MASYAP Youth and Women chairladies meeting took place on 22nd and 25th of July respectively. Chairladies Meeting is an assembly of chairladies from different support groups for a particular purpose, especially for formal discussion. Women and youth chairladies meetings are held quarterly every year with the aim of discussing burning issues and guiding them on how they can run a support group successfully. A support group is a gathering of people facing common issues to share what’s troubling them. Through the sharing of experiences, they are able to offer support, encouragement and comfort to the other group members and receive the same in return.
These meetings offer important opportunities for women and youths to become better equipped for the challenges of senior leadership roles and tackling self awareness in relation to HIV/AIDS and its assorted barriers. It helps women and youths to understand the role leadership plays and to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary for advancing gender equality in their daily lives and work as chairladies. Women leaders in particular are more vital mentors and coaches of emerging potential. Women are more understanding, strong willed, tactical and cognizant in comparison to men and this is precisely what makes them terrific mentors. Women and Youth’s leadership meeting is designed to help women and Youths learn the skills and develop the tools they need to advance into positions of responsibility, authority and leadership.
All the discussions were made through the theme of “YOU ARE UNIQUE THE WAY YOU ARE”. With that theme in mind Women and youths chairladies were encouraged to be a unique person that no other person is exactly like another. This uniqueness partly comes from within, shown through our actions and behaviors.
Participating in a group provides you with an opportunity to be with people who are likely to understand one another. Benefits of participating in a support group may include:
- Feeling less lonely
- Isolated
- Judged
- Reducing distress, depression, anxiety and fatigue
- Talking openly and honestly about your feelings
- Improving skills to cope with challenges
- Staying motivated to manage chronic conditions or stick to treatment plans.
Health and education facilitators were invited to have a group focused discussion with our youth chairladies.
They all emphasized in the following points:
- There is only one you
The amazing fact behind this is that out of the 7.3 billion people breathing today, there is only one you and nothing can change that. One or two people might look a bit like you, but you are your only kind and that’s unique.
- You have a different perception
Everyone is shaped by their environment and personal experiences and this gives everyone different perspectives to things and that’s uniqueness.
- You have your likes and dislikes
The fact that you have what you love and hate only shows that you are distinctive
- Your life experience
You cannot have the same experience with another person. The world was created in a way that two persons cannot have the same experience all through their lives, your experience might have a similar story to another’s but your yours is yours and theirs is theirs they are both shaped from different series of life events.
- You have your way of doing things
You cannot have the exact ideology, way of reasoning and mode of doing things with another person.
