YOUTH MEDIA: OUR RESPONSE TO HIV/AIDS

Project Location

Country: 
Portugal
City: 
Amadora

Organization

Organization Name: 
Bué Fixe-Youth NGO
Organization Type: 
Association

Website

Under Construction

Privacy Law

Consenso al trattamento dei dati personali
Do you authorize the FMD to the treatment of your personal data?: 
I do authorize the FMD to the use of my personal data.

Project Type

ICT for integration of migrants and refugees

Project Description

Description Frase (max. 500 characters): 

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.
Vedi allegato

Project Summary (max. 2000 characters): 

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.

Vedi allegato

How long has your project been running?

2008-12-30 23:00:00

Objectives and Innovative Aspects

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.

Results

Describe the results achieved by your project How do you measure (parameters) these. (max. 2000 characters): 
we have achieved: • Production and broadcasting of forthy (40) radio programs on STI/HIV/aids. • Distribution of 90.000 condoms ( in specific sites such as night clubs, hair dresser rooms in different neighborhoods and public spaces in Amadora). • Distribution (sending out) of fifty(50 ) different SMS messages regarding STI/HIV/aids prevention to all those in our contact list. • Production and broadcasting of five (5)different Spots on STI/HIV/aids test,prevention and treatment • Five(5) Training Sessions addressed to our project members and our target group, reaching near 154 people (15 in Santa Filomena, 16 in Cova da Moura, 13 within the IPJ, 50 in Quinta do Laje and 60 people in Vale de Amoreira). • Production, editing and distribution of five (5) editions of the Magazine BUÉ FIXE delivering 5.000 samples directly to Young African Migrants. • Deliver of almost four undred (400) informative leaflets on STI/HIV/aids information
How many users interact with your project monthly and what are the preferred forms of interaction? (max. 500 characters): 

• 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.

Sustainability

What is the full duration of your project (from beginning to end)?: 
More than 6 years
What is the approximate total budget for your project (in Euro)?: 
Less than 10.000 Euro
What is the source of funding for your project?: 
Fee
Is your project economically self sufficient now?: 
Yes
Since when?: 
2008-12-30 23:00:00

Transferability

Has your project been replicated/adapted elsewhere?: 
Yes
Where? By whom?: 
In other vulnerable communities in Portugal By whom? Young African People working on a voluntary basis
What lessons can others learn from your project? (max. 1500 characters): 

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.

Are you available to help others to start or work on similar projects?: 
Yes

Background Information

Barriers and Solutions (max. 1000 characters): 
1) Many young migrants coming from Portuguese speaking countries in Africa live there with no access to adequate information, maintaining high risk attitudes and behaviors regarding their sexual and reproductive health including the risk of STI/HIV/aids infection when compared with similar groups living in other countries in Europe. Other constraints affecting this specific group of young people are unemployment, drug abuse and the lack of opportunities and support to access health and educational settings. Others factors such as violence and alcohol abuse, within the family, create barriers to the social inclusion of these youngsters coming from Portuguese-speaking countries in Africa, such as Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau or São Tome and Principe. Some may be able to finish high school but have no economic means to continue their studies. A minority may be able to finish their university studies but will not find a job. Young migrants, within the major group of young people, are also those more directly affected by STI/HIV/AIDS as well as by tuberculosis. Regarding our initiative the main constraints was the lack of financial means to implement the most basic work such as lack of means to pay for the public transports, small snacks or basic pedagogic materials.
Future plans and wish list (max. 750 characters): 
We would like to be able to: 1) Scalle up our programme so that we could reach more Young Migrants 2) Get a Site realy modern and dinamic that could efectively: a) Mobilize an active and efective participation of this specific Young People b) Dessiminate the TV and Radio Spots that we have produced c) Dessiminate our Radio Shows 3) Publish our notes on How to develop Youth to Youth Information and Prevention Activities regarding STI/HIV/aids.
HIV media