Georgina Caswell, Youth Journalist with the Mexico Youth Force, interviewed Morillio Williams, Director MDG No. 6 for UN MDG Youth Ambassador Corps, about the development of a youth hub in Suriname.

G: Hi Morillio
M: Hello!

G: What is a youth hub?
M: Well, a youth hub is actually like having a small international AIDS conference with young people away from the conference. We plan to share and discuss knowledge from the conference with young people in Suriname. We will use sessions through web casting and involve young people in discussions about the issues. We’re using the living room at the Family Planning Association of Suriname called St. Lobi. We’re turning their lobby into an interactive space.

G: Who are these young people?
M: They are all organised youth working in the area of HIV and AIDS. We really want discussions to be engaging and to contribute to their work in the area.

G: That sounds exciting - how are you promoting the youth hub?
M: We have promoted it through mass media. There was a big media launch last Monday and we’ve been using television and newspapers. It’s now a big thing in Suriname, everyone knows about it. I’ve been going to sessions to pick up information that is relevant to our national programme.

G: So you’ve been busy!
M: Yeah! I’ve been preparing presentations. I’ve been busy. The people back home have also been really busy – we’ve been emailing everyday to organise the hub. It’s a group of 10 people working on this project.

G: So this is an intervention as opposed to a one-off information event?
M: It is! We want it to be useful and I’m putting into action some of the skills and information from the sessions at the youth pre-conference.

G: Do you have a lot of support for the youth hub in Suriname?
M: We are happy to have the support of the National AIDS Programme of Suriname. A lot of big companies in Suriname support us. A big telecommunication company called Telesur are setting up a stage for us in downtown Suriname to profile the opening of the youth hub. The biggest bank in Suriname DSB are sponsoring logistical things such as pens and maps. The Ministry of Education, Youth Affairs are supportive with resources (refreshments, technical assistance). We also have support from individuals who are giving us things like a couch to use for a few days. There is also a lawyer’s office supporting us with some funding and technical assistance with financial coordination.

G: How can we learn about the outcome of your initiative?
M: There will be a report sent to all focal points at the National AIDS Programme in Suriname, UNAIDS, and the Global Youth Association. We would like to take it global! On Friday, we are doing some outreach downtown in Suriname – there’ll be drama, music, information – to raise the profile of HIV in Suriname. There’ll be incentives like t-shirts and folders.

G: Are you happy to share your email with other young people who may be interested in setting up a youth hub one day?
M: Yeah, we really want to make a difference and share our knowledge and experience with other young people so that at the next conference when young people don’t have the funds to go to the conference, they have a means of being internationally involved within their own countries. My email address is wmorillio@hotmail.com

G: Thanks for sharing!
M: You’re welcome!