...patience
...dedication
...Team work
...Being flexible
...1 on 1 interactions
...agreeing to disagree
...non-traditional teaching
...expecting the Unexpected
...fighting for what you believe
...accepting things that you do not understand
...learning that your ways or ideas aren’t always the right ones
...teaching that everyone should demand to be respected
...helping youth(and older people) realize that they matter
...building confidence through skills learning and sharing
...pushing through the hard days when nothing makes sense
...helping youth realize that they can be the best no matter what
...helping others understand what is it in their life that puts them at risk
...remembering that nobody is perfect and that tomorrow WILL be better
After being asked to put a poster together(regarding my work in the village) for an All Volunteer Conference, I thought about what HIV/AIDS prevention and education is to me and how exactly am I "teaching" that to people in my village. Above are some things that I thought about, there are a million of explanations and ways that other volunteers or people in general are using in order to "teach" people about HIV and such. I put "teach" in parenthesis because, I don't believe that I am a "teacher" to be exact, and I certainly do not only believe in just traditional ways of teaching. I think at some point before I joined the Peace Corps and during our first couple of months in country during training, there was an expectation that what we will be doing is finding people in our community to form groups in orders to have sessions about HIV. But what does that really mean? Is it expected that every week or so, I will meet with these different groups to deliver information about HIV. Is that all? Is that very productive and effective. Maybe it is but what else should HIV/AIDS prevention and education involved? As our HIV/AIDS coordinator said, we have past the point of "just teaching" about HIV, we need action, we need behavior change. I to have done "traditional teaching sessions" about HIV but for the past couple of months I have realized and felt that I have been going about it the wrong way. Just as a young child learn about many things about life in different settings or through different things, I think that I should also change the way I go about this.
So...to better explain, let me just say that I can no longer just stand in front of people to "just" talk about HIV. Over 75% of Namibians know what HIV is and the modes of transmission, so does that mean that it is beneficial or enjoyable for them to hear a Haitian-American girl speak English with a weird accent about something they have heard thousand of times. Yes some may argue that, that sounds impossible since people are still getting infected with HIV. I do ask myself that all the time, however, there are many many many other factors (which I will not get into today...maybe one day) that contributes to the rise of HIV infections. Moreover, I like to think back on my life and thing about what molded me. What did my parents/family keep me from, what did they teach me, what did they not allow me to do? What influenced me, what TV shows/movies did i watch or what type of music did I listen to? Who were my role models? Why and how did I decide not to do certain things? How many of my teachers truly invested their time on me? etc... I like to think about these things before I plan something with the youth I work with (the health club). I like to question myself and see what exactly are they going to get out of these activities. I also like to give them 1-1 attention.
Lately, I have been pushing them to get more involved in their community. It is said that:
"Through quality service experiences, youth can develop important skills such as critical thinking, a sense of civic responsibility, and an increased sense of self efficacy that will be useful to them throughout their lives. The sense that they can, and should, participate in their communities creates a strong foundation for their future. In addition to the civic and academic skills benefits, studies are starting to suggest the connection youth make to community members, their educators, and other classmates can impact their decisions and abilities to graduate from high school. Youth engagement in a community, especially when tied to the curriculum and when the youth are given an active voice, can be an enormous benefit to the path of not only the youth’s future, but the community's future as well."
with that I hope to really have an opportunity to build up their character, their confidence and give them an opportunity to have an active role not only in the club but also in their community. In addition to that, I like to talk about random topics that aren't necessarily tied to HIV but that are essentially an important factor to developing their "life skills". Sharing ideas amongst volunteers and my co-workers at work is also really great. I love that I can totally change what I planned to do to incorporate experiences and advices from others. It is difficult to talk to some kids about certain topis sometimes (like condoms, sex, love ect...and even teach them health skills like how to take pulse or use a computer) And after many of them told me that they heard that Love stood for "Lady Open Vagina Everyday", it became clear that these topics had to be brought up several times. Let me be clear and say that not everybody in my community have these thoughts nor believe that, it is just unfortunate that this phrase was made up and that some kids have gotten a hold of it. Just as in the states their are many unfortunate things that the youth fall into. Anyways, topics like these do not usually involved the youth and if they are not hearing the real truth about them, where should they go and get the facts, clearly not only amongst them since the phrase Lady Open Vagina Everyday was made up. I am not one with all the answers or the perfect life, and I make sure to tell them that. What I do know though is that in life there are some things that we should not tolerate. Such as being disrespected, being forced to do things we don't want or don't feel ready to do...to name a few.I hope that I am somehow getting through to them. I am asked how do I monitor and evaluate them and to tell you the truth there is no precise or best way for me to do so. It is sometimes hard to see if they all understand or comprehend what I say, since even after 6 months they are very quiet, so quiet that sometimes I die a little inside. Anyways some of them participate and really asks me questions that helps me realize that they are thinking. So i go with that but most times I repeat the same sessions every couple months are so. After all repetition does work....right?
Besides all this work mambo jambo lol, I am doing well. August is suppose to be the last month of winter so I am looking forward to summer SOOOOO much, i don't think I can explain in words how excited i am lol. The day time is really not that bad, let me not let my exaggeration get the best of me lol but really at night and in the early mornings...its cold :(.
As far as language learning, Kuna ku kambadhara...I am trying really. We are suppose to start some nifty nutrition classes with pregnant women...one day, so I think I am going to write down my parts in Thimbukushu on an index card then just read it when the day comes. There is a great possibility that my pronunciation will be ...not so good and that people will laugh lol but ill keep you updated with that lol.
I must admit...I am not good at really up keeping my blog i should not lie to myself or you...but i will say that...kuna ku kambadhara.
Until next time my friends and lovers!
Smile like you mean it :)
Karepo Thiwana!
