Establishment of safe space youth clubs (SSYCS) -MAP

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Establishment of safe space youth clubs (SSYCS)
-MAP

• By
• Halima Ben Umar, Chris Ogedengbe and
• Dr. Andrew S Karlyn

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Implementing Married Adolescent project (MAP)
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Current Partners

• Islamic Education Trust IET
• Adolescent Health and Information Project AHIP
• Federation of Muslim Women Association of Nigeria
  FOMWAN

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Partners

• Are involved in
• MAP
• Revision of Management information System (MIS)
  tools data collection
• Development of the radio component of BCC
• Establishment of the safe space youth clubs
  (SSYCs)

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Partners cont.

• Categories of Staff
• Project Coordinators PCs 3
• Focal Officers FOs 8
• Community Advocates CAs 15 per state.
• The CAs pioneered the establishment of the SSYCs
  in each state

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NOW - Concept of Safe Space Youth Clubs (SSYCs)
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Introduction

• Objectives
• Concept of Safe Space Youth Clubs (SSYCs)
• Criteria for selection of members of the clubs
• Selection of safe spaces
• Outreach activities of the clubs
• Contents of discussions in clubs meetings
• Benefits to members
• Contributions of members of the communities
• Sustainability of the clubs and the expectation
  at the end of the module

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Objectives of SSYCs

• Create safe spaces for young girls to meet and
  interact
• Promote healthy behavior
• - going to school
• - going to health clinics
• Promote
• - self reliance, - hearing more on prevention of
  HIV/AIDS
• - self esteem through skills acquisition and
• - income gaining

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Obj cont.

• Expand the benefits of the clubs to new members
• Raise the skills of individual members to form
  and lead new clubs
• Raise the community awareness campaigns through
• - small group discussions,
• - interpersonal communications and
• - community dialogues

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Concept of SSYCs

• SSYCs is based on peer education model consisting
  of a series of modules led by trained peer
  mentors - At this initial stage the clubs will be
  led by community advocates
• and reinforced by social peers of lay religious
  leaders who advocate using religion to support
  delay marriage.

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SSYCs

• Reducing vulnerability in adolescent girls
  through social support, life skills training,
  savings mobilization, income generation, and
  conditional cash transfers.
• Community awareness campaigns through small group
  discussions interpersonal communications and
  community dialogues.

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Concept Cont.

• Curricula and non-curricula based approaches to
  incorporate secular topics of HIV and AIDS
  prevention, reproductive health, hygiene, and
  life-skills in Islamiya school curricula and
  after-school activities.
• Mass media activities using radio spots/jingles
  and phone-in radio discussion slots to stimulate
  public dialogue and debate on early marriage,
  vulnerability of young girls through AB
  intervention

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Formation of SSYCs

• Identification of the first 2 Community Advocates
• Identification/Selection of group members.
• - Selection criteria.
• Choose Safe Space in the community
• Advocacy to Community leaders/Stake holders and
  Parents
• Informed consent (from parents).
• Advocacy to Islamiya Schools.
• Activity plans.

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Criteria for selection of members

• The main considerations are factors that
• would promote peer association among
• members. These factors include
• Age 15 -24 years
• In-school and out-of-school adolescents
  out-of-school adolescents will be encouraged to
  be in school thus delaying marriage
• Single, married and divorced girls are members of
  the clubs

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Selection of safe spaces

• A safe space is a venue that the society
• would regard as appropriate for the meeting of
• the youth clubs.
• An appropriate venue varies from one
• community to the other. The most appropriate
• spaces identified by CAs are
• A religious leaders house
• Community leaders house
• Other venues considered to be safe by the
  community

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Outreach activities of the clubs

• Mentors (CAs) of the clubs organized
• the following community awareness campaigns
• Dramas
• Rallies
• Focus group discussions
• Community dialogues
• These activities are carried out on
• quarterly basis.

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Contents of discussions in clubs meetings

• The Married Adolescents Project focuses on
• Abstinence and Be Faithful issues. The
• materials on these issues have been packaged
• in the Advocacy Training Manual which is
• currently being used by the community
• advocates. The manual has been adapted to
• the curriculum for the SSYCs.
• Issues on early marriage is added to this
• manual.

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AB intervention

• Community advocacy AB activities are conducted
  with targeted beneficiaries - young girls in per-
  during- and post-marriage The AB activity is
  based on the Safe Space Youth Clubs (SSYC)
  methodology developed in 07. SSYCs will be
  established in communities where each of the 187
  CAs are based. Each CA will set-up at least 1
  SSYCs by 08.

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AB intervention

• A total of 187 SSYCs will be established in 08.
  Each SSYC consists of up to 20 members. A total
  of 3740 participants will benefit from these
  SSYCs. Each quarter, the SSYC participants will
  undergo the AB intervention package

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Benefits

• Findings from other countries have shown that
• youth participation in peer health groups has
• helped them in the following
• Develop higher aspirations, gain confidence, and
  develop meaningful relationships with adults
• Foster resilience by giving adolescents
  opportunities to contribute to family and
  community
• Enhance adolescents social competence,
  problem-solving skills, autonomy and a sense of
  purpose
• Help young people to be more open to learning,
  engaging in critical dialogue, exercising
  creativity and taking initiative.

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Monitoring the clubs

• There is a register to record the attendance of
  the girls
• - Indicator
• Number of meetings held
• Attrition rate
• 2. A member serves as a rapportour. The report of
  the rapportour shows the topics covered in the
  meetings and activities carried out.
• - Indicator
• Topics covered in the meetings
• Activities carried in the meetings

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Monitoring the clubs

• CAs to compile the rapportours reports at the
  end of the month
• The report contains
• - attendance in the meeting for the month
• - topics covered in the month
• - Comments
• 4 Focal officers to compile reports of CAs for
  each state
• 5. Project Coordinators to compile reports of
  focal officers for each partner

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Future Plans /Challenges!!!!!

• Setting up other clubs comprising males or
  couples.
• Not sure of meeting our target for C0 8

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Thank You!