Update: Digital Course to Strengthen Skills for Digital Youth Security and HIV Interventions
Digital Course to Strengthen Digital Skills for Digital Youth Security and HIV Interventions
In 2022 as a joint initiative under the Inter-Agency Task Team on Young Key Populations (IATT), Youth LEAD, UNDP Bangkok Regional Hub, and UNESCO Asia and Pacific Regional Bureau for Education developed the Digital Safety, Security, HIV and SRHR programming course for young LGBTI persons and YKPs. This course was co-funded by the Robert Carr Fund Exceptional Opportunity Funding and from UNDP.
In 2021, UNESCO and UNDP mapped and reviewed online resources for and perceived needs among vulnerable and marginalised young people in the Asia-Pacific region on digital literacy, safety, and participation. This was conducted on a key finding from the IATT survey (2020) to identify the impact of COVID-19 on Young Key Populations (YKPs). One key finding was an overwhelming need among the survey respondents to access accurate information and digital literacy skills to decipher "fake news" or disinformation shared on digital spaces, mainly social media.
In 2022, the 4Youth consortium of four regional organisations focusing on the well-being of YKPs spanning from APAC, MENA, Africa, LAC and EEC was awarded the Exceptional Opportunity Funding from the Robert Carr Fund. The purpose of this grant is to help mitigate the impact on HIV programmes and to fill the gaps caused by COVID-19. One of the critical activities of the 4Youth consortium discussions on the grant was the need to strengthen digital skills for HIV interventions with youth and YKP-led organisations as the pandemic has seen a heavy reliance on digital programming to keep up with their older and well-funded counterparts.
Find the Digital Course to Strengthen Digital Skills on Digital Youth Security and HIV Interventions on the YOUTH CO:LAB website.
Purpose
The online course hosted by YOUTH CO:LAB was thus developed in two parts; Digital Security and Digital HIV Programming. The Digital HIV Programming section was launched before the Digital Security section (later launched in 2023) in hopes of increasing the digital capacities of HIV prevention and advocacy of Youth LEAD’s participating network partners. The course aims to support network partners in adapting to the changing climate of HIV programming during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The piloting of the Digital HIV Programming section of the course featured five networks that undertook the modules ranging from YKP Programming basics to specifics such as S&D, policy and advocacy, CSE etc.
Course Objectives
- Strengthen the country partners' capacity to design and conduct effective online programs such as HIV prevention information, treatment adherence, advocacy, network strengthening, digital security etc.
- Produce digital prevention and advocacy programmes that fit the context of the HIV situation in their respective countries.
Country Partner Achievements
Ya_All: Focused on Digital Advocacy on CSE in Manipur, India
Through Ya_All’s existing media initiative (The Scriptr), they will use this digital platform to encourage dialogue for access to CSE information for YKPs in their community.
Key Activities and outcomes:
• Informational webinar on CSE (98 in attendance)
• CSE Social media campaign (reach of 31,459)
• CSE IEC materials
View Ya_All's IEC material by clicking the link below:
Youth LEAD Mongolia: Focused on an SRHR Training Module for YKPs in Mongolia
YLM developed digital resources on consent and sexual health and provided offline trainings on the developed material.
Key Activities and outcomes:
• 5x educational videos on STI prevention, HIV stigma and awareness, SOGIE, and sexual harassment. The videos were able to reach YKP audiences in three provinces as well as the capital city.
• Online CSE training for 100 young people and YKPs contributing to reducing the barriers of access to vital SRHR and CSE services.
• In-person training on the developed module and peer education in x10 schools
View Youth LEAD Mongolia's SRHR courses by clinking the links below:
Inti Muda Indonesia: Focused on Policy and Advocacy
Inti Muda recognises that Indonesia lacks safe spaces, primarily online, to capacitate and advocate for the human rights of YKPs. They dived into the policy and advocacy module by creating online forums where discussions could occur regarding the meaningful and safe involvement of young people and YKPs. These discussions were essential to Inti Muda to form the basis for their future advocacy and communication campaigns on YKPs.
Key Activities and outcomes:
• x26 YKPs participated in a stakeholder mapping for Inti Muda
• x21 stakeholders from the mapping meeting were engaged in YKP sensitisation issues as well as opportunities for YKPs to be more involved in national HIV response
• x13 YKPs were trained on digital HIV and SRHR advocacy content under Inti Muda’s national social media strategy
