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Terms of Use:
The spirit of
Youth Leaders Speak is one of partnership and support for youth across Central America and globally. The storytellers generously offered their time and creativity to create these stories. Please feel free to share them,
as long as you are not doing so for commercial purposes. When you share the stories, please remember to acknowledge GOJoven and Silence Speaks as the producers.
Sharing the Stories:
The content of many of the
Youth Leaders Speak stories is very sensitive – they touch on issues like HIV and abortion stigma, grief and loss, and violence and abuse.
They are not suitable for viewing by young children. GOJoven and Silence Speaks highly recommend that if you wish to screen the stories, you make use of the project’s
“Guide for Facilitators,” which offers a wealth of useful information for how to integrate the digital stories starting point for sharing stories as tools for provider training, community health education, and advocacy related to improving adolescent sexual and reproductive rights. Our hope is that those who view these powerful stories will be inspired to take individual and collective action towards building safe and healthy communities.
If you’re thinking of screening these stories, please:
Gladys always felt alone and out of place, as a child and teenager. Her mother treated her poorly due to her dark skin color, saying she didn’t deserve an education. Gladys’ body image also affected her self-esteem. She speaks in her story about her quest to understand why she had begun to cut herself and hit walls until her hands bled. After joining GOJoven and connecting with friends, Gladys had the courage to pursue an education and accept herself as she is.
