CARICOM Youth plan regional communication campaign on HIV/AIDS
Twenty five young people ages 17 – 29 years representing 10 Caribbean countries recently converged at the UN House in Barbados to work on drafting a communication campaign for young people on HIV/AIDS.After having been presented with information relating to the situation of HIV/AIDS in the region, and information on how to design a communication campaign, the young people then went into working groups where they sought to identify the problem, the purpose of the campaign, their target group and messages that would reach their target group.
At the end of the two-day meeting, which was organized by CARICOM/PANCAP with support from the UNICEF Office for Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, the young people decided that the 15-19 age groups was a key target group for information on HIV/AIDS.
They also concurred that effective messages on correct condom use and abstinence needed to reach this group in order to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS. Finally working along with a professional graphic artiste as well as radio and television script writers they reached consensus on the content of messages for radio, television as well as the artwork for printed materials.
This messaging workshop, which was facilitated by Elaine King and Lisa McClean-Trotman of UNICEF and Sarah Gordon of PANCAP, is just phase one of the larger process. The second phase will involve the actual production of the materials, which will then be pre-tested with 15-19 year olds in each of the participating countries. It is expected that the campaign will be launched in January 2006.
UNICEF EASTERN CARIBBEAN OFFICE
