Kids Clubs:
BACKGROUND:
Youth for a Child in Christ (YOCIC) is a youth run and managed organization, which originated the kids club concept. The running of many kidsclubs has been a collaboration between YOCIC and Masiye Camp, with YOCIC doing planning and implementation and Masiye Camp providing administrative and technical support. Since its inception, the kids club concept has been embraced by many communities and organizations throughout the region as an effective approach to psychosocial support.
Kids clubs are youth organized and youth run clubs in the communities. In these kids clubs, children and youth are sensitized on issues related to their health (HIV/AIDS in particular) and are mobilized to initiate activities to improve their health and development. Kids clubs are also a place of refuge and post camp counselling. These clubs cater mostly for children and youth aged between 6 and 20. Whilst orphans and other children and youth affected by HIV and AIDS are the primary beneficiaries in kids clubs, these clubs are open to any child in the community. This would greatly reduced stigma and will create an enabling environment for the integration and re-integration of affected children and youth into society. For kids clubs to be effective, the social environment must be influenced towards understanding the real issues confronting children and youth affected by AIDS. Children and youth meet at these clubs on a weekly basis.
Kids Clubs seek to achieve the following:
- To increase safety nets for children and youth affected by AIDS through the provision of community based psychosocial support.
- To empower vulnerable children and youth with resources (including internal), that enhance their resilience and coping mechanisms in the context of HIV and AIDS.
- To create an enabling environment for creative self expression through various narrative forms such as art, music, drama, theatre and dance.
- To mobilize community members to understand and assist in mitigating the impact of HIV/AIDS on children and youth.
Lessons Leant:
- Young people have the aptitude and are willing to take on greater responsibility in programme planning, monitoring and evaluation.
- Youth initiatives need to seek partnerships with adult driven initiatives to complement work done and facilitate transference of skills.
- The transfer of the Kids Club concept has proved to be popular and feasible because of community involvement and the child participatory aspect .A manual has been developed to assist with the lessons transfer.
- Programs, which have children and youth, as beneficiaries should involve them in all stages of the project cycle for more endearing and positive results.
- The unifying characteristic of kids clubs is that they provide a safe environment for children to meet and interact with each other, which is an essential aspect of psychosocial support.
- Kids clubs are ideal for organisations that want to provide more regular psychosocial support than camps allow.
- Kids clubs, like community camps, offer a way to stimulate participation by the community at large.