Friday, November 30, 2007

1st National HIV/AIDS conference


Malaysia 1st National HIV/AIDS Conference & World AIDS Day
"Stop AIDS! Keep your Promise"
Legand Hotel, KL
30 Nov - 2 Dec

UNICEF Youth Forum, 30 Nov
"Celebrating Youth Leadership in Action"
UNICEF Youth Forum in conjunction with Malaysia 1st National HIV/AIDS Conference & World AIDS Day(1 DEC)

I was fortunate to be given the chance to attend the Youth Forum under Aiesec Malaysia...
It was fun, insightful, meaningful, and alot of things to share, learn and discuss...

Society/Club/NGO that made their presents: AIESEC, MRC, Young Achievers Club, BRATs, WorldVision, Federation of Family Planning Malaysia, Pink Triangle Foundation, and other students and people "working" in the field of HIV/AIDS.

without wasting more time, i shall share somethings(as far as i could remember, coz 2 many things was said, and discuss)

The ball started rolling with a Welcoming Remark by
Ms. Wing-Sie Cheng, UNICEF East Asia and Pacific Regional Advisor for HIV and AIDS. Following it was a Keynote Speech & officiating the ceremony by
YBHg Dato’ Dr. Hj Ramlee bin Hj Rahmat, Deputy Director General of Ministry Of Health Malaysia.

Launch of PROSTAR Best Practice Booklet by YBHg Dato’ Dr. Hj Ramlee bin Hj Rahmat, Ms. Wing-Sie Cheng and PROSTAR Youth Leaders was done after the keynote speech.

We then went for a tea break, and when we came back, an Interactive Talk Show – “Living in the age of HIV/AIDS: Are young people in Malaysia responding?” "Hosted" by Xandria Ooi and Rina Omar was. questions and sharing of experience was done from the guest speakers and also those participants and delegates from the floor. the guest speakers was Mohd Shaifulakmal bin Rosli (Along)- PROSTAR Pendang, Kedah; Ms Geraldine Sandra- President, AIESEC.

after lunch and fridays prayer, the session resume at 2.30pm with the delegates breaking into 5 groups to produce the “Young People’s HIV/AIDS Agenda for Action” each group were each given a topic to be discuss on, The 5 topics were:
a) Sex,drugs and young people
b) Young people: Mobilizing & responding
c) Involving teachers and parents
d) Young people living with HIV
e) Adults and young people working together

SEX, Drug and young people Facilitator

after each group had come up with 3 agenda each, the whole thing (5x3) were presented and signature to pledge that we would carry it out were sign, and would be submitted/ presented during the opening plenary on 1 Dec at the Conference itself.

One of the Five cards that was sign
Aiesecer preparing to sign togetherAiesec MC President, Ms Geraldine Sandra
There was 4 colour of name tag string:
Red- Participants of the HIV/AIDS Conference
Pink- Youth Forum
Black- Secretarial
Orange- Presenters of the HIV/AIDS Conference

Somethings to think about,
Condoms are easily available in shops around us? that is correct, look at 7-E, Watson, Guardian, and place that u can think of. but why people are not buying it to protect them self?
have u bought a condom before? if u have, and provided u are not married yet, have u notice how those people are looking at you? what weird look they are giving u. thinking and saying in their mind that u r a naughty and bad child. but think again, what is wrong with wanting to protect myself? is it wrong to protect myself? is condom drugs? will it be harming myself if i buy and use it?

a true story about buying condom that was shared by someone,
she was in 7-E near her place and those condom was place behind the counter. so she ask the guy at the counter to take it for her, and she was also on the phone talking to her fren(i guess thats the true buyer), and the guy told a pack for her, then she saw the price and told the person,: "do we really need it? its so expensive" and of course all along since the beginning, the guy had been giving her a weird look, like she is a "prostitute" a bad bad girl, who is hiao.
and now the guy still remember her, and she always still goes back there... having attention from the guy always. (luckily the guy didn't tell her: "we have new kind, do u want to try it?" LOL)
another story: told by another girl, one day she and another fren went into a shop and she saw those condom and she started pointing to where the condom was, telling her fren, and straight away the person at the counter gave her a one-kind look... she was not even taking it yet, just merely pointing to the location... Tips: w*t*on or g*a*d**n is a good place to buy condom, as those thing are not place at the casher counter... so the way to buy it is to buy another item which has a larger size than the condom box, and place the condom under so other shoppers won't notice it so easily.... buying it for the first time is abit hard, scary and challenging, but after few times, its nothing more than buying stuff... another person also said that in certain clubs, there are condom dispenser in the female toilet, so girls can get it there...

(i was in the SEX, Drug and young people group, thats why i mention it more =p)

Drugs are illegal in the country, but free needle are being provided for those hardcore drug addicts so that they won't share and pass on the HIV virus to others around them...
Condom are also being given out, but how many actually use them(if they got do that la, if no do then no need lo, unless was use as safety "balloon" during emergency)?

No point saying no no no, coz people are still doing it, so why not say "if u want to do it, make sure u and ur partner are protected"
No doubt that many religion says that u can't have sex till after u are married, but why it is written as that? why not reason it out, and fit into the modern concept. u can have sex, provided that u are protected and be faithful.

**Pink Triangle foundation ( PT foundation or PTF) is a non profit organization working with vulnerable communities to bring a better quality of life for them. PTF works closely with drug users, sex workers, transsexuals, same sex sex, people living with HIV.
confidential counseling @ 03-4044 5455 or 4044 5466, anonymous HIV testing, and support groups...

what do i get from the conference
- UNICEF t shirt
- pamphlets or booklets
- collar pins
- bag
- and the best TRANSPORT ALLOWANCE (first time i seeing this) normally when u work assignment outstation or when on business trip, there allowance is normal, but is not paid by the organizers, this is the first time i see that the organizers are paying for it as well. those from outstation, their bus fair can be claim as well, some claim as high as 100++

People lining up to collect the Cert and the allowance
- And the priceless(money can't buy and also i didn't need to pay anything) experience...

Cupcakes that can be eaten being given out by VidexEC
* see those "cute" designs... and they are not the mini type of cupcakes.
Wat i could see is the Red Ribbon, Condoms, Love, Boy/Girl symbol

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