The youth HIV/AIDS initiative, the Commonwealth Youth for Positive Living(CYPL), introduced in Guyana by the Commonwealth Youth Programme Caribbean Centre in 2003 to combat the spread of the infection among young people between the ages of 15-29 years old, has recorded relative success in promoting behaviour change among this age group.

The programme stresses the importance of Positive Living as a healthy lifestyle choice. Positive living encompasses all aspects of human life, which includes physical health, emotional health, psychological health, social health, sexual health and reproductive health.

The concept inculcates and integrates the other choices (abstinence, be faithful and condom use) and reaches an individual at whatever level he/she is at with relevant, practical and transformative information to begin an inward journey of personal behaviour change. This process springs from the insight that is gained on risky behaviour(s) to one mustering the will to change and culminates in a tangible effort to realize and sustain the change(s). Positive Living requires attentiveness and consistent stringent self-examination. It is a process which calls for dedication and discipline. 

The concept inculcates and integrates the other choices (abstinence, be faithful and condom use) and reaches an individual at whatever level he/she is at with relevant, practical and transformative information to begin an inward journey of personal behaviour change. This process springs from the insight that is gained on risky behaviour(s) to one mustering the will to change and culminates in a tangible effort to realize and sustain the change(s).

For the young people who have been trained as Ambassadors for Positive Living, they are accountable to their peers to attain a higher standard of conduct and deportment as they are expected to positively influence their peers in adopting behaviour change to significantly reduce the transmission of HIV in Guyana, the Bahamas and the Caribbean Region as a whole.

The CYPL programme is distinctive from other training programmes on two fronts. On one hand it advocates for and promotes behaviour change at all ends of the spectrum and not necessarily sexual behaviour but general lifestyle changes. Secondly, the programme engages Persons Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHAs) to play an integral role in the promotion of Positive Living and the dissemination of information to other young people infected with the virus, which is done through outreach activities.

The group’s outreach efforts have included: twelve-week intervention programmes aimed at changing risky sexual behaviour among school-aged youth in city schools; training programmes focusing on “Life after Testing Positive” for youth and community leaders; HIV/AIDS sensitization and positive living training for indigenous youths; and self-development training for teenage under-achievers at technical and vocational institutes.

Outreach was also expanded and strengthened with the launch of a three-month radio programme entitled “Healthy Living.” The programme sought to encourage healthy eating among HIV infected persons, using the expertise of a nutritionist, a medical doctor and a PLWHA who shared his personal battle with the infection.

In 2003 the first group of CYPLs were trained in the areas of emotional intelligence, behaviour change, HIV/AIDS/STIs and reproductive health, peer counseling and positive living during a 13-session workshop. Out of this training process, a CYPCC publication called ‘Commonwealth Youth for Positive Living – A Manual’ was produced. The manual serves as a guide for training young people as youth for positive living. (The manual can be downloaded from the CYPCC website at www.thecommonwealth.org/cyp under documents.

To date, close to 50 Youth for Positive Living have been trained directly using the CYPL manual while 1000 more have benefited indirectly through outreaches conducted by the group throughout the year.

The CYPL programme will soon embark on a new phase which will facilitate the training of youths, parents and youth counselors in communities.