In Anguilla are a group of young people and adults from Atlanta, Georgia, who are on a health study tour of the island. They are members of Youth Leadership for Global Health Inc. (YLGH), a mentoring programme that transforms health behavior, and The Youth Educational Services (Y.E.S.) 4 Health Inc., a teen group with a focus on health education and theatre.

They have been in Anguilla since July 24 and will remain on the island until August 4.

Visitng Atlanta youth with HAA CEO, Darlene Baptiste

Group Leader, Dr. Wilma Kirchofer, described YLGH as “an organisation designed to connect young people to all kinds of activities that help them change their health behaviours so that they can prevent disease.” She explained that they were being assisted in doing so through educational and leadership skills development opportunities and a chance to see world health on a global platform.

Dr. Kirchofer was pleased that this year YLGH had the opportunity to partner with another group that has similar goals – “Y.E.S. for Health, a teen theatre group looking to perform with the people they meet.”

The members of YLGH are guided by a set of learning objectives and their experiences of local education through which they get a firsthand understanding of how related health and disease are around the world.

The young people gain a sense of global health relationships by visiting, seeing and experiencing many health issues and facilities. These include clinics and hospitals, homelessness, child and elderly care, HIV/AIDS education, orphanages, teen pregnancy, public and private health care and traditional medicine.

On Wednesday this week, the Atlanta youth group visited the Princess Alexandra Hospital, where they were welcomed by Ms Kay Ferguson, Public Relations Officer, and other Health Authority of Anguilla personnel including Chief Executive Officer, Darlene Baptiste.

The visiting young ladies and adults later toured the Hospital and the Miriam Gumbs Senior Citizens Home as part of a general tour of the island.

They were especially attracted to Anguilla at this time by the three-day International Youth Summit taking place here this weekend. This opportunity for youth to bring into being their vision for the community and the world is sponsored by the International Black Summit, whose main organiser is Ms Una Gumbs of the Rendezvous Bay Hotel. A number of Anguillian young people and adults will also join the overseas delegates at the event.

| Printer-friendly page | Send this article to a friend |

World News