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Countries Ireland / My dance4life story so far : Hugh Kearney, dance4life volunteer

My dance4life story so far : Hugh Kearney, dance4life volunteer


My involvement in dance4life began this summer when, through a friend in the Gaiety School of Acting, I heard that the IFPA was looking for volunteers for what sounded like an exciting youth Hugh Kearneyprogramme. As an aspiring actor I am always looking for a new challenge and it sounded like a really good cause to boot.
As it turned out it was much more challenging than I had anticipated. We did a week-long training session with Red Zebra, an international dance company that trains dance4life teams all around the world. I have little dance experience except late night forays onto the dance floor, so found it physically exhausting. By the end of August we were ready and did our first session with a youth group from Kildare.

Our first visit to a school was in September when we went to St Mac Dara's Community College in Templeogue in Dublin. The programme went down very well with the students. I was surprised at how quickly the students got into it. Essentially dance4life is a HIV/AIDS awareness sex education programme for young people. What makes it special is the use of dance, music and fun to help young people engage in the issue of HIV and AIDS and to inspire them to get involved in the global battle against the spread of the disease.

There are number of distinct elements to the programme. I work as part of the Heart Connection Tour which is comprised of arts volunteers. We are the first group to visit the schools or youth groups and our role is to teach the dance drill, to educate them about HIV/AIDS and encourage them to become activists. This dance serves two purposes. First and foremost it is fun. AIDS and HIV are serious and at times intimidating topics. The dance helps break the ice with young people and gets them engaged. Secondly, it provides a tangible physical link to all the other young people around the world who are also involved in the programme. The same dance (with some local variations) is being taught in 25 different countries around the world, from places as far apart as Russia, Sierra Leone and Moldova. We have incorporated a bit of Irish dancing into our version of the dance!

The grand finale of this element of the programme is the worldwide dance4life event which takes place every two years on the Saturday before World AIDS Day. The next event is on 27th November 2010. Young people who have participated in the programme and attend the event will be connected live via satellite as they dance together in front of the world. This provides an exciting culmination to the programme and serves to remind world leaders of the promises they have made to young people about tackling HIV/AIDS.

During the Heart Connection Tour we give young people simple messages about HIV/AIDS such as the fact that 60% of new infections were involving young people between 15 & 24. We also do short dramas such as a dramatisation of someone trying to tell his friends that he has HIV illustrating the different reactions and prejudices people have about the disease.

After the Heart Connection Team visit the young people they are taught in more detail about how to take responsibility in the skills4life element of the programme. This is undertaken by a team of sex education trainers from the IFPA. This is an in-depth programme where they learn more about HIV and AIDS and how it can affect their lives and those of their peers in the developing world. During this element they will also explore issues such as self-esteem, decision making and respect and responsibility.
Once they're fired up they're ready for the third part of the programme, which is called act4life. As the name suggests this is all about taking actions of activism. Young people are encouraged to become agents of change and engage in personal actions. This could mean anything from becoming a volunteer, fund raising or simply spreading awareness. A school in Dublin, for example, did a No-Uniform Day fundraiser for HIV/AIDS.

Working with young people is new to me, but I have found it very rewarding. The fact that I am only around eight year older than many of the young people were are engaging with makes for a good dynamic. I don’t look at them as “kids” and don’t talk to the any differently than I would to my own peers.

What I really like about the programme is how genuinely enlightened the message is. I feel that if we can turn even just one young person’s life around it is worth all the effort.
In 2006 dance4life arrived in Ireland under the auspices of the Irish Family Planning Association (IFPA). We plan to visit at least 12 schools as well as a number of youth groups in autumn/winter of this year.

In the coming weeks we will be bringing the programme to schools in Dublin, Cavan, Louth, Tipperary and Wexford.