Juventud Rebelde
2-26-2005
Promoters on equal terms
A CubaNews translation by Ana
Portela
Edited by Walter Lippmann
Knowing is a protection against the influence of the group and
allows us to open up, to say “no” to what we don’t want and teach our lovers to
go “softly” until the time comes.
By Mileyda Menéndez and Odalys Riquenes
Santiago de Cuba.- Are we the promoters? We’re just
normal people although sometimes we are looked at askance because we know more
about sexuality that is more than what is common for our age. (Yadana, 16 years
old, from Santiago)
“Initially some of our friends are influenced by their parents who claim that
‘knowing too much leads to experimentation’. They would tell us to ‘watch out
for this, don’t make a mistake’ but now they call us, ask us about our doubts,
they confess their misgivings about confronting sexuality and some end up paying
attention to us, luckily”. (Carla, 14 from Havana)
“I would have liked to be a promoter much earlier but now, I’m enjoying it in
the Course of Integral Updating and try to help as much as I can. Our work has a
great impact; more so in the sanatorium; in my province where we help people who
live with HIV; what we learn there helps clear up the doubts of the rest of
them”. (Leonel, 23, from Matanzas).
“I began promoting health by setting up an exhibit on HIV in my school. When I
noticed the interest of my schoolmates I felt moved to offer talks and, above
all, to approach the adolescents who have family members with the virus, to help
them learn to offer the emotional support these people need”. (Nagabis, 14, from
Havana)
“To promote health among my schoolmates is a way of checking on myself, of
growing up, exploring my goals, learning to listen, to be flexible… and also to
give value to emotional courage and good “humor”. (Malena, 17, from Santiago).
“To take part in this Congress, share experiences with other promoters and
specialists who work for us, has been a great opportunity. Some times we think
that adolescents don’t listen to adults but when they talk to us in a language
we understand and with respect, we do … and with great pleasure! (Julio, 14,
from Havana).
WHO ARE THEY?
The work of promotion among pairs (in this case between persons who share the
same interests and are in the same age bracket) has the purpose of changing
behavior in such an important aspect as sexual health and reproduction from the
point of view of the group, explains Dr. Imilse Arrue, coordinator of this
project in the National Center for Sexual Education (CENESEX).
“Our efforts in the country have been going on for more than a decade, but have
strengthened much more in the past two years. That is the reason for the need to
have this meeting as a means of setting up a national network of adolescent
promoters and give them the opportunity to share their knowledge and, mostly,
the great diversity of expressions they have thought of to communicate with
their classmates, Dr. Arrue stresses.
Delving into the motivations of these adolescents and young people who
voluntarily promote a responsible sexuality, Sexo Sentido was able to note the
variety of similar qualities they have: they have a good communication with
their parents, even before their work as promoters; they offer great solidarity,
with common interests; they are very sure of themselves in their social
behavior, using a fresh and young language, but without vulgarities. They had
prior knowledge of the subject and most had not begun sexual relations nor were
they “in a hurry” to do so.
These characteristics deny the myth that knowing too much makes them vulnerable.
Haidé, from Havana, explains that knowing more is a protection against the
influence of the group and allows us to open up and say “no” to what we don’t
want and teaches our lovers to tread “softly” until the right time.
Currently there are more than 700 adolescent promoters in the country prepared
through a variety of courses that vary from one week to six months depending on
the purpose.
This is a project that is sponsored by the collaboration of the United Nations
Global Fund, Dr. Imilse explains.
TO PROMOTE THE FUTURE
The young promoters are aware that their work in the prevention of AIDS is not a
panacea. Experts from different countries who have participated in this First
Caribbean Congress and Second National Meeting of Integral Attention to the
Adolescents understand that there are still many prejudices and that the
majority of educational programs are vertical, directed by adults to the young
people and they ignore their language.
That is why CENESEX, the STD/AIDS National Center of Prevention and other Cuban
institutions are dedicated to the preparation of paired promoters today, going
about it according to the group to which the messages are directed and they
receive participation from the initial diagnosis of the learning necessities on
the subject to the preparation of pamphlets such as those presented by the young
people from Matanzas, Rogelio and Deisy, the theater performances done by the
ones from Havana and Santiago and other very creative materials.
Even so, the protagonists of the project do not measure their effectiveness on
general terms but on the individuality of each young girl who did not become
pregnant or on each young person who did not rush into sexual relations under
group pressure offering "friendly advice".
Of course, they have had to confront difficulties in their educational work,
mostly when the heads of the schools and work centers don’t take them seriously
and they are not given the necessary time for it, as Dagnay, 16 and from
Santiago, explained.
That is why they set down their originality when they go to the beach in the
summer or to the school camps in the country, to the camping centers, to the
centers of adolescent integral attention, to the discos and other spaces most
frequented by younger people.
There they receive condoms, pamphlets and everything they can think of, on an
equal footing, as referred to by Dr. Ana Guisantes, president of the Sexual
Education Commission in that province… and space for the young people, with
great enthusiasm.
“Something that typifies us as adolescents is that we are restless: we are never
in the same place, we face new goals every day and fall in love with what we do…
so we invite young people from all the provinces to join in this work against
AIDS and, also, against alcoholism, drugs and everything that can endanger our
future, a future that can be beautiful”.
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[Sexo Sentido, or "Sexual Sense" is the weekly column on sex and
relationships which is featured in the Cuban daily Juventud Rebelde.)