GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labour Hon. Cornelius de Weever would like to commend the St. Maarten AIDS Foundation with its pilot programme "Real Talk."
20 Milton Peters College (MPC) teenage boys in the HAVO stream participated in the pilot program of the aforementioned foundation.
"I believe Real Talk can make a difference and fill a void especially for young men who do not have a father figure or positive male role model in their lives.
"This cannot replace it but every little bit helps and can make a difference once these young men apply what they have learned into their daily choices," Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labour Hon. Cornelius de Weever said on Thursday.
The programme provides young men with proper tools to make informed decisions and establish peer norms of respect, accountability and healthy lifestyles.
The teens are offered the opportunity to learn the importance of setting goals for their future, negating/managing peer pressure and protecting their sexual health.
Due to the success of the pilot programme, the St. Maarten AIDS Foundation is looking at instituting it at all secondary schools on the island. The aim is to reach all second-form and most first-form boys before Carnival 2014.