World AIDS Day 2005: Kibera Youth Plan Sports and Arts Campaign (help needed!)

[Guest guest]

KIBERA YOUTH STOP AIDS: KEEP THE PROMISE!

“Youth Keeping the Promise: Start Making Sense through Sports and Arts”

A proposal by Kibera Community Youth Programme

Introduction:

Kibera Community Youth Programme is a community-based initiative led by and for youth in Kibera, one of the largest slums in sub-saharan Africa. KCYP empowers youth to think independently and creatively to take charge of their future, encouraging active involvement in development activities in the community as a means of reducing poverty. We believe that the unity of youth from diverse social backgrounds and ethnic groups will promote collective efforts to address the myriad problems the youth in the slums face.

KCYP was founded and registered in 2002. It is a membership based volunteer organization with 60 active members and a broad support network. KCYP is a non-religious, non-discriminatory, and not-for profit organization. We are both a service-provision and an implementing organization, with an emphasis on capacity-building and advocacy to improve the socio-economic status of poor and vulnerable youth.

Our goal: To enhance integration of youth in community development.

Mission: The advancement and well-being of youth aimed at equalizing opportunities that promote proactive participation in community development.

Vision: To create an enabling environment in which youth will maximize their potential as well as play a more pivotal and proactive role in personal growth and societal development.

Project statement:

Youth are still the most highly-infected and affected age group in terms of HIV/AIDS, while current HIV/AIDS awareness activities fail to use communication strategies to effectively engage youth, and do not address the many facets of reproductive health. It is becoming clear that no process of designing appropriate responses to HIV/AIDS can be productive, credible, or successful without the comprehensive and constructive engagement of youth.

For HIV/AIDS prevention, life-skills are important, as is information to enable people to act on their knowledge, increase their autonomy in sexual encounters, and encourage responsible sexual behavior among youth. Given this, KCYP proposes to hold a seven-day public awareness campaign through the use of sports and arts as two of the tools of effective communication amongst the youth.

A five-day World AIDS Day Tournament, and two days of theatre performances are envisioned, which will climax on December 1, 2005. The name of this event is "Youth Keeping the Promise: Start Making Sense through Sports and Arts".

Youth are dynamic and always susceptible to peer influence in relation to their immediate environment, so there is a need to use peers in a bid to educate and inform their colleagues on issues related to HIV/AIDS. Activities that are liked most by youth form the important vehicles through which educative messages should be delivered to them in a manner to which they can relate and learn.

Arts and sports are two of the unique modes of bringing youth together and engaging them in life-transforming educative sessions. The use of arts is a unique way to address HIV/AIDS education. Even in settings of low-to-zero literacy, the arts can communicate powerful message through visual and audio means. Sports command a large following of fans, hence are a powerful tool of community mobilization at any given time. This should be used to communicate HIV/AIDS information and at the same time to nurture and recognize sporting talents within Kibera.

Through our work in Lang'ata constituency, and the successful World AIDS Day event held in 2004, we have come across many youth groups with brilliant community initiatives that deserve to be promoted. There is a need to recognize and promote talented and creative youth, and nurture sports abilities, in a bid to secure sustainable livelihoods for the youth who are volunteering in community service initiatives.

Our planned event for WAD 2005 builds on the success of a one-day event hosted by KCYP on December 1, 2004, with support from the Elfu Bob Initiative, Sanaa Art Promotions, ActALIVE, and the Kumekucha Youth Group. The event was attended by 27 youth groups and an audience of more than 1,000 people, with the guest of honor being the Director of the Department of Culture in Kenya, Mr. Silverse Anami.

Throughout the event we will showcase the diverse talents of youth from the slums and how they are transforming the community in different ways. We look forward to the support of media in highlighting the innovative ways being used by youth in changing lives, and to that of corporate bodies, government institutions, development and charitable organizations. KCYP is keen to partner with like-minded organizations/individuals/companies for sponsorship and any support to ensure the success of this event.

Join us to start making sense with respect to HIV/AIDS prevention and education, as we use arts and sports for community transformation and as a source of sustainable livelihood for youth in Kibera.

Objectives:

To create a unified front of youth making remarkable contributions in fighting social problems. To recognize, expose and promote the role of sports and arts in the fight against HIV/AIDS, and for community development. Commemorating and standing in solidarity with all youth infected or affected by HIV/AIDS worldwide. Exposing Kibera youth to opportunities available in sports and arts which promote decent livelihoods while creating social change.

Methodology:

A total of 15 youth groups will be invited, each bringing 20 youth for the main event. A total of 16 sports teams will be featured in the tournament, with each bringing 20 members. Plays, poems, music, dance, narration and dance will be adjudicated for recognition as part of the celebrations. The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd placed team will receive awards, and all participants will get certificates. Documentation of the proceedings for promotions and possible linkages for the outstanding performances and teams.

Partners:

Initiative for Sports and Social Arts (ISSA)-Kibera

Mashimoni Youth Group-Kibera

Soweto Youth Group-Kibera Laini-saba Youth Group-Kibera

Chill and Stay Alive Youth Group-Kibera African Regional Youth Initiative ActALIVE Arts Coalition

WORLD AIDS DAY 2005 EVENT BUDGET: $5200 (detailed budget upon request, which includes a complete breakdown of activities). Please contact Fred Ouko of KCYP for more information (kcyp2000@... ), and see www.kcyp.kabissa.org for more on the Kibera Community Youth Programme.