Months ago, Hovsep Davtyan, an employee of RWRP SNGO,
took part in a 14-module course under the "Step Up" initiative by the
European AIDS Treatment Group. This was followed by involvement in a grant
program competition, which, with collective efforts, resulted in RWRP SNGO
winning the grant.
As part of this grant, from August 16 to 18, Real World,
Real People SNGO organized a camp named "Harm Reduction by Youth
Involvement" for adolescents living with HIV. The camp aimed to address
HIV-related issues. The program involved a 2-day course that included sessions
for 12 participants and a round-table discussion. At the start of the camp,
Tatev Nalbandian, a social worker at RWRP SNGO, welcomed the attendees and
discussed sexual and reproductive health with the teenagers. Following this,
Erik Hakobyan, a specialist from RWRP SNGO's information and public relations
department, spoke about social media, media literacy, their proper utilization,
identifying target audiences, and the creation of media content. On the second
day, the adolescents were informed about the prevalence of drugs in RA and the
ongoing preventive efforts in that context. Recognizing the specific age group
of the teenagers, the RWRP SNGO team also organized a round table discussion
focusing on bullying and its various forms, led by Nane Petrosyan. Throughout
the camp, topics such as stigma, discrimination, and the use of discriminatory
language in media and social platforms were also covered. The training sessions
and discussions were followed by practical assignments, through which the RWRP
SNGO staff gauged the campers' understanding of the presented material.
The
project was carried out with financial support from the European AIDS Treatment
Group.