Jaevion Nelson Interview

Given the great privilege I've had in connecting with amazing, inspiring people in the UK and all over the world. Their struggles, ingenuity and creativity continue to challenge, inspire and motivate me personally. I wish to use this blog as a platform to share some of their stories and hopefully foster some new learning and connections.

First up Jaevion Nelson. I first connected with Jae when researching for the DfiD Youth Guidance Project (www.ygproject.org) and had the chance to meet him when he moved to the UK to study. Now back at home in Jamaica, Jae is working hard both nationally and internationally.



Who are you and where are you from?

I am Jaevion Nelson and I am from Jamaica.

What work do you do and why?

I do work around human rights and social justice for young people and vulnerable and marginalised groups of people. I do this because I am passionate about human social development and see my contribution as crucial to the advancement of the rights of persons in countries like my own.

What first motivated you to get involved in activism?

I can't recall, but I know when I was exposed to the policy and legal aspect of how countries are governed to the extent that I understood that it has significant implications on poor and voiceless people. I knew then, that this is important and should be the focus of my activism which I have now adopted as my career.

How has your upbringing in Jamaica shaped your approach to later life?

I grew up in rural Jamaica, in an extended family. During those days, I learned a lot about service from my maternal grandmother. I recall being asked to take food to an old man who lived by the train-line in a very dilapidated house. He was unknown to most of the community and had no family there. So it was from those days, that I developed the inclination to look out for those who need empowerment and help most desperately.


"The mere fact that we still have a representative of the Queen in Jamaica after 50 years of independence from Britain is evidence of our dependence on her."

Due to its colonial history Jamaica has strong links to the UK and US, what are the advantages and disadvantages of this in the present?

The views on such a question are quite mixed. Perhaps, I am one of few persons with very little perspective on this. Both relationships have proved worthwhile over the years. However, our colonial history has left a bitter sense of Jamaican pride in many people. There has been several geo-political advantages for both countries and there have been disadvantages too. The mere fact that we still have a representative of the Queen in Jamaica after 50 years of indenpendence from Britain is evidence of our dependence on her.

"Information Is Power"

You specialise in communications, how do you see the relationship between communications and development?

I wouldn't say I specialise in communications, but I do have an appreciation for its importance in keeping people informed and aware of progress in development. Information is power-- it exposes human beings to a whole world outside of what they interact with on a daily basis.




You work on HIV/AIDs locally and internationally. Tell me more about your role and what you are advocating for

My work with HIV and AIDS has been with the Jamaica Youth Advocacy Network (JYAN) -- much of which has been fostered through an effective partnership with Advocates for Youth, based on Washington DC. They have pretty much since 2008 become like a parent for JYAN, where sexual and reproductive health and rights of young people are concerned. We have also partnered with a number of other organisations, namely, Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalition, and a wide range of actors.

Some of the things we push internationally -- primarily increasing youth involvement in the global AIDS response (at all aspect). We call for funding, prioritization of key and affected populations of youth, better programmes, among others.

Another important part of my work, is advocacy around the human rights at most at risk populations, such as men who have sex with men. They bear the highest burden of HIV in Jamaica and so I think more people should begin to articulate the importance of providing services for these men. It is very dangerous and and I try not to publicize the more sensitive parts of my work like being sympathetic to MSM and sex workers and people living with HIV, but I measure the risk and carry on.


What has been your proudest achievement to date?

I don't have any one achievement because I have had several goals over the years, many of which I have been able to achieve. Some include an being a Chevening Scholarship recipient, Prime Minister Youth Awardee and something as simple as addressing delegates at a UN General Assembly meeting.

What is the biggest issue in Jamaican society at the moment that you would like to see addressed?

The disregard and lack of understanding about human rights and its impact on development.

I think one of the important thing to do is to include human rights education in the school curriculum. This will help people to know about their rights and the rights of the peers. Such an approach can help to reduce vigilante justice as people will understand, for example, the protections they have under the law from police abuse or what avenues there are for redress.

Well a massive thank you Jae. keep up the hard work!


Find out more at
http://www.advocatesforyouth.org
http://www.amplifyyourvoice.org/jamaica

On the threshold

The title could easily refer to Southern Sudan itself, with preliminary referendum results due tomorrow, two weeks after polls closed*. In reality I'm referring to my own infinitely more modest journey. After a week in Nairobi, book ended by a couple of hours in Cairo airport and some time in an Addis Ababa hotel (an unexpected inclusion on my flight itinerary) I will reach Juba in around five hours. Another five hours by road and finally I should be in Mundri.

Perhaps deliberately I have kept extremely busy in Nairobi and rarely allowed myself time to reflect upon the work ahead, other than to see through the practical process of obtaining a permit to enter the country (the main objective of my stay). Instead I have been meeting new friends (made possible partially by the ever durable magic of social networking) exploring bookshops, bars and parks Up and Down Town and visiting projects and people in different corners of the city, including the so-called 'superslum' of Kiberia, the largest informal settlement in the world, originally begun by Nubians displaced from Egypt and Sudan by the colonial authorities and still three quarters Muslim. I also had the privilege of meeting youth workers experienced at different levels and in different areas of the city, all committed to genuine youth participation and working hard to promote good practices in a difficult political environment.

My time in the city and the breadth of my wandering has been so brief as to only allow the most superficial of investigation and reflection. Nonetheless I have a few thoughts to share.

The pace of life in Nairobi matches its reputation as a business and political centre. It is a metropolis matching London for the intensity of movement and activity in all areas, though lacking some of the sophistication of London's transport system (yes this week I have MISSED TFL! Especially when stuck in or choked by the fumes from the rush hour traffic). This struck me much more than the pace of life in Cape Town and Abuja when I visited last year. Of course both rich and poor here are overwhelmingly Black African, regardless of their regional or ethnic origin, with Mzungus such as myself mostly only tourists. Whilst there are still rich white landowners hanging around from the colonial period there colour bar is not as much of an obvious barrier as in the Post Apartheid South Africa. Inequality and ethnic tension are more immediately striking issues.


Reminiscent of my experience in the Dominican Republic, Kenyans HUSTLE HARD. Confronted by mass poverty but equipped with entrepreneurial spirit and drive the evidence of the ingenuity, creativity and hard work of the people is here in abundance. And whilst obvious inequality is also everywhere, there is a genuine interest and investment in political change and accountability that demonstrates recent progress since the violent events of the 2008 election period. With new elections next year and a brand new constitution in its first stages of implementation, not to mention fierce debate over International Criminal Court proceedings against individual politicians marked as ringleaders of the murderous 2008 mobilizations, there is an active political culture. I attended one free event at City Hall^ with hundreds of young people from around the city speaking out on Governance, Peace Work, Economic Development and the Environment. Local groups are also pushing the government to implement it's National Youth Policy and build an effective, representative National Youth Council. These are all encouraging movements. People here are also watching keenly the news from North Africa, not just the Sudanese referendum but the massive milestones in Tunisia, Egypt and farther afield.

Finally two things that Kenyans love that I hold in common with them...Football and Reggae! Both are everywhere, energizing and enriching the city and stoking energetic debate and demonstration. I have been lucky enough to both go to a Dancehall club in the city and watch an African Champions league match. Unfortunately the Kenyan Military team Ulizini Stars was comprehensively routed four goals to nil by the classy Zamalek, of Egypt*, but at least I was able to see some live football in Africa, having missed the opportunity to go to the World Cup last year. Such indulgences may be few and far between over the months ahead so I am eminently grateful top my newfound friends in Kenya for making the past few days so enjoyable and thought provoking.

^Organised by this team http://nairobi.cityyouthcentre.org/index.php?id=1339
*http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/africa/9380861.stm