The Tribune

This December, Atlantis will play host to a special summit to address adolescent pregnancy and reproductive health among young people in the Bahamas and the Caribbean.

Amid growing support of the laws across the eastern Caribbean surrounding the CARICOM/UNFPA Draft Integrated Framework to Reduce Adolescent Pregnancy in the Caribbean, as well as the OECS/UNFPA Draft Reproductive Health Bill with respect to age of consent and age of majority, the Bahamas Sexual Health and Rights Association (BaSHRA) will present a National Youth Health Summit 2014 (NYS2014) to harmonise its support. The summit is scheduled for December 4-6 at Atlantis.

NYS2014’s “call to action” plan is an effort to strengthen youth engagement, advocacy, rights and access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health education and programmes addressing the Draft Reproductive Bill and Draft Framework.

Participants ranging from ages 14 to 25, including delegates from the region and representing schools, community and youth-based NGOs, will meet to discuss issues associated with adolescent health development and the changes with youth sexual and reproductive health laws, norms, and public policies designed, modified or reformed.

The three-day summit will include youth round table discussions, forums and a health fair to be centered on the aim to further youth participation in comprehensive health education, advocacy training of trainers, and community development.

“Ultimately, future NYS summit events will contribute to case studies and help to enable the next generation of peer leaders to be better equipped and more willing to work together across disciplines towards comprehensive youth health education and development than has been the case in the past,” said Kevon Lightbourne, president of BaSHRA.

NYS will focus on sharing best practices, interactive events, youth attendance and participation, interdisciplinary meetings and policy recommendations imagined by youth to provide a perennial framework for collaboration and youth feeder source into BaSHRA programmes and services, specifically the Youth Advocacy Movement (YAM). BaSHRA aims to plant the seed for young people working in research to have the opportunity to learn from the best approaches, allowing the need for practicum experiences working in the communities.

To conclude the weekend’s interactions, NYS will feature a closing ceremony and concert featuring local and international celebrity talent on Saturday, December 6, 2014.

In addition, the community support for NYS must be sustained to meet the challenge, so organisers are asking Bahamians to get involved.

For more information call (242) 325-1663 or send an e-mail to mymembersonlyclinic@mybashra.org.