Adolescence
“Before I knew little about AIDS, and never thought of myself as a winner. Through playing football I learned a lot about this disease and about myself. Now I know that I can really change things. I scored a goal and brought a victory to my team. I am so happy”, states 15-year-old Nick, a participant of UNICEF supported football school tournament in Georgia. Similar to Nick, many young people in Georgia have little information about HIV/AIDS and about healthy lifestyles in general. Georgia belongs to the ‘low-level’ HIV/AIDS epidemic countries, but the number of HIV/AIDS cases is evidently on a steady rise. The most common HIV transmission mechanism in Georgia is intravenous drug use. 45.7 per cent of young men and women have experimented with illegal drugs, while the adolescent population has witnessed an increasing tendency to tolerate drug use. Many adolescents, whose parents are overwhelmed with the task of basic survival, are left to cope on their own, exposing them to crime, violence, abuse, and drug and alcohol addiction. Social services to help young people navigate these realities are largely absent. Although the transitional period has opened new doors and has created new opportunities for young people, in reality, they have little chances to realise their potential in life. Children in Georgia have limited opportunities to participate in decision-making processes, with little self-confidence that they can make a difference in and improve their community, along with a lack of motivation to initiate efforts on behalf of their community. Parents lack awareness of the importance of children and youth participation while communities often fail to provide venues for children’s voices to be heard. Sport programmes and recreational facilities are largely neglected, chiefly in remote areas of Georgia where children lack basic sport equipment and facilities. Students have no access to healthy and safe school environments where they can be engaged in sport and recreational activities; this is unfortunate, as sport and recreational activities stimulate and facilitate the learning of basic life skills and development of their potential.
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