Buxton,Guyana: Positive Change through Sports: A community using football and remedial classes for positive adolescent development.
UNICEF Regional Director Nils Kastberg (extreme left) along with UNICEF Representative Johannes Wedenig (fifth from right - back) attends soccer practice in Buxton with Mr. Phillips and the girls soccer team
Buxton is a village located approximately twelve miles from Georgetown, the capital city of Guyana. The community of Buxton is now working hard to regain its once positive vibrant heritage that was tarnished by high levels of insecurity that gave little chance for children and young people to enjoy their rights and made them more vulnerable to abuse and risky behaviour.
In keeping with this spirit of revival, Mr. Robin Phillips a teacher and dedicated Buxtonian, with the support of UNICEF, Scotia Bank and the Rotary Club of Stabroek, established in 2007 a prevention of HIV/AIDS project among children and adolescents using sports and remedial classes.
When the project was first initiated, many Buxtonians did not have much faith in the project, yet time has proven the contrary to be true as the successes are felt today. Children are engaging in the free classes offered, that expose them to an atmosphere of positive thinking, and the development of life skills that kindle the positive attitude that is needed for Buxton to rise above the challenges it has faced in the previous years.
In addition, Mr. Lennox Shuffler, a professional volleyball coach, former national player, President of the Guyana Volleyball Association, member of the Guyana Olympic Committee and well known sports personality was engaged to help coach the youths in using sports, education and culture to address conflict resolution, anger management and promote the development of friendships.
More importantly however, is the fact that the community recognized the need to occupy the students time after school hours with sports activities partly to lure them from risk behaviors. Football teams were established for both boys and girls and there are scheduled classes in between matches and practice when HIV prevention, Life Skills and knowledge of sexual and reproductive health is imparted. Football has now grown into an incredibly popular sport in Buxton which is mirrored in the growing number of children joining the football teams. Most important of all is the fact that these children and young people in the sports programme all have comprehensive knowledge of HIV prevention.
Results and next steps:
Lessons learned to date confirm that focusing on sports for positive adolescent development is a proven way of engaging children and young people in communities like Buxton which have experienced hard times.
With current membership of just above 200 young people, ideally the programme is expected to attract a total of 250 children and adolescents from Buxton who will not only acquire knowledge about HIV but also skills to enable them to make informed choices in life. Overall, a successful Buxton will not only be a model but also an inspiration for scaling up sports for development activities in other communities of Guyana and beyond, striving to build positive lifestyles for children.
To learn more contact Monica Sharma, HIV/ AIDS Officer, at .