce a radio show, a youth magazine(paper and digital support)and SMS text messages regarding STDs/HIV/AIDS.
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Due to the lack of adequate information on STI/HIV/aids regarding Young people, we started the project in S. Tomé and Principe (African Country)in 2003 - as an Informal group of Young people called BUÉ FIXE.
By that time, we have also create, with the collaboration of other Young People, a Youth Magazine, caring the same name,in digital and paper format, to exchange IST/HIV/AIDS related experiences addressed and to Young people.
In 2005, when I came to Portugal to continue my studies, I became an active member of the NGO Citizens of the World that promotes the access ofYoung African Migrants ,living in Portugal , to their social rights, focusing on IST/HIV/Aids diagnosis,prevention and treatment.
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In this project the main goal is to promote safer atitudes and behaviours regarding the risk of STI/HIV/AIDS infection among young migrants coming from portuguese speaking countries in Africa by:
• Scaling-up existing and effective HIV/AIDS prevention initiatives in order to reach more young migrants
• Expanding adequate support and opportunities to those already infected by HIV, in order to improve the quality of their life and promote safer behaviors towards themselves and – consequently- to others.
• Empowering young girls and women so that they may face STI/HIV/AIDS risks through safer atitudes and beahaviours.
• Empowering young people living with STI/HIV/AIDS
• Developing community based initiatives focusing on reducing stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV.
The “YOUTH MEDIA: OUR RESPONSE TO HIV/AIDS”, uses adequate media tools in order to reach the following objectives:
1. Increase the knowledge and skills of Young Community Leaders through Training Workshops and debates regarding the risks of STI/HIV infection in order to reach larger numbers of young migrants.
2. Increase the use of condoms among this specific group, through the free distribution of condoms in night clubs and others places frequented by this specific population.
3. Increase the acess to adequate information and services regarding STI/HIV/AIDS through SMS messages sent to those in our contact lists.
4. Increase the acess to adequate information and services regarding STI/HIV/AIDS among this group, by ofering an atractiveand highly participative Radio show to promote Peer Information among this specific population.
a) Promote safer atitudes and behaviours among children through the production and distribution of I.E.C. materials in places where this group of young people gather and meet such as Schools(five) ,Shopping Centers (three ),Libraries (seven) among other.
• Per week we reach around six hundred (600) young migrants through our SMS text messages
• In our Training Workshops we actively engage twenty five(25) Young Migrants per session
• In our Facebook page we reach around two thousand (2,000)young people per week
• We direcly deliver our Magazine (BUÉ FIXE) to 6,000 Young Migrants.
• It is difficult to identify how many Young Migrants listen to our Radio show broadcasted in Portugal and five(5) African Portuguese Speaking Countries.
We have learned that no policy may suceed if one does not LISTEN TO THE TARGET AUDIENCE.This is our main lesson. To achieve our goals with a high participation we have implemented a Network of Portuguese speaking Young Africans (REDEjovensCPLP) to provide to this specific population, information and technical support so that they may create their own Association and be prepared to implement STI/HIV/aids related and adequate initiatives. We use a Blog and we are now preparing a new Site as tools to improve an active participation of this specific Young People.We are well known in Portugal as the media frequently covers our activities promoting the mobilization of other Young Migrants who communicate with us and get our support for their own activities focusing on STI/HIV/aids issues. Some important events and Conferences raised attention to our work such as the European Aids Conference and others focusing on working with young sex workers and men who have sex with men.