QUEEN’S Health Outreach (QHO), a student-run non-governmental organisation (NGO) at Queen’s University in Canada, is implementing a local curriculum in a variety of places in partnership with the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport.

The process has been underway for the past six weeks in schools, youth-friendly spaces, and community groups within the capital city of Georgetown and in Berbice.

The aim is to increase awareness among students and youths about physical, mental and sexual health, substance abuse, communication and leadership.

The peer educators involved are Colleen Dermody, Marni Elman, Casey Goheen and Steven Miller of the Georgetown team. They said in an interview at the studios of the National Television Network (NTN) on Brickdam that the project commenced on May 3 and will continue through June 20. They said it was fashioned specifically to cater for the communities in which they work, and is currently being administered mainly in private schools and one public school.

In order to discuss change, they met with Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr. Frank Anthony, to formulate a schedule for next year’s group, and get more public schools and institutions involved.
Goheen mentioned that they have a weekly teaching schedule at each school, and this time around it is integrated to consist of fewer schools, with more visits per week, in order to cover more in-depth content, more television appearances, hosting health workshops, as well as conducting a peer educator course for youths.

The team noted that a potential QHO partner for future years would be the Ministry of Health, since they both aim to make the next generation more aware of health issues and risks.

More successful
The team is hopeful that QHO Guyana would be working closely with the Health Ministry in future, so that together they can make both projects more successful.
The QHO students pointed out that their teaching style has been modified along the way, their having honed in on discussion-based lessons in a method that is particularly effective, because it allows the students to air their opinions on the topic under discussion rather than being lectured to.

They also emphasised that it is more fruitful to communicate with students through peer interaction, because they can relate to them.

QHO is entirely Queen’s University student-run, and is dedicated to promoting health through needs-based peer education initiatives both locally and internationally.

The Guyana project is its longest-running initiative. Established in 1989, it consists of groups of peer educators who travel to Guyana and stay seven weeks each Spring to teach in numerous primary and high schools, youth groups and community organisations.

On Thursday morning on NTN, the visitors enlightened the public on the issue of depression and suicide, urging viewers to be familiar with the signs of suicide among their friends and family members, and to contact the Guyana Responsible Parenthood Association (GRPA).
Written By Sandy Agasen