Latoya Gordon is in STYLE. This 18-year-old TEENage writer has been appointed as one of the 11 members of Jamaica's Solution to Youth Lifestyle and Empowerment (JA-STYLE).

Latoya Gordon

"Including me, members come from all over the island [and they] will serve as advisories of the committee board of JA-STYLE," she said.

JA-STYLE is a youth project that works islandwide to promote and improve the lifestyle of young people, especially as it relates to reproductive health and HIV/AIDS, violence prevention and substance abuse.

The effort is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and partners with the Ministry of Health (MOH).

"The need for the programme is to help young people in Jamaica that are in a crisis," Gordon said, adding that Jamaica's adolescent pregnancy rate is among the highest in the Caribbean. In Jamaica, the infection rate for HIV/AIDS is highest among youth ages of 15-24.

At the same time, young people are confronted daily with increasing crime, violence and substance abuse in their schools and communities.

JA-STYLE should help to address the need of educating and
empowering young people ages 10-19 and organise individuals that interact with them.

The programme will also work at developing and improving youth-friendly health clinics and after-school programmes to provide youth with resources like counselling and youth-friendly information on reproductive health. Supporting the MOH in implementation of youth-related health policies, services, and interventions related to their reproductive health rights.

JA-Style is to provide financial and technical assistance to non-government, community-based and faith-based organisations in all 14 parishes to help them provide services and activities to reduce risky behaviour among young people, as well as offer training and mentoring opportunities for those working with and for young people to increase resiliency.

JA-STYLE believes that youth voice is essential to making the project a success and actively seeks youth input through its Youth Advisory Board.

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