CONTENT

About the Council

Activities
Council Members
Featured Article
Facts
Blogs
Contact Us

THE COUNCIL
JYAN continues to partner with Advocates for Youth on the international Youth Speak Out
(iYSO) project which is designed to empower young people to advocate for their sexual
reproductive health and rights through advocacy, public awareness-raising, and mobilization of
peers to take action.

The IYSO Project seeks to provide information and key resources and to facilitate linkages and
opportunities for youth advocates in Jamaica and other developing countries. A team of eight
young advocates have been appointed as members of JYAN Sexual and Reproductive Health
and Rights Council known as Jamaican Safely Tackling Adolescent Reproductive Health (JSTAR).
These persons advocate at the national and international level for rights and evidence-based
sexual and reproductive health programmes and policies.

Partnerships are critical to the success of the iYSO Project. As such, members work with the
staffs of the JYAN, Advocates for Youth and other youth organizations/groups and civil society
organizations that addresses similar concerns to increase support for adolescent and youth
sexual and reproductive health and rights, especially family planning and global HIV/AIDS.

Jamaicans Safely Tackling Adolescent Reproductive Health JSTAR

 The council’s aims are:

 Educate policy makers on the  Ensure that Health and Family Life
importance of increasing family Education forms an integral part of the
planning dollars to improve the curricula in all Jamaican secondary
reproductive health right of young schools.
people.  Educate the media on the issues of
 Institutionalisation of youth HIV/AIDS and family planning;
participation in policy decision- partnering with the media to raise an
making bodies relevant to SRH awareness of the impact of stigma and
programme design, implementation discrimination on persons living with
and evaluation. and affected by HIV/AIDS.

ACTIVITIES
Youth Universal Access consultation

appropriate strategies to create a more

enabling environment to reduce young people's
Vulnerability to HIV transmission and AIDS-
related deaths. It also aired the human-rights
issues around stigma and discrimination
preventing access to HIV prevention, treatment,

care and support for the nation's youth. Entitled

More than 20 young people from across
'Getting To Zero & The Road to Universal
Jamaica met on April 9 to critically assess this
Access', the consultation was convened by the
possibility based on the live reality that they
Jamaica Youth Advocacy Network (JYAN) with
confront on a daily basis. Their assessment was
technical assistance from UNAIDS. JYAN is an
carried out against the background of rape,
independent, voluntary, youth-led, non-
incest, lack of condoms, sexual diversity,
governmental organisation (NGO) which
discrimination, among other factors. The
represents the interests and aspirations of
consultation sought to identify gaps in the
youth across Jamaica.
national response to HIV and AIDS, and suggest

Jamaicans Safely Tackling Adolescent Reproductive Health JSTAR

Training
JYAN hosted a residential training for the JSTAR
council at Hotel Four Seasons in Kingston from
January 21-23, 2011. The primary goal of this
training was to build the capacity of the JSTAR
council to advance the sexual and reproductive
health and rights (SRHR) agenda for young
people in Jamaica and internationally.
The three-day training sessions canvassed a
number of areas including National Policy and
Advocacy on SRHR, Messaging/Public Speaking,
US Foreign Policy on SRHR, Videography, Young
People Living with HIV/AIDS and strategic
planning and action mapping for the JSTAR
council throughout the year. The various
presenters included Mimi Melles from
Advocates for Youth, Andrea Downer, from
from Panos Caribbean, Lovette Byfield -
Ministry of Health, and Dane Lewis from J-FLAG.
At the close of the activities for the first day, the
Council took time to do more social interactions
at Devon House Ice-Cream. The second day also
concluded with an evening activity. The final
day was a day for review of the previous
activities and of course, the enjoyable group
and individual photo sessions with Mimi Melles.
Meeting with Senator
Members of the council met with Senator
Warren Newby on February 28, 2011 at The
National Center for Youth Development.
Senator Newby acknowledged the importance
Jamaicans Safely Tackling Adolescent Reproductive Health JSTAR
of SRHR within all areas and reassured the
council that SRHR will be included in the new
National Youth Policy as work is currently being
undertaken by the Ministry of Health to gather
critical data for the completion of the policy.
Senator highlighted the Ministry’s effort to
target street youth, teenage mothers and youth
living with disabilities. He informed the council
that the policy will address issues facing the
Young MSM community.
The policy will be completed in mid 2012
according to the senator. Senator Newby also
pointed out that JYAN has already been
selected one of the 15 members to sit on the
Youth Advisory Board. The meeting ended with
Senator Newby affirming his support for JYAN’s
lobby and availability to assist in the planning
stage and execution of the May 5TH Lobby Day.
The council intends to follow up on discussions
with the senator in August of 2011.
Videography
The council has developed a short videography
highlighting the experiences and stories of
young single mothers in Jamaica. The video
serves to outline the challenges young Jamaican
females faced while accessing Sexual and
. Reproductive Health related Services: whether
it be contraception, comprehensive sex
education at home or school, peer pressure or
condom negotiation.
.
Meet the members:

Jermaine by nature is an advocate. His passion for Did you know…?

. advocacy has no doubt fuelled his desire to pursue
studies in law and has been the foundation upon Less than 10% of rural
which he has fashioned his involvement in youth Jamaican hospitals and
development initiatives. health centres offer
confidential HIV/AIDS
Maxsalia recently completed a Masters Degree in testing and counselling.
Clinical Psychology at the University of the West
Indies, Mona Campus. It is Maxsalia’s ambition to Many Jamaicans living with
work to support young people in juvenile facilities HIV/AIDS still face stigma
in Jamaica. She strongly believes that with her and discrimination
knowledge and capabilities she will be able to
Jamaica has a HIV
make a meaningful impact on the youth
prevalence rate of 25 to 30
population in Jamaica.
percent among MSM
versus the National HIV
Rochelle is a 19-year old student studying Business prevalence of 1.5 percent
Accounting at The University of Technology,
Jamaica. She is currently a member of the Health HIV/AIDS has been
Committee 2010-2011 on Garvey Hall at the reported as the second
University of Technology Jamaica, the Jamaica leading cause of death for
Youth Advocacy Network and the International both young men and
Speak Out project. One of her fondest women ages 15-24 in
engagements was her training of 9 young people Jamaica.
in Advocacy through Drama.
Approximately 40 percent
Theodore is a youth leader, speaker, activist, and of Jamaican women have
sportsman. Theodore has been working with the given birth at least once
Jamaican youths for over four years. As a council before they reach the age
member of the Jamaica leg for the International of twenty.
Youth Speak Out project, he has worked with a
number of government and non-governmental Among Jamaican women
agencies in the planning, and implementation of ages 15-24, use of
youth development programs. contraception at first
intercourse rose from 42.7
Rasher is a young female activist currently percent in 1993 to 67.3
studying law with the University of London Online percent in 2002.
programme. She has worked with the council since
its inception on various projects promoting the
sexual rights of young girls in Jamaica.

Jamaicans Safely Tackling Adolescent Reproductive Health JSTAR

Check out our Blogs on Amplify:

The-Flip-Side by Rochelle Campbell-

http://www.amplifyyourvoice.org/u/ChicaRocky23/2011/2/10/Safer-Sex-Week-2011-The-Flip-Side

ALL Youth Want is the OPPORTUNITY by Rochelle Campbell -

http://www.amplifyyourvoice.org/u/ChicaRocky23/2011/2/12/Safer-Sex-Week-2011-All-Youth-Want-is-the-
OPPORTUNITY

Jamaica Safer Sex week By Orain Edwards-

http://www.amplifyyourvoice.org/u/jhay/2011/2/7/Jamaica-safer-sex-week

Parents should encourage abstinence – Health Minister by Oarin Edwards-

http://www.amplifyyourvoice.org/u/jhay/2011/2/9/safer-sex-week-2011--parents-should-encourage-
abstinence--Health-Minister

We appreciate all your feedback on this edition. Please send your

views and comments to our contact address listed below.

Jamaica Youth Advocacy Network

Floor 3, Ministry of Health & Environment
2-4 King Street, Kingston, Jamaica
Tel: (876) 922 9477 | Fax: (876) 967 0347
E: info@j-yan.org | W: www.j-yan.org

Jamaicans Safely Tackling Adolescent Reproductive Health JSTAR