Meeting with Svetlana Izambaeva
On August 29 the staff of “Positive People Armenian Network” social NGO met with Svetlana Izmabayeva. In Russia Svetlana has been implemented unprecedented ‘’Teenergizer’’ project which unites and supports HIV-infected adults and young generation.
Svetlana Isambaeva is a clinical psychologist and at the same time carries out functions of a social worker, peer-to-peer consultation and acts as an expert, teaching and disseminating her skills to individuals and companies involved in HIV.
Before the meeting with NGO staff together with Polatava, Kiev, Tbilisi, Kazan Teenergizers she had working meetings with the representatives of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) in Armenia. The initiating party (UNAIDS) is launching regional strategic planning activities in the Republic of Armenia for HIV-infected adolescents and Svetlana Isambaeva and Teenergizers have been invited to these meetings as experts.
Surely great initiative, taking into consideration the professionalism of experts and the success experience within the program of HIV-infected teenagers.
We are sorry that “Positive People Armenian Network” social NGO haden’t been involved in regional strategic planning framwork activities, which would allow to include Armenian children, adolescents and young people living with HIV. Meeting with their peers from other countries who have the same problem, support experience, and opportunity to address issues to decision-making bodies concerning HIV will serve for Armenian guys as a success data.
Worth to note that PPAN’s not participation in strategic planning framwork did not prevent to undertake direct contact with Svetlana and discuss HIV issues, problems and solutions among adolescents in Armenia. PPAN’s staff meeting with such an expert first of all had motivating factor on the base of best practice sharing and methodological training. The format of the meeting looked like scheduled interactive lecture with full of questions and answers, targeted role-playing games and resource accessibility assessment.
Cooperation will be continuously. In near future through fundraising we are planning to organize TOT series of seminars mentored by Svetlana Izambayeva as well as hold summer camp with the involvement of Armenian teenagers living with HIV.
PPAN’s team sures that discussion issues in multisectoral approaches and overall consensus will definitely lead to the creation of a comprehensive, functionally flexible platform for the implementation of the initiative.