An example of community engagement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

An example of community engagement - Essay Example However, for purposes of this paper, the example that is going to be given emphasis is a case study of Ethiopian youth participation in a national HIV/Aids program. The project had the objective of planning the actions needed to address the menace of HIV/AIDS (Communities Scotland, 2012). The initiative employed a participatory, learning and action paradigm with 51 young people being chosen to facilitate the process. They then identified youth groups and networks in every region and held workshops and interviews. After this was accomplished, three-day long National Youth Conference was held, in which volunteer participants attend the event. The Youth Charter was launched on a one-day event (Communities Scotland, 2012). This example of community engagement had a number of strengths. To begin with, the approach created youth ownership of the process. In addition, it developed knowledgeable, vigorous youth stakeholders in the realm of sexual health. It also built youth capability to act in response to HIV/AIDS in an effective manner (Communities Scotland, 2012). Despite these strengths of the initiative, the project had a number of limitations. For instance, it required a lot of time, and this may be a limiting factor because many youths may be busy with studies. In add ition, support from experts in the field of sexual health would also have been a welcoming idea, but appeared to be lacking in the project Communities Scotland. (2012). Youth participation in a national campaign: involvement in the HIV/AIDS program in Ethiopia. Retrieved on 4th May, 2012 from