SARSYC 2017 CHANGING THE POP CULTURE

CHANGING THE POP CULTURE

I wanna take this opportunity to jump a little bit forward and get inside the Jo-burg University arena in the SARSYC 2017.As we commonly say "you run,you crush",I am fully aware that with this article I might surely crush, for in this post I will be touching a very sensitive issue in the Sexual Reproductive Health arena especially in Sub-Saharan Africa.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68EyF9U4olQ

Some time in 1997 Ellen DeGenerous made news when she openly came out as a gay celebrity,the whole world received the news with mixed feelings,some hated their once favorite star and yet to some she was an advocate a voice of the voiceless and to herself it was freedom.

Now going back to SARSYC 2017,the theme for this year's conference is Building a business case for a solid future: Promoting Access to Youth SRH services and commodities”.
This is a clear yet packed theme it's saying Promoting Access to Youth SRH service, which means that as long as you a youth you are included in this group,not minding your race,sex and sexual orientation.
The problem we are having as the Sub-Saharan youths we are mixing the Popular culture with our well-being.I will try and explain my point below,

What really is pop culture?

Contemporary lifestyle and items that are well known and generally accepted, cultural patterns that are widespread within a population is called popular culture or pop culture.
As the definition clearly states the pop culture is a lifestyle culture or tradition which is widespread it doesn't necessarily mean that there are people who chose to live a different lifestyle.This is for service providers especially those who serve the public,when delivering a Health Service you should do it in a position of a service provider,why serve the public in a religious manner.Why discriminate people because of their lifestyle.

Even doctors often violate the privacy of LGBTI patients by exposing them to other staff or police, preaching to redeem them, or altogether denying them medical care. The testimony of one such victim of violation illustrates discrimination.

The doctor refused to believe that I was gay; he said he had only heard of gay people on TV and that I was simply lying (even after seeing my anal warts). He then called his colleagues to come spectate. It was quite embarrassing for me. He later told me to go read Leviticus 18:25, I felt judged

http://kmet.co.ke/index.php/newsroom/success-stories/167-access-to-reproductive-health-services-for-the-lgbti-community-will-contribute-to-reduced-hiv-prevalence-in-kenya

SARSYC 2017 is offering a once in a lifetime opportunity to openly discuss these issues in Track TWO.

Track 2: Sex and Sexuality- Shining the light on Marginalized Groups LGBTI+, women, People With Disabilities (PWD) and People With HIV (PWHIV).

People with disabilities (PWD), women and the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI+) community are usually the most affected and least catered for by SRH services due to the specificity of their needs. This track will facilitate conversations that illuminate and attempt to address the numerous challenges which inhibit these vulnerable groups access to SRH services. It will seek to share experiences in programme design based on living no one behind through inclusive program design that incorporates vulnerable and marginalized communities.

The track is informed by the reality that, although significant work has been done to support people with HIV in general, stigma remains an issue which affects vulnerable and marginalised groups the most, leading in some instances to people refusing to access services which have availed, thereby affecting the outcomes of designed programmes. This track seeks to provide an opportunity for conference attendees to examine and share progressive initiatives and ideas on addressing issues relating to marginalised communities.

http://www.sarsyc.org/conference-tracks/

I urge the public to support the moves to ensure the LGBTI community accesses sexual reproductive health services a strategy of reducing new HIV infections.We must all actively support the SARSYC in its efforts to decriminalize homosexual conduct in order to increase access of essential HIV prevention, management and care services to LGBTI groups. Such action is imperative if we are to address this recently identified root to HIV infection. As Ban Ki Moon once said  “you don’t have to be gay to fight homophobia”

Let's not judge.I rest my case

To BE continued........................

SARSYC 2017 THE REAL DEAL Part2

THE DEMOGRAPHIC DIVIDEND EXPLAINED

NB; It would not be fair if I proceed with my story without touching on what the demographic dividend is.

Demographic dividend occurs when the proportion of working people in the total population is high because this indicates that more people have the potential to be productive and contribute to growth of the economy. According to the United National population research, during the last four decades the countries of Asia and Latin America have been the main beneficiaries of the demographic dividend. Advanced countries of Europe, Japan and USA have an aging population because of low birth rates and low mortality rates. Neither the least developed countries nor the countries of Africa have as yet experienced favourable demographic conditions according to the research by UN population division. China’s one child policy has reversed the demographic dividend it enjoyed since the mid 1960s according to a World Bank global development report.

Demographic dividend, as defined by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) means, “the economic growth potential that can result from shifts in a population’s age structure, mainly when the share of the working-age population (15 to 64) is larger than the non-working-age share of the population (14 and younger, and 65 and older).” ^[1] In other words, it is “a boost in economic productivity that occurs when there are growing numbers of people in the workforce relative to the number of dependents.” ^[1] UNFPA stated that, “A country with both increasing numbers of young people and declining fertility has the potential to reap a demographic dividend. ^[1]

Due to the dividend between young and old, many argue that there is a great potential for economic gains, which has been termed the "demographic gift".^[2] In order for economic growth to occur the younger population must have access to quality education, adequate nutrition and health including access to sexual and reproductive health.

However, this drop in fertility rates is not immediate. The lag between produces a generational population bulge that surges through society. For a period of time this “bulge” is a burden on society and increases the dependency ratio. Eventually this group begins to enter the productive labor force. With fertility rates continuing to fall and older generations having shorter life expectancies, the dependency ratio declines dramatically. This demographic shift initiates the demographic dividend. With fewer younger dependents, due to declining fertility and child mortality rates, and fewer older dependents, due to the older generations having shorter life expectancies, and the largest segment of the population of productive working age, the dependency ratio declines dramatically leading to the demographic dividend. Combined with effective public policies this time period of the demographic dividend can help facilitate more rapid economic growth and puts less strain on families. This is also a time period when many women enter the labor force for the first time.^[3] In many countries this time period has led to increasingly smaller families, rising income, and rising life expectancy rates.^[3] However, dramatic social changes can also occur during this time, such as increasing divorce rates, postponement of marriage, and single-person households.^[3]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-L3LrYJQi0

SARSYC 2017 THE REAL DEAL Part1

So it was August 2015 when i first heard and saw a new baby in the Southern part of Africa.Zimbabwe a country I was born and bred was the first witness of the wonder-kid, SARSYC as many would come to know the baby,it is just a nickname standing for Southern African Regional Students and Youth Conference.
If I remember  well we were still discussing how the SDGs would benefit the youths of the southern hemisphere of Africa hence it went by the the theme ''Youth SRHR and the Post 2015 Agenda: A time to invest in young people to harness the demographic dividend in Southern Africa."

Harnessing the demographic dividend!!!What is that? I asked myself as these were the main words and the main phrase being used throughout the conference,I will try and talk about it in the next two or three paragraphs,taking Thailand as our case study.

Associated with a rapid decline in fertility, Thailand is experiencing major changes in its age structure. The proportion of the population aged less than 15 is declining, while the proportion in labour force and older ages is increasing. In 2009, the proportion in labour-force ages will reach a peak of 67.8 per cent and will then decline. Therefore the current demographic situation provides Thailand with the opportunity to increase economic growth, an increase often referred to as a demographic dividend. However, a demographic dividend is not automatically realized. This paper argues that Thailand needs three strategies to obtain the maximum demographic dividend: (1) increase productivity through upgrading the quality of the labour force, implementing appropriate macro-economic policies and reforming the financial system; (2) extend the period during which a potential demographic dividend is obtained by encouraging older persons to remain in the labour force; and (3) develop a regional labour market.
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17441730500317493?src=recsys

The final report of the Southern African Regional Students and Youth Conference on sexual and Reproductive Health (SARSYC) for 2015 edition is now available.
http://www.sarsyc.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/SARSYC-2015-Report-Final2-min.pdf

end of part 1

HOW TO BE A GOOD MALE FEMINIST

So You Want to Be a Male Feminist? Here Are 11 Simple Rules to Follow

 By Derrick Clifton October 21, 2014

LIKE MIC ON FACEBOOK:

Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Aziz Ansari. John Legend.

These are a few of many male celebrities who have recently come out as feminists. Emma Watson's high-profile #HeForShe campaign and the White House's launch of #ItsOnUs against sexual violence have encouraged many more men to think critically about feminism. More importantly, about why it's necessary to affirm and practice gender equality, given the many ways institutional sexism and the patriarchy have created environments whereconventionally white, masculine, cisgender men have power and privilege.

Keep in mind that a feminist, as defined by Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, is a person who believes in the social, political and economic equality of the sexes (and various gender identities). Although some believe that men have no place in the movement, others argue that strategic social movements should build bridges of solidarity. It's not about focusing or coddling men, but instead about recognizing that people who have privilege can operate with respect and understanding by taking the leads from those who have been marginalized.

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie delivers a TEDx presentation entitled, "We Should All Be Feminists."

Source: TEDxTalks via YouTube

For men who wish to truly engage in the struggle for gender equality, here are some ways they can helphelp while remaining cognizant of how their identities may limit their understanding of women's struggles:

1. Understand that women are leading the way and affirm their capable leadership. Don't assert yourself at the forefront.

Feminism has primarily been a movement for women, led by women. Although bell hooks wrote the iconicFeminism Is for Everybody to encourage all people to become invested in the struggle for gender equality, maleness is still privileged in a society that promotes male perspectives and experiences at the expense of women's.

For men to insist on positioning themselves and their maleness ahead of women's voices is to ignore that a man's voice will, on the whole, be perceived as more legitimate, even when he's not speaking with any authority or accuracy on issues pertaining to women.

2. When it comes to issues that directly pertain to women's bodies and experiences, be quiet and listen.

For people who have penises and a male reproductive system, they will never know what it's like to have a period, go through menopause or bear children. If a man is conventionally masculine, straight and not transgender, he is much less likely to encounter street harassment and sexual assault or be told that his gender innately makes him unfit to fully participate in various aspects of the workplace. And should he dare to speak up in favor of gender equality, he likely won't face online harassment, including death and rape threats, as was recently the case for feminist gaming critic Anita Sarkeesian. 

Instead of talking over women or worse, making unfounded assumptions about what they experience on a daily basis, be quiet and listen to what women have to say, and redirect other men to their voices.

3. Men don't get to determine if they are "allies" to the feminist movement. Women do.

As a man, being a feminist isn't some special badge you earn after going to a rally, speaking out for gender equality or holding another man accountable for sexist behavior. It's not about getting "ally cookies" or a pat on the back every time you do something that's considered pro-feminism. Rather, it's about making sure your actions aren't sexist, transphobic or reinforcements of gender-based bigotry. It is not going above and beyond to act respectfully and in solidarity with women working towards gender equality. 

4. Take responsibility for addressing men's issues with other men, rather than expecting women in feminism to do all of the work.

So-called men's rights activists gather at a 2014 conference in Detroit.

Source: A Voice For Men via YouTube

Men who are ignorant about feminism — and even so-called men's rights activists — often critique feminists for not addressing what they describe as men's struggles. Some of these issues include the disproportionately high male suicide rate, how the court system regards fathers in custody battles and the perceived abandonment of survivors of sexual violence. 

On the one hand, these criticisms miss a pretty large point: Feminism can, and already has, helped men as well as women. 

Additionally, men, especially white men, are already positioned to work towards resolutions, since institutional sexism gives them a disproportionate hold on the levers of power. Instead of railing against the women in feminism, it's important that men take steps to work with each other, as well as with feminist leaders, to recognize how the struggle for gender equality plays a key role in many of these efforts.

5. Use your male privilege to encourage other men to work towards gender equality, under women's leadership.

Source: Manish Swarup/AP

Once you feel that you have a stable understanding of what it means to be a feminist, motivate other men you know to join in the push for gender equality. Being a feminist shouldn't be seen as a chore, a job or a simple label, but rather as a lifelong commitment to ensuring that institutional sexism comes to an end. 

But, as the CEO of Microsoft recently learned, that commitment should run deeper than tokenization, or telling women, from a position of privilege, how they should approach key issues such as the gender pay gap.

6. Don't use the label of "feminist" as a way to try to get women to like you — that's disingenuous and counterproductive.

We've all heard the horror stories of men using feminism to get dates or new female friends, thinking the label may prove they are somehow "softer" and not as ignorant as more conventionally masculine "bro" types. 

However, this "nice guy" approach can backfire. Beware of the male feminist who behaves as though his feminist sympathizing makes him more entitled to female sexual attention, even when he shows little to no understanding of his privilege. Instead, this logic objectifies and belittles women with the assumption that they can be manipulated into liking someone who really doesn't care about their position in society. 

7. When given opportunities to execute professional tasks related to feminist issues, consider referring other women instead.

Former professor and news commentator Hugo Schwyzer appears on CNN to discuss sexual harassment in schools.

Source: CNN Video

Women have been at the forefront of feminism and civil rights efforts for more than 100 years. But by and large, institutional sexism often renders women and their experiences invisible, because male needs, thoughts and opinions are usually elevated above their female counterparts'. 

So when organizations or news outlets ask for a "male perspective" on issues such as feminism and gender equality, ask what the needs and goals of the conversation are in order to discern whether or not you can trulyspeak from a place of experience, education and expertise, especially if the topics are related to issues that mostly affect women. Don't be afraid to suggest a female peer if you're not the best suited for the event or discourse.

8. Educate yourself about the history of feminism and how women of different backgrounds have approached the movement. 

Source: Edward Kitch/AP

Feminism means different things depending on the country, its laws, racial and ethnic groups, class stratification and the prevailing world religion, among other factors. In the United States, feminism encompasses enslaved women writing about their struggle for both their womanhood and for their full humanity to be recognized and respected. It includes the fight for suffrage, reproductive justice, access to education and equal employment opportunities. 

Often, those struggles have privileged the perspectives of mainstream white women, at the expense of women of color who endure universal but differing struggles, given disparities along the lines of race and class. It's all the more important, especially in a "post-racial" society, to make sure the history of feminism isn't whitewashed. 

9. Ensure your feminism is intersectional.

Source: Mikki Kendall via Twitter

Before diving into feminism, men should remember that what's often heard in the mainstream doesn't provide a complete snapshot of the movement.

Many women in feminism have long rallied to ensure that the fight for gender equality is inclusive and cognizant of everyone, including people of color, queer, trans and gender nonconforming people, people with disabilities, differences in class and ability, various faiths and non-faiths and other identities and situations. That's becauseintersectionality ensures that various goals and needs are addressed to truly elevate everyone, rather than focusing on the experiences of those who have relatively more privilege.

It's a critique against mainstream, white-centered feminism levied by Mikki Kendall and feminists around the world in August 2013 with the viral hashtag #SolidarityIsForWhiteWomen:

10. Acknowledge that sometimes, women need opportunities to discuss feminist issues without the presence of men. And that's okay.

Participants from the December 2009 conference, titled, The Courage to Lead: A Human Rights Summit for Women Leaders.

Source: United States Mission Geneva via Flickr

When hashing out difficult conversations, ideas and questions about women's issues and the direction of the movement, it can be challenging to deal with interjections from men who derail the conversation due to their relative lack of understanding. 

In addition, some women may feel more comfortable discussing their bodies and their experiences absent the gaze and presence of men, whose thoughts, needs and desires are privileged in virtually all sectors of society. Instead of taking offense, practice respect and compassion by minimizing yourself in the situation, and by simply asking if there's any way you can be helpful outside of the closed dialogue. 

11. When women criticize your involvement in feminism, don't talk over them or talk down to them. Actively listen and be accountable.

Sometimes, in doing the work or attempting to be helpful, people make mistakes, and that's a human thing to do. But listening to constructive criticism and being accountable for missteps is what separates a responsible ally from someone who is clueless about their privilege. 

Instead of talking over women or talking down to them, ask questions about how you can be most helpful. And, given institutionalized sexism and male privilege, figure out how you can work with women in leadership to remedy any damage done. Because that's what true allyship and solidarity look like in feminism.

************** 

Men saying they support feminism is just one small, albeit important, step in breaking down these disparities. Going forward, men need to take the next step: challenge and dismantle their preconceived notions and stereotypes of women and gender identity. They can and should do this while affirming the leadership of the 

REAL MAN WEAR PINK

‪#‎theColorPink‬ Personality color pink
The meaning of the color pink is;
unconditional love and nurturing.

This color represents compassion, nurturing and love. It relates to unconditional love and understanding, and the giving and receiving of nurturing.

A combination of red and white, pink contains the need for action of red, helping it to achieve the potential for success and insight offered by white. It is the passion and power of red softened with the purity, openness and completeness of white. The deeper the pink, the more passion and energy it exhibits.

The color pink represents the sweetness and innocence of the child in all of us. It is the color of uncomplicated emotions.
Pink calms and reassures our emotional energies, alleviating feelings of anger, aggression, resentment, abandonment and neglect. Studies have confirmed that exposure to large amounts of pink can have a calming effect on the nerves and create physical weakness in people. Violent and aggressive prisoners have been successfully calmed by placing them in a pink room for a specified amount of time.
As the Shattered Dreams we are organising a huge event in Hurungwe to advocate for the End of Child Marriages and Gender Based Violence with the message REAL MEN WEAR PINK.
‪#‎EndChildMarriages‬ ‪#‎NoU18Brides‬ ‪#‎STOPGBV‬‪#‎WEAREYOUNGPEOPLE‬

CONFERENCE GOAL
To amplify the voices of students and young people on their Sexual and reproductive health rights, and thus ensure that the regional and global debate on the post 2015 agenda and sustainable development goals considers young people’s SRHR as a priority.
 Conference Strategic Objectives

• To provide a platform for systematically aggregate and amplified voices of students and young people on their Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in Southern Africa ;
• To provide a platform for collective reflection and analysis on the underlying structural barriers / factors which restrict students and young peoples’ from enjoying their rights;
• To analyse and interrogate strategies that have been implemented in Southern Africa to improve young people’s access to SRH services and suggest  newer and better strategies which will address unmet needs, rights of excluded/underserved  groups, such as students living with HIV, students living with disabilities and young women;
• To build and strengthen students and young people’s solidarity in the region so that they can collectively hold duty bearers to account for promoting, protecting and upholding their SRHR; and
• To strengthen partnerships with development actors in Southern Africa around students and young people’s sexual and reproductive health and rights.

THE SARSYC

The Southern African Regional Students and Youth Conference on sexual and reproductive health (SARSYC) will be held under the theme, YOUTH SRHR AND THE POST2015 AGENDA: A TIME TO INVEST IN YOUNG PEOPLE TO HARNESS THE DEMOGRAPHIC DIVIDEND IN SOUTHERN AFRICA. The theme of the conference is founded primarily on the proposed incoming Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the post 2015 development agenda and informed by the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).The year 2015 marks the end of the lifeline of the MDGs and marks the beginning of the SDGs;  hence the conference will focus on calling the young people from  Southern Africa to take the lead in the post 2015 SRHR Development Agenda through spearheading the attainment of SDGs that uphold young people’s SRHR.
It is further premised on the conceptualisation of young people as a strategic demographic group whose well-being has potential to spur positive socio-economic and political transformations. Within that perspective, guaranteeing the Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights of young people is not only a human rights imperative, but It is fundamentally a socio-economic and political necessity. The theme captures the intention of students and young people in Southern Africa to inform the post 2015 development agenda as well as other platforms and strategic developmental issues that affect young people.