A THREE-DAY Gender Based Violence (GVB)workshop that started on Monday ended on Wednesday in Honiara.
Participants at the workshop include youth agents of change from the Side by Side program, members of the Kurukuru national futsal team and members of White River Rookies basketball team.
The key objectives of the workshop are to help young people explore the gender related expectations placed on them by their families and society, help them develop an understanding of the different types of violence, explore gender based violence in romantic relationships and help them use their peer learning to facilitate their peers to advance the side by side campaign.
The workshop was part of the Side By Side awareness raising, training and peer programs for young people in formal and non-formal setting in empowering young people to prevent gender based violence.
Most of the participants at the workshop said they enjoyed themselves by interacting with each other through discussions and group presentations during the three days.
A participant and White River Rookies basketball team leader Moses Aunama Jr said he enjoyed the workshop because it helped them to understand the different types of violence they faced within the various societies they live.
“Most of us youths refer to violence as fighting or someone that involves in fighting but when attending this workshop it helps us to realise that there were many different forms of violence that we are facing in our societies.
“The workshop also helped us to build networks between youths from different communities together to share ideas and ways we as youths can to advocate in solving these issues affecting our societies.”
He also added that all the things they learnt from the workshop will add more value to their knowledge about the issues and will help them advocate to other youths in their societies.
“After attending the workshop my team now looks forward to advocate and promote these messages we learn through out basketball programs.
“We also discussed in our workshop activities on how we can address these issues in our sport programs and really looking forward to continue to work together with side by side in addressing this GVB issues in whatever platforms we can,” said the Rookies team leader.
By BRYAN LUVENA
