Cyber Café Initiative—El Salvador,
Honduras, and Guatemala
Summary
From November 1999 to October 2002,
Advocates for Youth worked with three NGOs in Latin America to develop three
cyber cafés for Latino gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) youth.
These NGOs—Entre Amigos in El Salvador, Comunidad
Gay San Pedrana in Honduras, and OASIS in Guatemala—were assisted
in the creation of resource centers meant to serve as safe spaces for GLBT
youth
to gather and exchange sexual health information without fear of being targeted
due to their sexual orientation.
Main Communication Strategies
Key activities and services carried out in the cyber cafés include:
- Provision of virtual
and real information on safer sex and HIV prevention
- Workshops on how
to use word processors and spreadsheet software as well as on how
to navigate the Internet
- Creation of a resource
center with information downloaded from the Internet related to
safer sex, HIV/AIDS updates, human rights, and other topics of importance
to
the international GLBT community
- The creation of a
Spanish-language Web site for Latino GLBT youth, AmbienteJoven.
Young people were involved in the management,
operation, monitoring, and evaluation of the program. For example, a young
person served as the coordinator of each of the cyber cafés, with support
from an adult supervisor. In addition, online peer educators provided answers
to questions posted by the young people who visit the AmbienteJoven site.
This site not only serves as a venue for the dissemination of information
related to safer sex and the prevention of HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted
infections (STIs), but also enables visitors to exchange information through
a message board. An average of 7,600 people visit AmbienteJoven each
month; visitors hail from a wide range of countries, including Uruguay,
Argentina, Venezuela, Colombia, Mexico, Panama, and Costa Rica.
Key Points
Although the goal of the initiative was to provide a safe space for GLBT
youth in these communities and to offer accurate information on how to
reduce their risk of HIV/AIDS and other STIs, organizers claim that young people visiting
the cyber café have also increased their computer skills. They say that some
youth have been promoted in their jobs as a result of the skills they have
obtained; others have made the switch from being sex workers to holding jobs
in offices or banks; and still others, who have not yet finished school,
have been able to improve their computer literacy and thus increase their
chances of getting a job.
Partners
Advocates for Youth, Entre Amigos, Comunidad Gay San Pedrana,
and OASIS.
For More Information, Contact
Alex Franka
Program Coordinator, International Division
Advocates for Youth
2000 M Street NW, Suite 750
Washington, DC 20036
P: 202.419.3420
F: 202.419.1448
www.advocatesforyouth.org and www.ambientejoven.org
Individual Partners
Paola González
Asociación Entre Amigos
Avenida Santa Mónica # 171
Urbanización Buenos Aires 4
Calle a San Antonio Abad
San Salvador, El Salvador
Phone: 011-503-257-4930
paolaegonzalez@yahoo.com
Jorge López Sologaistoa
OASIS
6ta avenida 1-63 Zona 1
Ciudad de Guatemala 01001, Guatemala
Guatemala City, Guatemala
Phone: 011-502-220-1332
oasisgua@terra.com.gt
Ramón Valladares
Comunidad Gay San Pedrana
Barrio Concepción, 2 calle
8 y 9 ave #67
Frente a Líbano Industrial
San Pedro Sula, Honduras
Phone: 011-504-553-4362
comunidadgay@123.hn
This summary written by Kier Olsen DeVries, consultant
for The Communication Initiative,
April 2003.
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