Hon.

Olivia Grange , Minister of Youth, Sports & Culture with participants at the Yute X Conference on November 26, 2010

Conference Report
Written by Richardo Williams Edited by Allison Hickling, Jaevion Nelson & Kemesha Kelly

Acknowledgements
The Yute X 2010 conference represented the culmination of the gargantuan efforts and contributions of multiple partners and individuals. The conference organisation team, led by Ms. Angela Thame, and ably supported by the members of JYANs Secretariat, including Ms. AnnaKaye Rowe and Ms. Kemesha Kelly, is deserving of special commendation for their tireless efforts. Additionally, other members of the JYAN team deserving recognition include Mr. Charles Barrett and Mr. Jaevion Nelson. Mr. Conroy Wilson and Mr. Jumoke Patrick, from the Ashe Performing Arts Company, are also deserving of special acknowledgement for their role in bringing the conference to fruition. JYAN is particularly thankful to our institutional partners for Yute X 2010, UNICEF and USAID, and their representatives, Mrs. Allison Hickling, Mr. Peter Boothe and Ms. Sharene McKenzie, for their oversight, guidance and for the investment of resources which made the conference possible. JYAN also acknowledgs the inputs of other organisations, including the National Centre for Youth Development (NCYD), Ministry of Health and Environment and Advocates for Youth. The numerous conference volunteers, led by Ms. Nova McKay, are also deserving of special commendation. Miss Charmaine Henry who provided the conference rappoteurs including Misses Akierah Binns and Shenee Tabannah and Messers Wayne Dennis, Jovan Johnson and Lincois Ewers from the Caribbean Institute of Media & Communications (CARIMAC) at the University of the West Indies (UWI), and Ms. Tiffany Scott. Finally, JYAN would also like to acknowledge the Yute X 2010 Conference Chair, Mr. Richardo Williams who also compiled this conference report.

YUTE X 2010 CONFERENCE PARTNERS

Table of Contents
Executive Summary . 6 SECTION I: THE JAMAICA YOUTH ADVOCACY NETWORK ........................................... 7 History and Background ................................................................................................................. 7 JYAN and Its Institutional Partners..................................................................................................... 9 SECTION II: REPORT ON 2010 CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS................................... 10 Yute X 2010 ............................................................................................................... 10 Report on Proceedings: Opening Ceremony and Keynote Address ............................................. 10 Professor Shepherds Keynote Address: You Cant Hide the Truth from the Youths ......... 11 DAY ONE: Youth Rights and Participation ....................................................................................... 11 Abstract Driven Session: .................................................................................................................... 12 Topic: Youth Expressions in Word, Song and Drama .................................................................... 12 Skills Building Sessions ....................................................................................................................... 13 First Plenary ......................................................................................................................................... 15 Second Plenary .................................................................................................................................... 16 Skills Building Sessions ....................................................................................................................... 18 Special Roundtable Discussion .......................................................................................................... 18 DAY THREE: Youth Sexual and Reproductive Health..................................................................... 21 Opening Plenary .................................................................................................................................. 21 Youth Rights and Participation .......................................................................................................... 23 National Development and Opportunities for Youth ...................................................................... 23 Youth Sexual and Reproductive Health............................................................................................ 24 Day One Second Session: Youth Expressions in Word, Song and Drama .................. 26 What did you most like about the session? ..................................................................................... 29 What could be improved about the session? .................................................................................. 29 WORKSHOP EVALUATIONS (Day 1)........................................................................... 29 Skills Building Workshop 1: Basic Advocacy and Lobbying Skills ................................................. 29 Skills Building Workshop Two: Planning and Designing your Advocacy Project ........................ 30 Skills building workshop three: Using Research and Data 101..................................................... 30 Day Two: Participants Evaluation of Activities ......................................................... 31 4

Evaluation of Session on Governance .............................................................................................. 32 Evaluation of Skills Building Sessions: Edutainment ...................................................................... 33 Evaluation of Skills Building Sessions: Social Media....................................................................... 34 Evaluation of Skills Building Sessions: Youth Entrepreneurship ................................................... 35 Day Three: Conference Evaluation............................................................................. 36 Evaluation of Advocacy Village .......................................................................................................... 38 Day Two: Advocacy Village................................................................................................................ 39 Overall Conference Evaluation................................................................................... 41

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In keeping with its mandate to engage adolescents and youth in matters of development and raise the level of youth advocacy in Jamaica, JYAN convened the inaugural Yute X Conference in 2008. This conference was aimed at bringing together Jamaican youth to air their views, foster debates and expose them to current and topical issues related to youth development. The second biennial Yute X Conference was convened between November 24 26, 2010 under the theme: Fullticipate to Elevate: Enhancing Development through Youth Participation. The overarching theme was further explored in three sub-themes: Youth Rights and Participation, National Development Major Challenges and Opportunities for Youth and Youth Sexual and Reproductive Health. The conference objectives were to: Facilitate youth perspectives and ideas on policies and frameworks necessary for improving and enhancing their participation in the process of formulating key policies affecting adolescent and youth development in Jamaica; Present findings of research conducted by youth on key youth development issues; Equip conference participants with knowledge and skills to design and implement youthled programmes and advocacy initiatives; Develop a set of recommendations for action to inform youth-related policies and programmes.

This report presents the views and recommendations of Jamaican youth attending Yute X 2010 on the issues of governance, sexual and reproductive health, crime and violence and national development. These viewpoints were canvassed at the three day conference in which over 600 Jamaican youth participated. The central issue emerging is that Jamaican youth feel disempowered and feel that the available programmes for their inclusion in national development border on tokenism. For any form of sustainable development to re-emerge in Jamaica, and by extension the Caribbean region, youth must be placed at the centre of the process. In terms of tactical strategies going forward, contraceptives and other form of preventive contraptions must be placed on the policy agenda in a serious way in order to stem the high level of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV transmission and teenage pregnancies among young Jamaicans. Evidence-based public policy, as opposed to moralizing and political views, should never inform decisions of this type. Additionally, in order to tackle widespread crime, violence and delinquency among Caribbean youth, targeted public policies must be devised to address the continuing decline in morals, values and attitudes. Without addressing this issue, efforts at curbing violence and crime will be futile in the long run. It is in this area that young people can particularly play an important and leading role in helping their peers adopt healthy values and attitudes on a sustained daily basis. In all these cross cutting thematic areas there is the need to include youth at all levels of governance and decision making processes as a sustainable strategy for long term youth development and eventually national development in the region. The conference report also contains evaluations of the daily activities at the conference, including participants views of how beneficial the conference was to them and recommendations for similar undertakings in the future. 6

INTRODUCTION
This report presents the main conclusions and ideas that emerged from the second biennial Yute X Conference 2010. The report is organised and presented in four sections: Section I presents information on the Jamaica Youth Advocacy Network (JYAN), Section II contains the proceedings from the conference, while Section III presents the recommendations flowing from the conference. Section IV presents the results of an evaluation of the conference from the viewpoint of conference delegates. SECTION I: THE JAMAICA YOUTH ADVOCACY NETWORK History and Background JYAN is an independent voluntary youth-led non-governmental organisation (NGO) which represents the interests and aspirations of youth across Jamaica. JYANs work is facilitated by youth and adult-youth partners who represent a wide range of youth groups and organisations. These organisations work with a diverse range of young people and vary in size, structure and capacity from the local to the international. JYAN started from an advocacy-training workshop in August 2006 at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona Campus. The residential advocacy training was organized by the USAID/JASTYLE Project, a technical assistance programme to support the Ministry of Health (MOH) and managed by the University Research Co, LLC (URC). The training sought to develop youth leaders in advocacy and public education. Before JYAN was established there were a number of other organisations which represented youth on a variety of issues. However, none was youth initiated, coordinated and led. In addition, they did not equip other young people with knowledge and skills in the effective use of advocacy. When JYAN was started, we gleaned from our stakeholders, largely Jamaican youth and adultpartners that: Youth advocacy in Jamaica was active yet limited due to inadequate training and exposure of the majority of youth leaders/advocates. Though more opportunities were being created for youth participation in community and national development, through the National Youth Policy, youth were not sufficiently prepared to advocate on behalf of or negotiate for their fellow youth. There was little appreciation of the advocacy role of young people as understood by youth themselves and their participation in decision-making was often tokenistic. There was a gap between advocacy on major national issues and advocacy at the local levels where personal community concerns dominate but are not translated or connected to national laws and policies. It was apparent to JYAN that more collaboration and partnership was required to give greater and more independent voice to issues affecting youth in Jamaica. In particular, JYAN saw a clear need for extensive training in youth advocacy to facilitate the empowerment and transformation of youth advocates from being merely responsive to proactive youth advocates who are abreast of policies that affect them. 7

From this situational analysis, JYAN developed its vision and mission statement. Vision JYAN is the voice of the youth in Jamaica promoting participation and demanding positive change across the Caribbean. Mission JYAN is a youth led leadership and implementing body, supported by youth values, which seeks to develop, empower and sustain a cadre of youth advocates to lobby for change on behalf of young people by promoting positive behaviours; teaching techniques of positive advocacy; contributing to policies affecting them and building their capacity in Jamaica, the Caribbean and beyond. JYANs Achievements Over the last five years, JYAN has worked to become a critical voice in national development, representing the views and interests of Jamaican youth. We count among our major achievements:

Advocacy Training: JYAN has successfully trained more than one thousand adolescents and youth in youth advocacy, lobbying and representation across Jamaica. A number of these trainings have been implemented in partnership with and for the National Secondary Students Council (NSSC), National Youth Parliament, Jamaica National (JN) Foundation, UWI Student Leaders Programme, among others. Youth Participation: JYAN builds young peoples capacity to participate in the policy and decision-making and programme design, implementation and monitoring and evaluation. This includes membership on the Country Coordinating Mechanism for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM), Inter-Ministerial Team on Youth, Health and Empowerment and Participation Multi-functional Team (MFT) 1 tracking the implementation of the National Youth Policy of Jamaica, Public Education Work Group on Alternative Methods of Behaviour Modification at the Ministry of Education, Education sub-Committee of the National AIDS Committee (NAC) and participation in a number of conferences and meetings locally and internationally. Global Leadership: JYANs work in the area of sexual and reproductive health and rights (including HIV/AIDS) has led to our membership of the steering committee of the HIV Young Leaders Fund, the first funding mechanism for grassroots and national youth-led responses to HIV and AIDS globally.
JYAN convenes and hosts Jamaicas only youth advocacy conference, Yute X. Yute X has become a calendar event and was an official activity of the Ministry of Youth, Sports & Cultures Youth Month Calendar in November 2010.

MFTs are sub-committees to the Inter-Ministerial Team on Youth

JYAN and Its Institutional Partners Since its inception, JYAN has been able to broker and secure critical partnerships towards advancing its mandate to raise the level of youth advocacy and development in Jamaica. This has been done through active engagement in various national, regional and international fora to advocate for the rights of young people in Jamaica, the Caribbean and the world. These include the UN High Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS in 2006, International AIDS Conference in 2008 and 2010, Women Deliver Conference in 2008 and 2010, Ignite the Americas: Youth arts Policy Forum in 2009, the UNESCO Regional Meeting on Youth Networks and Policies in 2008 and UNAIDS Global Youth Consultation on Masculinties, Gender-based Violence and HIV/AIDS in 2009. JYAN has been successful because of its strategy to build relationships and partnerships wih a number of organisations. Multi and bilateral partners include: UNICEF, USAID and UNAIDS. Government entities include the Ministries of Health and Environment, Education, and Youth, Sports and Culture through the National Centre for Youth Development (NCYD). Other partners with whom JYAN has secured meaningful collaborations are Advocates for Youth, Ashe Performing Arts Company, Jamaica National (JN) Foundation, Jamaica AIDS Support for Life (JASL) and Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition (CVC), among others. 2011 and Beyond JYAN maintains the view that Jamaican adolescents and youth are capable of making more meaningful contributions to nation building through active participation in decision-making processes. The drive to create a more democratic and participatory society has opened the door to increased opportunities for youth involvement, yet youth continue to lack the requiste skills to advocate successfully and influence tangible results in the development and implementation of relevant policies and programmes. JYAN continues in its mandate to break the cycle of partial youth advocacy in Jamaica by equipping them with advocacy skills that will place them on par with other stakeholders in decision making. Over the next five years, JYANs strategic objectives include: Advocacy training for at least 2000 adolescenets and youth to raise their awareness and capacity to lobby and advocate at the local levels (community, school, church, among others) Develop the capacity of at least 130 young people to analyse and advocate around relevant policies affecting youth development Establish and convene a National Youth Advocacy Council that will monitor youth-led organisations advocacy initiatives Become the main youth-led organisation buildin the capacity of youth leaders and advocate issues surrounding sexual and reproductive health and rights, HIV and AIDS, governance, education, children rights, human rights, among others Facilitate participation and inclusion of at least 100 adolescents and youth in decisionmaking processes at the parish and national levels

SECTION II: REPORT ON 2010 CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS

Yute X 2010 The second biennial Yute X Conference 2010, was convened November 24 26, 2010, at the Knutsford Court Hotel, Kingston, Jamaica, under the theme: Fullticipate to Elevate: Enhancing Development through Youth Participation. The overarching theme was further explored in three sub-themes: Youth Rights and Participation, National Development Major Challenges and Opportunities for Youth and Youth Sexual and Reproductive Health. Conference Objectives Convene at least 200 youth in a youth-friendly conference to facilitate informationsharing and discussion about pertinent issues affecting Jamaican youth; Facilitate youth perspectives and ideas on policies and frameworks necessary for improving and enhancing the participation of youth in the process of formulating key policies affecting adolescent and youth development in Jamaica; Present findings of research conducted by youth on five key youth development issues; Equip conference participants with knowledge and skills to design and implement youthled programmes and advocacy initiatives; Develop a set of recommendations for action to inform youth-related policies and programmes. Report on Proceedings: Opening Ceremony and Keynote Address The opening ceremony commenced with a vibrant performance by the Ashe Performing Arts Company of the conference theme song. Mr. Richardo Williams, Conference Chair, welcomed the participants and members of the opening panel including the Honourable Olivia Grange, Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture, Professor Verene Shepherd, keynote speaker, Mr. Robert Fuderich, UNICEF Jamaica Representative, Dr. Karen Hilliard, Mission Director, USAID and Ms. Shelly-Ann Fraser, Conference Patron. The Yute X 2010 Conference was declared open by Ms. Fraser, who encouraged participants to take full advantage of the important platform provided by the conference to air their views. Mr. Fuderich noted that youth development in Jamaica can be significantly enhanced through strategic partnerships between youth, youth-related organisations, affiliated government and non-governmental organisations, among others. In order to be effective this collaboration must be focused on achieving tangible outcomes. He also encouraged Minister Grange to assist young people through the creation of policies and programmes that can sustainably facilitate their participation in nation building and positive development. Dr. Hilliard called for policymakers to not only talk the talk but walk the walk, to find the necessary resources from local, private and international agencies to help young people reach their full potential. She emphasized that the input of youth leaders is critical towards youth and national development. Dr. Hilliard commended JYAN for its resilience in encouraging youth 10

development in Jamaica, and encouraged JYAN to create more opportunities to build youth capacity for further nation building and development. Minister Grange highlighted the positive contributions that youth have made to the development of Jamaica. She pledged to support young people and ensure that they are being served through relevant government policies. Minister Grange made mention of the National Youth Survey that is being done to analyse the needs of Jamaicas young people to inform the design of more youth friendly policies and reflect the dreams and aspirations of Jamaicas youth. The study will take a critical look at the gaps, weaknesses and strengths in the National Youth Policy and relevant programmes. The Minister also highlighted the different programmes that were in place to facilitate youth opinion in national decision-making processes including the Youth Parliamentary Watch, Jamaica Youth Ambassador Programme (JYAP), Youth Information Centers (YICs), the revitalizing of the youth club movements and satellite centers as well as the Youth Business Trust, the new youth entrepreneurship programme. Professor Shepherds Keynote Address: You Cant Hide the Truth from the Youths Professor Shepherd poignantly urged the youth audience, be advocates in your own future. Your ancestors paved the way for you to be free. Throughout her address, Professor Shepherd emphasized the need for an education policy which ensures that Jamaican youth are exposed to and gain mastery in a history of their past, possibly by making history compulsory in schools across Jamaica. She argued that there is a paradox in this regard since youths are not taught enough about national history, yet on National Heritage Day and Taino Day, Jamaican youth are often criticised for their nonchalance towards commemorating national heritage themes. Professor Shepherd insisted that knowledge of history will result in ideological and structural change, as history can be the most effective tool against the mental slavery which Marcus Garvey fought a process she referred to as symbolic decolonization. Key to this effort is taking out of the classroom and involving the use of media, (newspaper, radio, documentaries) to teach the history subject. The recurring theme was the need for youth to be empowered and use their knowledge and skills effectively to influence change, using education and specifically history as a tool for advocacy. Professor Shepherd charged all youth to become an advocate, fullticipate and carry on the legacy of our ancestors.

Plenary Sessions, Skills Building and Advocacy Workshops DAY ONE: Youth Rights and Participation
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The programme for the three-day conference was developed around the three-tiered format KNOWLEDGE SKILLS OPPORTUNITIES to ensure youth participating in the conference benefit from a mix of activities that build their knowledge on issues affecting youth, equip them with advocacy and related skills and provide tangible opportunities for their own personal development or to engage in youth development. Opening Plenary

Topic: Exploring Youth Participation: What it Means, How it Should be Done Moderator: Andre Robb, Youth Coordinator, Guidance and Counselling Unit, Ministry of Education Presenters: Brigette McDonald-Levy, Social Policy and Youth Development Consultant Tanya Powell, Youth Empowerment Officer, National Centre for Youth Development (NCYD) Main Discussion Points: The plenary focussed on the opportunities available to young people in Jamaica and how they can capitalise on them. In addition, there were debates about the gaps in policies and programmes which hinder youth leaders efforts in fully participating in governance, advocacy and development; Jamaican youth should be consulted on all policies and government frameworks should be inclusive of youth views and inputs, from the stage of policy conception throughout the entire life of projects and programme/project completion; There needs to be an established mechanism through which the Jamaican Government may be held legally or otherwise accountable to international conventions and frameworks to which the nation has acceded; There must be a robust mechanism to facilitate the development, participation and exchange of ideas on youth development issues across the broad network of youth groups, youth related NGOs and youth activists across Jamaica to fortify advocacy and youth lobbying processes across the country; Young people should be meaningfully involved in policy formulation, development and implementation in Jamaica to reflect clearly the desires, perspectives and needs of the youth population of Jamaica.
Abstract Driven Session: Topic: Youth Expressions in Word, Song and Drama Table 1.0 below gives a breakdown of the topics that were presented and the names of the respective presenters:

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Table 1: Presenters in Abstract Driven Session Day One PRESENTER(S) AFFILIATION Maxsalia Salmon, JYAN & TITLE FORM

Youth Leadership: The Time Video presentation for Change is Now

Delate Howell, Socio-Economic and Health Paper presentation Meadowbrook High School Concerns for the Pregnant Teenager Angele Powell, University Creating a Healthy Generation Paper presentation College of the Caribbean of Youth Tirzah Lecky & Kenisha Treat Us Right Menzie, Homestead Childcare Facility Randy McLaren, Jamaica Armadale: Children on Fire Youth Theatre Poem

Dub Poem

Tamara Codlyn, Granville Adolescents Defending Victims Paper presentation Child Care Facility of Child Abuse, Taking Our Rights Venesa Burey , Kingston The Jailed Adolescent /Youth High School ODaine Clarke, Youth Theatre Jamaica Put Down the Gun Paper presentation Poem

Julianna Hitchins, Jamaica Call to Action for Youth on Paper presentation Youth Coalition Climate Change

Skills Building Sessions Day one activities were completed with three concurrent skills building sessions: Basic Advocacy and Lobbying Skills: This session was conducted by the JYAN and utilised information from the Advocacy Toolkit to teach the basics of advocacy and lobbying. Planning and Designing your Advocacy Project: This session utilised the British Councils advocacy toolkit and was on the premise that after developing skills to advocate, one must plan, select and utilise the most appropriate methods to achieve maximum results in their quests. 13

Using Research and Data 101: Research is important in any advocacy project. This session taught participants about using appropriate research methods, assessing their sources and selecting the best materials for their advocacy projects.

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DAY TWO: National Development Major Challenges and Opportunities for Youth
First Plenary

Topic: The Role of Youth in Reducing Crime and Violence Moderator: Jacqui Brown, Dispute Resolution Foundation (DRF) Presenters: Orlando Hamilton, Youth Peace Facilitator, DRF; Rohan Perry, Peace Implementer, Peace Management Initiative (PMI). Three youth testimonials: a participant from Tivoli Gardens who spoke of her experience in the Tivoli incursion in May 2010; Johnoi Williams and Everal Daley, from GhettoWise Education.
Main Discussion Points: The consensus among all speakers is that a reduction in crime and violence across Jamaica requires investment in youth at every stage of their development. There are many in Jamaica who gain from the perpetuation of youth crime and violence, making the task for organisations such as JYAN monumental, onerous and next to impossible. Youth are vulnerable to crime and violence because of the influence of social and cultural forces, the characteristics of the individual and the culture of youth violence. Jamaicans glorify violence because it gives admiration to those who trump their oppressor through violence and accept notions of jungle justice and turf war.

TESTIMONIAL
Mr. Orlando Hamilton gave a testimony as being a bad bwoy in his community, Mountain View and how different agencies contributed to changing his life. He suggested that in order to tackle crime and lower the rate of violent crimes it is necessary to formulate and implement programmes that will better socialise young men and give them more positive alternatives to gangs.

Some recommendations he offered during his presentation include: Improve family relations across Jamaica through the implementation of robust parenting programmes. Use creative approaches to train and help youth that are not academically inclined or who may otherwise be afflicted with some learning disabilities. Establish centres to help adolescents and youth make the right career choices. Develop programmes that encourage rapport between police and citizens so that individuals in communities will be more willing to trust them and report crimes to police officers.

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PRESENTER RECOMMENDATIONS
Rohan Perrys proposed solutions were: invest in social and cultural renewal; foster loving and caring families to fill the gap in which criminals use youth for their benefits; improve literacy; TESTIMONIAL reinforce legislation to deal with abusive parents; re-establish values of morality among politicians; strengthen parenting Education, shared his experience growing up in an innerEveral Daley, founder of Ghetto Wise skills; empower communities to restore justice at the city community. He also highlightedto plan their future andnow making to the developmentand community level; help communities the contribution he is solve problems; establish links of his communityactive Private Sector Organization of Jamaica (PSOJ). initiative is an educational have a more to reduce young peoples vulnerability to crime. The In addition, there should institution called Ghetto Wisenot just thewhich provides free Caribbean Examinations Council be programmes that focus on Education behavioural aspect of youth but also their emotional (CXC) classes. well being

Second Plenary

Topic: Youth and Sexuality Moderator: Novia Condell, Children and HIV/AIDS Specialist, UNICEF Presenters: Dr. Marcia Forbes, Author, Media, Music & Adolescent Sexuality in Jamaica; Jody-Ann Titus, Teacher, Clarendon College Main Discussion Points: The second plenary session explored wide-ranging themes around complex decisions confronting Jamaican youth precipitated by their sexuality and the appropriate policy

TESTIMONIAL
Tereka Brown, Public Relations Officer of the Tivoli Gardens Police Youth Club, encouraged youths to rise above the stereotypes that are attached to young people from violent and/or low-income communities. She also shared her experience of the Tivoli incursion in May 2010 with the participants responses needed to help them make informed choices. The school environment is largely unresponsive to the needs of students, thereby making them unwilling and even afraid to seek information from teachers and guidance counsellors about sex and related issues. In many instances, it is their peers who are often times no more informed than themselves who willingly teach them about sex, relationships and the prevention of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including HIV. This creates fertile ground for young peoples acceptance of sexual myths, misconceptions and misinformation. 16

Dr. Forbes found that young people consume high volumes of media content focused on the impact of music videos, in particular dancehall, hip hop and R&B, on young people in Jamaica. Dr. Forbes also shared that more than 50% of adolescents and youth aspire to dress/look similar to those who are portrayed in music videos. Music videos are very sexual and it is cause for worrry considering the number of social inequalities and problems that exist in Jamaica. Young people, particularly those who are excluded/alienated for whatever reason, will easily find solace in some of these music videos. As a result there is need for urgent attention to be paid to the issue to ensure that adolescents can engage with such content in the media and not engage in negative representation such as the glorification of sex.

Third Plenary

Topic: Governance: Challenges and Opportunities for Youth Moderator: Richardo Williams, Conference Chair Presenters: Richard Lumsden, Programme Manager for the Jamaica National Development Plan, Vision 2030 at the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) Damian Crawford, President - Peoples National Party Youth Organisation (PNPYO) Marlon Morgan, G2K (Generation 2000), the Jamaica Labour Party youth affiliate group Main Discussion Points: Youth must seek ways to participate in governance by joining different youth organizations and strive to make a difference as well as actively participate in their communities so they can contribute to the process of change. No youth should be marginalized or alienated from participating in different programmes and activities, whether they are from inner- cities or other communities. At-risk youths need to be offered more educational opportunities so that they can be more productive citizens. Governments and private organizations need to invest more resources and become more involved in providing affordable educational opportunities for at-risk youth.

PRESENTERS RECOMMENDATIONS
Mr. Marlon Morgan highlighted the issue of male marginalization at the tertiary level as well as the need for youth to do their endeavour best through education. He emphasized that the only way youth can participate is to be educated about policies and the governance and decision-making processes. He also encouraged youth to bridge the activism gap and make use of the opportunities provided to them to develop life skills.

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Skills Building Sessions The last plenary of the day was followed by three concurrent knowledge and skills building sessions: Edutainment as an Advocacy Tool: Edutainment is a fusion of the terms educate and entertainment. It speaks to utilising the arts to impart knowledge while entertaining. This session focused on using drama, song and dance as platforms through which to advocate and send effective messages to policymakers and those who can affect and implement changes. Using Social Media for Advocacy and Social Change: Social media such as facebook, twitter and other social networks are deemed to be effective in transmitting messages quickly. This session spoke to the use of these media to canvass opinions and rally support for a cause. They can also be used to transmit public opinion to policymakers. Youth Entrepreneurship: Being Daring and Innovative: Young people were encouraged to create their own opportunities for employment. Several entrepreneurs were brought in to tell of their experiences and endeavours. They showed the participants different avenues to get assistance to start their own businesses.

Special Roundtable Discussion

Topic: New Perspectives in Governance Moderator: Carol Narcisse, Broadcaster, Nationwide News Network Panelists: Dr. Peter Phillips (Member of Parliament), Raymond Pryce (President, PNP Patriots Young professional arm); Dickie Crawford (Political Analyst); Tamian Beckford (CARICOM Commission on Youth Development); Whitney Givans (Students for Transformation); Kemesha Kelly, Project Coordinator, JYAN and Jeffrey Brown, Treasurer, Youth Parliamentary Watch Committee.
This session was convened to be a mixture of youth and experience to share perspectives on governance in Jamaica, the challenges being faced in that arena, and plotting a course for the future. It emerged from the discussions that, generally, when people hear the term governance they immediately think of the government of the country and their role in managing the affairs of the country. Dickie Crawford pointed out that there is more to governance than this. While stating this, he acknowledged that people are not incorrect to give this as their first definition of governance, as the World Bank defines the term as the use of institutions, structures of authority and even collaboration to allocate resources and coordinate or control activity in society or the economy. Dr. Peter Phillips pointed out that it has also been defined as the rules of the political system to solve conflicts between actors and adopt decision (legality). It has also been used to describe the "proper functioning of institutions and their 18

acceptance by the public" (legitimacy). And it has been used to invoke the efficacy of government and the achievement of consensus by democratic means (participation). In speaking of god governance, Dickie Crawford shared with the audience that there were eight (8) pillars. These are: 1 - Participation Participation by all sectors of society is vital for good governance. Participation could be either direct or through legitimate intermediate institutions or representatives, such as a well organized civil society movement. Inter-sectoral collaboration is vital. 2- Rule of law For there to be good governance, there must be a high level of adherence to the rule of law. It requires fair legal frameworks that are enforced impartially. 3- Transparency Transparency means that decisions taken and their enforcement are done in a manner that follows rules and regulations. It also means that information is freely available and directly accessible to those who will be affected by such decisions and their enforcement. It also means that enough information is provided and that it is provided in easily understandable forms and media. 4- Responsiveness Good governance requires that institutions and processes try to serve all stakeholders within a reasonable timeframe. 5- Consensus oriented Good governance requires mediation of the different interests in society to reach a broad consensus in society on what is in the best interest of the whole community and how this can be achieved. This will be brought about by consultations with the relevant stakeholders. 6- Equity and inclusiveness A societys well being depends on ensuring that all its members feel that they have a stake in it and do not feel excluded from the mainstream of society. 7- Effectiveness and efficiency Good governance means that processes and institutions produce results that meet the needs of society while making the best use of resources at their disposal. The concept of efficiency in the context of good governance also covers the sustainable use of resources and the protection of the environment. 8- Accountability Accountability is a key requirement of good governance. Not only governmental institutions but also the private sector and civil society organizations must be accountable to the public and to their institutional stakeholders. Accountability cannot be enforced without transparency and the rule of law. With this background, the conversation went on to an assessment of Jamaicas governance practices. Several panellists pointed out that corruption was rife in Jamaica. This needs to be 19

addressed if good governance is to be achieved. It was also pointed out that Jamaicas fractured political culture inhibits consensus-building and thereby affects good governance. Without good governance, every other aspect of the country will unravel. As such, the panellists and members of the audience made several recommendations to improve governance in Jamaica, and ensure that the voices of youth are a part of it. It was recommended that the JYAN and the National Youth Parliament be empowered and given mandates to strongly advocate for the youth and represent their perspectives. These organisations are to remember their responsibility to the groups they represent and ensure that they consult with them as well; this would indicate that they too are practicing good governance. The government and parliamentary opposition should take steps to revive confidence in them, by fostering greater transparency, through increased access to information and participation. There should also be a clear job description for members of parliament so they can be held accountable by the persons they represent. Strong calls were made for the re-introduction of civics as a subject. It was further recommended that the JYAN leads a cadre of youth advocates to do a comprehensive review of Vision 2030 and present a counter-document.

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DAY THREE: Youth Sexual and Reproductive Health

Opening Plenary

Topic: Assessing the Impact of the National Response to HIV on Youth Moderator: Jaevion Nelson, Director of Advocacy, Policy and International Affairs, JYAN Presenters: Ian McKnight, Executive Director, Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition (CVCC); Desonie Reid, HIV/AIDS activist; Jason Richards, HIV/AIDS activist Main Discussion Points: The plenary was highly interactive and carefully assessed the impact of the national response to HIV on youth. The moderator invited participants to be open about their views while not being intimidating or disrespectful towards others personal beliefs and comments. A number of structural issues with policies which hinders youn peoples access to and use of sexual and reproductive health services. This includes the lack of access to condoms and other contraceptives in schools. Many young conference participants indicated that they know at least one young person who is sexually active and some young people who engage in transactional sex1. This gives credence to national statistics that the age of sexual debut in 15 years for boys and 13 years for girl. One of the main challenges is that young people experience difficulties in accessing information as it relates to sexual information and reproductive health. This information is not often presented in a youth friendly way when it is made available The majority of participants (by a show of hands) felt they were not empowered with the knowledge they need about sexual and reproductive health. Young peoples access to SRH services is hindered by the fact that there are not many persons they can speak with about their issues relating to sex, sexuality, reproductive health, among others, in a safe and confidential environment that is free from stigma and discrimination. Young people with sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV, experience discrimination at school and there are very few persons to counsel or guide them. Many teachers and educational institutions in general lack the capacity to respond to this situation in an effective way. Students living with HIV/AIDS are afraid to disclose their HIV status to their peers because of fear of stigmatization and discrimination. They also have other challenges relating to the negative side effects of antiretroviral (ARV) and lack of access to ARV and other medications. Participants were also encouraged to reject some myths around HIV transmission and treatment. These myths were (1) if you have sex with a virgin then HIV/AIDS can be cured, (2) if two condoms are used then transmission can be prevented and (3) you can tell someone has HIV by just looking at them.

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There was also a male and female condom demonstration in this session. Less than about 60% of youths (by show of hands) knew how to correctly use a male condom. And far more (less than 30%) knew how to use the female condom.

PRESENTERS RECOMMENDATIONS
Jason Richards, a young person living with HIV (YPLHIV) who is an HIV/AIDS activist, shared that he contracted HIV at the age of 17. He used the opportunity to encourage participants to get tested and avoid engagement in risky sexual activities

Transactional sex is the exchange of money or goods for sexual services, either regularly or occasionally, involving female, male, and transgender adults, young people and children where the sex worker may or may not consciously define such activity as incomegenerating. - UNFPA

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Section III: Recommendations

Over the three days that the Yute X conference was convened, several important discussions took place among the conference participants and presenters on a broad spectrum of issues relevant to Jamaicas sustainable development. In the discussion that follows, these viewpoints and recommendations are distilled and analysed toward presenting a brief and cogent analysis of national development issues that are of interest to Jamaica youth. The recommendations outlined below are presented according to the three conference subthemes, and are all representative of the views of the participants at the conference. These are the main recommendations that were made by the participants. Youth Rights and Participation 1. The Jamaican government must implement web-based initiatives to facilitate and broaden young peoples involvement and interaction on all issues of governance, policy and development; 2. At least one Jamaican youth should be invited to sit on all government boards and statutory institutions as a deliberate effort to filter upwards the viewpoints and vision of Jamaican youth on issues of governance and development; 3. JYAN must redouble its efforts in forging alliances and brokering relationships with other partners toward increasing the capacity of the advocacy network to effectively train a broad cross- section of Jamaican youth in advocacy skills and techniques; 4. There has to be an introduction (or re-introduction) of citizenship education in the curriculum, beginning at the earliest grades in the school system in Jamaica, in an effort to encourage young people to participate actively in governance and development; 5. There must be stronger linkages between the Youth Information Centres (YICs), the National Youth Council (NYC) and advocacy networks across Jamaica, to facilitate the effective/efficient mobilization of youth and provide conduits for getting their voices to be heard on a national level; 6. JYAN should engage youth activists and advocates across Jamaica through new and social media technologies, including Facebook, blogs and the introduction of an online Jamaican Youth Advocate Journal. National Development and Opportunities for Youth 1. There has to be an explicitly structured programme for youth who have been rejected and/or alienated from the mainstream educational and legal system, devoted entirely to giving them second chances; 2. Efforts to strengthen dispute resolution at community levels rather than emphasizing the ex post law enforcement status quo model; 3. Law enforcement against parental or guardian abuse and neglect as per the Child Care and Protection Act, 2004 must be strengthened and pursued with greater zeal and alacrity; 4. The number of peace centers across the country should be further increased and be fully equipped with at least one counsellor or a similarly trained mediator including a community-level dispute resolution programme;

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5. Major synergies need to be forged between the National Secondary Students Council and JYAN in a partnership for implementing a violence prevention programme and dispute resolution programme in high schools across Jamaica. 6. The Ministry of Education (MoE) should begin to consider training Jamaican teachers in devising creative strategies for instruction and social change within high schools, for example using dancehall music. 7. Facilities must be established, particularly in communities with low socio-economic levels, to assist youth in their personal and professional development Youth Sexual and Reproductive Health 1. The gaps around sexuality issues being taught in schools should be addressed by training teachers (and other school staff) appropriately as they are in many instances unable or perhaps even uncomfortable discussing sexual issues with their students 2. Condoms should be available to youth in communities at no cost through community centres, NGOs and other community based organisations (CBOs). 3. Condoms should be available and accessible in schools as students should be encouraged to protect themselves from unplanned pregnancies and STIs, including HIV (This recommendation is particularly difficult to address because government policy prohibits the issuing of condom in schools). 4. There should be youth-friendly clinics where youths can access free STI (including HIV) testing without fear of stigma, discrimination and lack of confidentiality

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SECTION IV: CONFERENCE EVALUATION - VIEWS OF THE YOUTH DELEGATES

The measure of success for the YUTE X 2010 conference is the extent to which each conference participant gained information and confidence to become advocates in their own communities and organisations, over the three days. Below is an evaluative framework against which the success of the conference was measured. CONFERENCE OBJECTIVE 1. Convene at least 200 youth in a youth-friendly conference INDICATORS Summary statistics from Pre-registration and registration forms with detailed information about each conference participant Analysis of feedback information from conference participants Plenary panels with one or more youth representatives Sessions planned with appropriate discussion time for participants to give their feedback and share ideas Abstract driven sessions, using creative expressions such as poems, dramatic pieces etc. Skills building workshops in advocacy, policy analysis, use of the creative arts and other related areas Plenaries Panel discussions Advocacy Village Conference communiqu to be tabled or delivered to Jamaica National Parliament A Lobby Day to present the recommendations of the conference to Parliamentarians and policymakers Met?

2. Facilitate Youth Perspectives and ideas on policies and frameworks 3. Present findings of research conducted by youth on five key youth development issues 4. Equip conference participants with knowledge and skills to design and implement youth-led programmes and advocacy initiatives. 5. Conference Reach or Pathways to Impact

Ongoing

For each session that was convened during the conference, an evaluation form was given to each participant in order to determine perceptions and views on the issues under discussion as well as a rating of each presenter. The overall conference saw 528 participants. Some of these persons attended on all three days of the conference. On day 1, there were 228 participants. 266 persons attended on day 2, while day 3 saw a turnout of 258 participants. These figures do not include the conference committee and volunteers. 25

The opening plenary, titled Exploring Youth Participation: What it Means, How it Should be Done was well received by the conference participants. According to Figure 1, below 48% thought this session was excellent, 42% thought it was good while just 7% thought it to be average. Figure 1: Evaluation of Opening Plenary
Series 1 1 Series Fair 0 2 0% 3% Series 1 Average 5 7%

Series 1 Excellent 34 48%

Series 1 Good 30 42%

Day One Second Session: Youth Expressions in Word, Song and Drama Thirty participants in this session returned an evaluation form. Of this number, 13 were males while 17 were females. Of the thirty evaluation forms that reported a response for age, over 60% were within the age group 15-17. The overall distribution is shown in Figure 1 below. Figure 2: Age Distribution of Respondents

Figure 3: Rating of Presenters/Facilitators

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Age Distribu;on
Series1; Over 35; 0 Series1; 31-35; 0 Series1; 26-30; 1 Age Series1; 21-25; 2 Series1; 18- 20; 3

Series1; Under 15; 1 Number of persons

Figure 2 below presents the participants rating of the presenters and facilitators for session 1. Just over 90% of the participants held favourable views of the presenters and facilitators. Fifty percent thought they were excellent, while 43 % believed they were good in their delivery and content. Figure 2
Sales Fair 1 3% Sales 0 0% Sales Average 1 4%

Fair Sales Excellent 14 50% Average Sales Good 12 43% Good Excellent

The participants were also asked to evaluate the extent to which they, the audience, were invited to participate in the session. The data in Figure 4 indicate that over 50% believed the

extent of inclusivity and audience participation was excellent, while 32% thought it was good. A further 18% thought it was average. Figure 4: Audience Participation
Sales 0 0% Sales AVERAGE 5 18%

Sales EXCELLENT 14 50%

Sales GOOD 9 32%

AVERAGE GOOD EXCELLENT

Participants were also asked to give their assessment on the degree of interest they thought the session generated, or alternatively how interesting they found the sessions to be. In Figure 5, it is seen that 74% of the participants thought the session was very interesting while 19% and 7% respectively rated the session as interesting and somewhat interesting respectively. Figure 5: Relevance of Session
Series1; Somewhat interesQng; 7%

Series1; InteresQng; 19%

Series1; Very interesQng; 74%

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Additionally, respondents were also asked to give their qualitative feedback about their experience in the session on Youth Expressions in Word, Song and Drama. Some of the reasons they offered for attending the session included: (i) they wanted to learn more about youth participation, (ii) to hear the perspectives of other young persons on important youth related issues and (iii) some indicated that their interests were piqued by title of the session and the presentations. What did you most like about the session? Randy Mclaren, President of the Jamaica Youth Theatre presented a poem entitled Armadale: Children on Fire. This piece was cited by many participants as the aspect they liked most about the session. Many others cited that what they liked most about the session was that it was strictly youth presenters and allowed for the free expression of young people. Many other participants noted that they liked that the session was very interactive and informative while also being entertaining. It was also noted that a survivor of the Armadale fire was there and was able to share her story. The session showcased the diverse ways in which youth can advocate. What could be improved about the session? Participants stated that the presenters could have interacted some more with the audience. They felt that there could have been some more educational presentations. The main improvement proposed was that more time should be allocated to a session such as this. It was also stated that some hard copies of the presentations could have been provided, such as the research papers and poems. WORKSHOP EVALUATIONS (Day 1) One of the main features of the YUTE X 2010 Conference was the inclusion of skill-building sessions for the participants. It was important to the JYAN and its partners that the youth attending the conference left with an increased capacity to advocate and participate in various aspects of the society. Below are the evaluations of the skills building workshops held on Day 1 (November 24, 2011). Skills Building Workshop 1: Basic Advocacy and Lobbying Skills A total of 21 persons participated in this session, with nine males and 12 females. Of all these participants, four were in the age group 18-20, six were in the group 15-17, and one each in the over 35 and under 15 age groups.

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Figure 6: Ratings of Presentations Poor Facilitators Audience Participation Overall Ratings 2 4 4 4 6 8 7 8 7 5 Fair Average Good Excellent

Additionally, eight participants in the session found the quality of information interesting, nine said very interesting while only one thought it was somewhat interesting. Skills Building Workshop Two: Planning and Designing your Advocacy Project There were 10 participants in this session: six males and four females. The age distribution of the participants clustered around the 15- 20 band, with 3 each in the 15-17 and 18-20 age groups. Additionally, there were two participants from the 26-30 age group and one from the 21-25 group. Table 2 Rating of Skills Building Workshop Two Poor Fair Facilitators Audience Participation 5 3 Average Good Excellent

Not Interesting Quality of information Overall Ratings -

Not that Interesting -

Somewhat Interesting 2

Interesting 1

Very Interesting 5

Skills building workshop three: Using Research and Data 101 There were 11 participants in this group. Their ratings of this workshop are presented in Table 6 below. 30

Table 3: Ratings of Skills Building Workshop Three Poor Facilitators Audience Participation Not Interesting Quality of information Overall Ratings Not that Interesting Somewhat Interesting 3 3 Interesting 4 3 3 Very Interesting 2 Fair Average Good Excellent

Day Two: Participants Evaluation of Activities Day two of the conference was devoted to the theme: National Development - Major Challenges and Opportunities for Youth. The opening plenary titled The Role of Youth in Reducing Crime and Violence was also viewed favourably by the conference participants. This is shown in Figure 7 below. A total of 49 participants submitted evaluation forms for the session on Youth and Sexuality. Of this total 35 were females, while 14 were males. The age distribution and gender distribution are shown in Table 7 below. Table 4: Gender and Age Distribution Male 14 Female 35 Under 15 4 15-17 22 18-20 11 21-25 6 26-30 1 31-35 2 Over 35 1

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Figure 7: Rating of Opening Plenary Day Two

Series 1 Poor 1 1% Series 1 Fair 1 1% Series 1 Average 8 11%

Series 1 Excellent 37 49%

Series 1 Good 29 38%

The assessment of the facilitators and presenters is included in Table 8 below. Table 5: Evaluation of Session Poor Facilitators Audience Participation Not Interesting Quality of information Overall Ratings 1 2 2 Not that Interesting 1 7 5 Somewhat Interesting 6 5 18 24 Interesting 12 23 24 19 Very Interesting 31 19 Fair Average Good Excellent

Evaluation of Session on Governance This was the third major session on day two. A total of 32 evaluation forms were retrieved from the participants in this session. The breakdown of the gender and age distribution is presented in Table 9 below. 32

Table 6: Age and Gender breakdown Male 9 Female 13 Under 15 1 15-17 2 18-20 8 21-25 9 26-30 1 31-35 Over 35 -

The conference participants ranking of the sessions activities are presented in Table 10 below. Table 7: Rating of Overall Session Poor Facilitators Audience Participation Not Interesting Quality of information Overall Ratings 2 Not that Interesting 2 1 4 Somewhat Interesting 5 14 9 Interesting 9 13 7 7 Very Interesting 8 6 Fair Average Good Excellent

Evaluation of Skills Building Sessions: Edutainment A total of 18 persons returned completed evaluation forms from this session. The distribution of their age and gender is presented in Table 11 below. Table 8: Age and Gender of Respondents Male 9 Female 9 Under 15 3 15-17 6 18-20 8 21-25 26-30 2 31-35 Over 35 -

The overall evaluation of the session is presented below in Table 12.

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Table 9: Overall Assessment of Skills building Session Poor Facilitators Audience Participation Not Interesting Quality of information Overall Ratings 1 Not that Interesting Somewhat Interesting 2 5 Interesting 4 2 16 13 Very Interesting 14 17 Fair Average Good Excellent

Evaluation of Skills Building Sessions: Social Media The breakdown in terms of age and gender for this session is presented in Table 13 below. Thirteen participants from this session returned completed evaluation forms. Table 10: Age and Gender Breakdown Male 8 Female 5 Under 15 15-17 2 18-20 4 21-25 7 26-30 31-35 Over 35 -

Evaluation of the overall session is presented in Table 14 below:

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Table 11: Evaluation of overall skills-building session Poor Facilitators Audience Participation 1 Not Interesting Quality of information Overall Ratings 1 1 1 Not that Interesting 1 2 1 Somewhat Interesting 1 3 6 5 Interesting 3 5 Very Interesting 4 4 Fair Average Good Excellent

6 5

Evaluation of Skills Building Sessions: Youth Entrepreneurship Twenty-two individuals in this session returned completed evaluation forms. gender distribution are presented in Table 14 below. Table 12: Age and Gender Distribution Male 14 Female 8 Under 15 4 15-17 6 18-20 2 21-25 5 26-30 2

Their age and

31-35 -

Over 35 -

The overall feedback and evaluation from participants is shown in Table 16 below.

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Table 13: Overall Assessment and Rating of skills building Session Poor Facilitators Audience Participation Not Interesting Quality of information Overall Ratings 1 Not that Interesting 3 Somewhat Interesting 1 2 8 3 Interesting 15 15 Very Interesting 15 15 Fair Average Good Excellent

7 4

Day Three: Conference Evaluation Day three was convened under the sub-theme Youth Sexual and Reproductive Health. The opening plenary was titled Assessing the Impact of the National Response to HIV on Youth. Selected conference participants views on the session are presented in Figure 8 below, in which it is seen that this session was rated highly among the participants. Fifty-eight participants returned completed evaluation forms for the first plenary session on Assessing the Impact of the National Response to HIV on Youth. Table 17 below gives the age and gender distribution of this group of participants.

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Figure 8: Evaluation of Opening Plenary Day Three

Series 1 Fair 4 3% Series 1 Poor 0 0% Series 1 Excellent 78 67%

Series 1 Average 2 2%

Series 1 Good 32 28%

Table 14: Age and Gender Distribution Male 26 Female 32 Under 15 13 15-17 22 18-20 12 21-25 6 26-30 3 31-35 Over 35 -

The main evaluation of the session is shown in Table 18 below.

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Table 15: Overall Evaluation of Session Poor Facilitators 1 Audience Participation Not Interesting Quality of information Overall Ratings 2 1 3 6 Fairly Interesting 5 5 20 10 Interesting 33 43 Very Interesting 55 30 Average Good Excellent

16 20

Evaluation of Advocacy Village An Advocacy Village was an innovative feature of this years conference. The village was populated with display booths from a wide range of organisations and institutions that are relevant to the work of youth advocates and activists in Jamaica. The evaluation results of Day one in the advocacy village are presented below. There were 12 organisations represented in the Advocacy Village, including the Jamaica Family Planning Association (FAMPLAN), Jamaica Anti-Doping Corporation (JADCO), JYAN2, JN Foundation, National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA3), NCYD4, NYS5, Peace And Love in Society (PALS), Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), Jamaica Red Cross, UNICEF and USAID. Twenty three conference participants returned an evaluation form rating these organisations, from which the results are presented in Figure 6 below. The data indicate that the selected conference participants were impressed with the organisations included in the advocacy village.

2 3

Jamaica Youth Advocacy Network National Environment & Planning Agency 4 National Centre for Youth Development 5 National Youth Service

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Figure 9: Ratings of Booths

# of Persons; Excellent; 9

# of Persons; Good; 9

# of Persons; Average; 3

# of Persons; Fair; 1

# of Persons; Poor; 1 Poor Fair Average Good Excellent

In addition, 87.5% of the respondents thought the information they were able to access in the Advocacy Village was helpful, while just about 12.5% thought the information was somewhat useful. None indicated the information received was not helpful. It is not surprising therefore that 91.17% of the respondents also indicated that this component of the conference should be retained at the next Yute X conference, while only 5.88% were unsure and 2.94% said no. Day Two: Advocacy Village On Day Two of the conference, the following organisations were present: Table 16: Booths in Advocacy Village on Day Two BE Inspired Ministries Dispute Resolution Foundation Institute of Business JADCO JYAN Ministry of Health Ministry of Justice Northern Caribbean University NEPA FAMPLAN NYS PIOJ Red Cross UNICEF USAID 39

Of the 38 completed evaluation forms retrieved, 42% were males, while 58% were females. Respondents age were clustered within the age range 15 to 25. Figure 10: Most Frequently Visited Booth

Series1; JYAN; 22 Series1; NCU; 19 Series1; MOH; 17 Series1; UNICEF; 17 Series1; USAID; 15

Series1; PIOJ; 11 Series1; MOJ; 8

Series1; IOB; 7 Series1; BEI Min; 4 Series1; DRF; Series1; JADCO; 1 1

Series1; NFPB; 2 Series1; NEPA; 1 Series1; NYS; 1 Series1; Red Cross; 1

Respondents were unanimous that the booths were between good to excellent, in terms of content and presentation. Only 5 respondents thought the booths to be poor, 3 perceived them to be fair while only 7 thought they were average. Twenty four believed the booths were excellent while 19 thought they were good. In Figure 8 below, 88% of the respondents further indicated that they found the information provided at the booths to be useful.

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Figure 11: Usefulness of Information

Sales Somewhat 4 12% Sales 0 0%

Sales YES 30 88%

YES

Somewhat

Overall Conference Evaluation Of the 110 overall conference evaluation forms retrieved, just about 60% of participants thought Yute X 2010 was an excellent event. Further data disaggregation is presented in Figure 12 below. Figure 12: Overall Rating of Yute X 2010

Series 1 Excellent 66 60%

Series 1 Series 1 Average Fair 3 2 3% 2% Series 1 Poor 0 0%

Series 1 Good 39 35%

The respondents opinion about the most useful sessions is presented below in Table 20.

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Table 17: Most Useful Sessions SESSION National Response to HIV and Youth Role of Youth in Reducing Crime Youth and Sexuality Youth Entrepreneurship Youth Rights and Participation Youth Expressions Governance Challenges and Opportunities for Youth Basic Advocacy and Lobbying Skills Edutainment as an Advocacy Tool Planning and Designing your Advocacy Project

Number of Persons 64 20 17 13 12 12 11 10 8 8

Assessing the Impact of the National Response to HIV on Youth was chosen as the most useful session by the participants. Several participants said that their reason for ranking this session so highly was that youth could be open in the session and the information given was very useful. They also noted that they received information on how policies relating to this issue are made and the changes that are needed to these policies. Several participants also noted that this session was thought provoking and that they learned how to relate to real people living with HIV. The Role of Youth in Reducing Crime was chosen by some participants as it made young people more aware of their social responsibility. The participants felt that the presenters were well researched. Table 18: Least Useful Sessions
Sales HIV and Youth 2 10%

Sales Youth and Sexuality 6 30%

Sales Governance 10 50%

Sales Social Media 2 10%

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The session on Governance Challenges and Opportunities for Youth was seen as the least useful session. Participants cited that they felt the session was not appealing to the youthful audience and some even felt that there was no real youth perspective on the issue. The conference participants also ranked the speakers who they thought were the most effective. This ranking is presented in Table 22 below. It is worthy to note that the top ranking speakers are youth. This should be taken into consideration when planning the next Yute X conference for 2012. Table 19: Most Effective Speaker Name Jason Richards Jaevion Nelson Jodian Titus Orlando Hamilton Damian Crawford Tanya Powell Richardo Williams Rohan Perry Tarik Kiddoe Verene Shepherd Richard Lumsden Ian McKnight Dr. Marcia Forbes Randy McLaren

Number of Persons 34 33 26 25 23 19 16 15 14 13 13 12 12 12

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YUTE X 2010 Sponsors

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