Executive Director of the Jamaica Library Service (JLS), Gloria Salmon (seated), hones her computer skills while holding the attention of (from left) Gregory McClure, President, Dunlop Corbin Communications; Dr. Pauline Russell-Brown, Chief of Party - Youth.now; and Sheila Lutjens, Director of the Office of General Development, United States Agency for International Development (USAID). - ContributedJAMAICA SHOULD benefit over the next four years from the introduction of several youth-friendly health services to be established across the island.
These are to be done under the 'Youth.now' project, a joint effort of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Government of Jamaica through the Ministry of Health. The project is being implemented by the Futures Group International.
Last month, a tremendous step in that direction was made with the opening of the island's first Youth Friendly Service centre at the Balaclava Health Centre in St. Elizabeth.
The overall aim of the programme is to promote positive sexual behaviours and attitude among adolescents while giving them easy access to reproductive health services that are appropriate, friendly, private and confidential.
Services include counselling and education, testing for sexually-transmitted diseases, including HIV, pregnancy testing, cancer screening, referrals and the promotion of safer sexual behaviours including abstinence.
The Balaclava Centre represents collaboration between the St. Elizabeth Health Department, the Balaclava Health Centre staff, Balaclava Primary and High Schools, the Social Development Commission, Food for the Poor and other key community organisations in the parish.
Training is high on the agenda of Youth.now with emphasis on training service providers, youth leaders, parents, religious leaders among others.
In preparation for its youth-friendly designation, staff of Balaclava Health Centre underwent a series of intensive training sessions conducted by the Youth.now team in collaboration with master trainers trained by Margaret Sanger Centre International of the US, one of Youth.now's partners.
The next phase of the project will be the launch of a major communications programme with significant advertising exposure in the mass media, coupled with innovative community based activities. The communications programme, which is being implemented in partnership with Dunlop Corbin Communications, is expected to be launched in May this year to coincide with Child's Month.
Among the project's many partners is the Jamaica Library Service (JLS) through its branches islandwide.
The JLS came on board in August last year during the staging of the competition to identify an appropriate name and logo for the project. Each parish library served as a collection point for entries.
The JLS is expected to continue to play an instrumental role in the project's communication programme, primarily at the community level.
In recognition of its commitment and support Youth.now recently donated a computer system to the JLS.
Youth.now continues to actively partner with other government, NGO's and adolescent serving organisations in training, service delivery and policy initiatives.
