Originally piloted in four Member States (Lesotho, Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe), FutureLifeNow! was launched in South Africa in 2023. Through it, learners in the FutureLifeNow! schools in South Africa have been exposed to a variety of the programme’s themes, including sexual and reproductive health and rights and climate change awareness and its effects.
The programme’s target audience are primary and secondary schools learners, including girls and boys who are going through puberty—an exciting time for them, but one that is also fraught with mystery and misconception.
Puberty is one of the most interesting stages that young people go through. It marks the transition from childhood to young adulthood and brings a range of emotions, such as sadness, embarrassment, excitement, and confusion. – Andile Gininda, MIET AFRICA youth facilitator
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Então, como podemos trazer a agência estudantil para a sala de aula?
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Alors, comment pouvons-nous amener les étudiants à agir en classe ?
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Chewe Shonga with one of his bracelets
Chewe Shonga (22) has grappled with cerebral palsy for most of his life, yet he refuses to let his condition define him. As a learner at the Kabulonga Boys Secondary School in Lusaka, Zambia, he came into contact with FutureLife-Now!, which has allowed him to showcase his extraordinary talents in arts and crafts, particularly in bracelet-making. His journey epitomizes resilience and determination, fuelled by the empowering support he receives from the programme.
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FutureLife-Now! Country manager, Moses Machipisa, making a presentation at the Peer Education training
The use of “peer educators” to implement FutureLife-Now! is an important feature of the programme in Zimbabwe, Phase 2 of which is now full steam ahead. To ensure that they are fully equipped to maximize programme impact, in May this year the country team organized two dynamic training sessions for nearly 100 educators from 37 schools— the first at the Nashville High School in the Southern Region, and the second at the Ambassador Hotel in the Northern Region.
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Participants engaging in group work
HIV&AIDS—together with issues such as poverty, early and unintended pregnancies and even natural disasters— continues to be a serious threat to young people (especially girls and young women) attaining their full potential, and negatively impacts their mental health and wellbeing. Closely interconnected challenges such as these are exacerbated by the scourge of genderbased violence (GBV), and even more so when it is perpetrated in schools, which are supposed to be places where children’s fundamental rights, including the right to education and safety, are protected. School-related GBV comes in different forms—physical, sexual and psychological—and is rooted in harmful gender norms and stereotypes that are present, to some extent, in all societies around the world.
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The winners—Likuni Girls Secondary students with their trophy
FutureLife-Now! contributes to the development of healthy and empowered young people who can lead responses to 21st century challenges, including those related to health and education. The programme achieves this through innovative—and sometimes fun—activities, such as competitions and quizzes.
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Delegates pictured at the sharing meeting
Sharing knowledge enriches the receiver but costs the provider nothing.
FutureLife-Now! is a Southern African Development Community (SADC) initiative currently being implemented in six Member States. Now in Phase 2, its overall goal is to promote the development of empowered young people to lead responses to pressing 21st century development challenges, in particular those related to sexual reproductive health and rights, gender and climate change. One of the key strategies it adopts is “knowledge development”, whereby all Member States can share and exchange best practices and lessons learnt, thereby strengthening regional cooperation and coordination.
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Hoje em dia, os jovens são frequentemente incentivados a “sonhar grande”, mas por qualquer razão – falta de oportunidades, falta de competências necessárias, recursos inadequados – para muitos os sonhos azedam e ficam por realizar. Mas aqui está a história de um menino, um jovem cujos talentos foram nutridos através do programa FutureLife-Now! Programa e, ao agarrar a oportunidade que lhe é apresentada, está concretizando seus sonhos. Aos 18 anos, Graham Tinotenda Mushavi tornou-se um autor publicado. Seu livro, Behind masculinity – The reality, foi inspirado por sua experiência no Boys’ Mentorship Club que FutureLife-Now! começou em sua escola.
Graham é um adolescente que acabou de concluir o nível A na Nashville High School, em Gweru, na província de Midlands, no Zimbábue. Seus primeiros anos certamente não foram fáceis: ele e sua irmã mais nova foram criados pela mãe e pela avó, mas ele trabalhou duro na escola e foi nomeado monitor-chefe no início de 2023, aproveitando a oportunidade para desenvolver suas habilidades de falar em público, motivando seu colegas através de palestras na assembleia escolar. Ele também se envolveu no Boys Mentorship Club da escola, um FutureLife-Now! iniciativa que busca abordar as vulnerabilidades enfrentadas por meninos e homens jovens. Isto é conseguido através de um “sistema de camaradagem”, em que os alunos mais velhos orientam os rapazes mais novos, enquanto os rapazes mais velhos, por sua vez, são orientados por alguns dos professores. Isto inspirou Graham a iniciar a sua própria iniciativa, Young Generation Ambassadors (YGA), um clube que visa eliminar o abuso de drogas e substâncias entre os jovens. O clube também se estendeu para além da escola, tendo como alvo os jovens que não frequentam a escola.
Como fundador da YGA, Graham frequentemente se via fazendo discursos que abordavam problemas de meninas. “Ao longo dos anos”, explica ele, “às meninas foram negadas todas as formas de acesso… e as nações de todo o mundo estão a tentar ao máximo eliminar os problemas enfrentados pelas meninas hoje, e isso tem sido bastante progressista”.
Mas e o menino? Na busca pela igualdade de género, Graham percebeu que o menino foi agora negligenciado. As questões dos meninos ficaram escondidas “atrás da masculinidade” à medida que a sociedade continua estabelecendo expectativas e espalhando declarações como “os homens não choram”. Esta, de acordo com Graham, é a razão pela qual as taxas de suicídio e abuso de substâncias são mais elevadas entre os rapazes do que entre as raparigas. Um artigo sobre a vulnerabilidade dos meninos no boletim informativo FutureLife-Now! motivou Graham a começar seu livro. “Queria dar ao público o outro lado da narrativa, um pedaço diferente do bolo, promovendo assim a igualdade de género.”
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25 September 2024, 15:05
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