Chris' CURRENTS Blog

6 Week Impressions

Over the past 6 weeks I started to learn the facts, the stigmas and the myths surrounding HIV/AIDS in certain parts of our world:

In Venezuela, I learned that HIV/AIDS is a “gay cancer” and the folks who walk out of Accion Solidaria, one of the only HIV/AIDS clinics in Caracas, are scrutinized.
In Brazil, I learned that HIV/AIDS has jumped all socio-economic fences and affects mothers, fathers, sons and daughters and is seen by some as a “curse from god.”
In South Africa, I learned that HIV doesn’t discriminate but AIDS does. It is understood that AIDS is a disease of the poor who cannot afford expensive anti-retroviral drugs and instead turn to traditional “witch doctors” for a cure.

I have also learned about hero's:

There is a man in Caracas named Feliciano who has a “runner” in Miami bringing him the anti-retoviral drugs of recently deceased AIDS patients so he can help the helpless of Venezuela.
There is a 32 year old man in slums of Salvador, Brazil named Joselito who lost his father to AIDS when he was 13. He has chosen to introduce tin-can drums to the community youth to keep them out of trouble and teach them how to protect themselves from AIDS.
There is a 18 year-old girl in the township of Kialeatcha in South Africa, who every waking moment preaches the harsh realities of AIDS to her friends so they don’t become a part of the community statistic of one in four infected.

I am not the only one who has learned about these facts, stigmas, myths and hero's over the past 6 weeks. Hundreds if not thousands of youth have joined me and the GNG team to examine the affects of HIV/AIDS around the world. The program is called CURRENTS (www.gng.org/currents) and it started in September and will end in December. By the time we finish we will have been to 9 countries in S. America, Africa and Asia looking at the AIDS epidemic on youth.

I can’t tell you that the results of our examination have been promising. But, I can also tell you that the youth in the States are impassioned to be part of a change on HIV/AIDS and we are doing everything we can to harness their energy and focus it towards results.

Signing Off from somewhere in the Indian Ocean.

Chris

AIDS.

We have now seen the effects of HIV/AIDS in two countries, Venezuela and Brazil.

Both countries are considered to be in Latin America but they have very different relationships to HIV/AIDS. In Venezuela HIV/AIDS is a “gay cancer” and the stigma that comes along with it is crippling. In Brazil, HIV/AIDS is a disease that anyone can contract, gay or straight, man or woman, rich or poor and it is acknowledged as a national challenge and its prevention efforts receives the support of everyone.

When we were working in Venezuela and we told people that we were working on HIV/AIDS and youth issues people looked at us a little funny as if why on earth would we want to or care to go around the world looking at a disease that effects the people that it should.

In Brazil, the reception to our program was just the opposite; all the people we shared the program with wanted more. They knew that the only way they were going to stop the spread of this disease was through education and that perhaps the most powerful education was peer-to-peer which is exactly what we were doing.

During our first Brazilian conference with Ashley Judd all of the youth were talking about abstinence and how this was the only truly effective way to not contract HIV. Everyone agreed with everyone and any mother or father would have been proud that their child had chosen an oath of abstinence. After several self-congratulating moments between the American youth over videoconferencing on choosing abstinence a young girl in Brazil took the stand and in Portuguese explained to her counterparts in America that she was young and that she wanted to enjoy life, indicating her enjoyment of her sexuality. She was quick to add that she knew the dangers of HIV/AIDS but also knew how to properly use contraceptives and she did so religiously. The young girl was saying that the Brazilian population had identified the problem and they had identified a fairly reliable way of protecting themselves, condoms, but that they couldn’t deny their innate human instincts. From our conversations with others in Brazil I fell as if this young lady spoke for many others.

So we are now off to South Africa, and I will be interested to see how HIV/AIDS had affected this country and this continent.

-Chris

Tin-Can Drums

If you were looking for me over the past two evenings you would of found me either listening or pounding on tin can drums in a small room off of a soccer field in the slums of Salvador, Brazil – and honestly I would rather be no where else.

Yesterday when we arrived in Brazil we rushed through Salvador meeting with schools and technology folks confirming that everyone was ready for today’s conference. We were thrilled to know that everyone knew the first conference was today and they were ready to do these videoconferences with or without us.

Our last stop of the day was Banguncaco which translated from Portuguese means “Chaotic.” Banguncaco was created by Joselito Crispims 13 years ago to give youth from the slums an alternative to drugs or an escape from their realities by focusing them on learning tin drums.

Joselito, now 33, is one of those rare individuals that reminds you that there is decency in humankind.

Growing up in the slums, Joselito was a member of youth task force to keep an eye on the neighborhood. One evening a woman called Joselito and asked him to break up a group of youth who were banging on tin cans. Instead of breaking up the youth he used the tin cans and their drumming ability to unite the youth of the slums and give them an alternative to drugs and robberies. With his charm and determination he was able to get the communities support along with out side donations and he created what is now Banguncaco.

With over a decade of success under his belt Joselito has become acelebrity in the neighborhood and has truly given hope to dozens or youth who without him would be now where.

To learn more about Joselito and his work check out: www.bagunsitte.org.br

Venezuela

September 8, 2005
Somewhere between Venezuela and Brazil in the Atlantic

Venezuela has come and gone and I am getting a sense that this program is going to be over in a blink of the eye.

Venezuela was great.

As you know we are looking at the global effects of HIV/AIDS on young people around the world. While we were in Venezuela we visited with Feliciano Reyna who several years ago co-founded Accion Solidaria (www.acsol.org). Accion Solidaria is a center in Caracas that is a resource for anyone who is HIV positive or for anyone who is interested in learning more about the virus.

During our visit with Feliciano over 3 days we met two youth who attend the centers summer camp. These youth were amazing; they spoke eloquently about the center and everything they took away from participating in the camp. The most amazing thing about these youth is that they were not HIV positive, nor did they have AIDS, they were youth who for some reason found themselves attending this camp that is primarily for HIV positive youth.

The result of their camp experience and their camp relationships is that they have willingly become the voice for the silenced and the face for the unseen. The stigma that these HIV positive youth live with in Venezuela is incredible and you must not forget most of these youth were born with the virus. Unfortunately or fortunately, we were not able to meet with any HIV positive youth and have them speak on camera for us.

Check out the webumentary section of the CURRENTS site and watch a clip about these HIV negative youth who are speaking out for their “positive” friends.

Signing off from fairly calm seas off of Brazil.

-Chris

A Bumpy Start

Wednesday, August 31st, 2005

I guess I should back track a little and share with you how this whole adventure started. For me, it started the morning of Friday, August 26th at LaGuardia Airport in New York City running on absolutely no sleep.

David and I arrived at the airport with plenty of time before our flight was supposed to leave. Check-in was relatively easy and they kindly only charged us $300 in overweight fees for our 16 bags.

As we were waiting to board the plane my name was called over the loud speaker to return to “check-in” as there was a bizarre smell coming from one of my bags. I knew immediately what it was, Jenny The Generator. We have this generator appropriately nick-named “Jenny” that has been with us for the last two years and has produce electricity for us in jungles, war zones and a variety of other bizarre places, as you can imagine, she is well respected by the whole GNG team.

So, long story short I walked back through security to “check in” and upon my approach I became overwhelmed by a strong stench of gasoline and I knew right away that it was Jenny.

With 15 minutes from departure, the friendly folks at Delta compassionately informed me that the only place Jenny was going was the trash if I didn’t take her from the airport immediately. I couldn’t let Jenny go like that, as she has given us light when there was darkness (frankly we couldn’t afford to buy another one). I immediately called Jonathan and Mark on their cell phones and asked them if I would take a later flight, would they come immediately to retrieve our beloved Jenny. Jonathan, the good guy he is, got out of bed and took a car service to meet me and picked up Jenny and returned her to GNG world headquarters in New York City.

David went on without me to the Bahamas and I caught up with him a few hours later.

Upon my arrival at the Bahamas airport I met up with David and Jason Liquori who has joined GNG for CURRENTS. We loaded all of the luggage and gear and headed to the MV Explorer.

Upon arrival to the MV Explorer the Institute of Shipboard Education (ISE) greeted us. I have to stop for a moment and tell you how supportive the ISE staff has been of this program and partnership. They have gone above the call of duty to make sure we had the resources to bring this program to fruition and have shared a sincere enthusiasm for the opportunity this will be for young people in the United States and the countries we will be visiting.

For the first few days we settled into our new living quarters and our new community. We met many new faces and familiarized ourselves with the ship and a variety of safety measures.

Parents of the voyagers arrived on the ship Monday evening to meet with the staff and visit the ship. It was a fantastic observation to watch these parents share their excitement, concerns and fears for the children with the Semester at Sea staff. But my gut tells me these valid emotions where just as much for them as it was for their sons or daughters. As we were pulling away from the dock in the Bahamas I saw numerous mothers anxiously watching with their arms crossed and fear in their faces. Their where many “I Love Yous” yelled to one another. It was pretty awesome because everyone knew that beyond the fear, concerns and excitement everyone at home and abroad the ship where going to grow greatly over the next 3 months.

Somewhere off of Haiti on fairly calm seas.

-Chris

Just Getting Started.

August 30th, 2005
(Ingrid's Birthday)

Today could perhaps be the second most important day of my life, yet. At 5pm today I heard horns blow three times, I heard those same horns blow nearly 11 years when I first sailed on Semester At Sea as a sophomore in college.

I remember vividly being 19 years old and standing on the deck of the Semester at Sea ship in Vancouver and watching the crew pull up the massive ropes and setting us free to discover the world.

I knew at that time the release of those ropes and the blowing of the horns signified the beginning of a fundamental change in my life. At the time I did not know how profound that change would be and today I do not know how profound this voyage will be, but what I do know is that it will change my life.

I am thrilled to be back on this ship and I am even more thrilled be able to be working for Global Nomads Group in partnership with Semester at Sea to bring to fruition our program CURRENTS.

If you don’t know by now what CURRENTS is; it is a partnership between Global Nomads Group and Semester at Sea allowing our youth to discover the world and discuss the most pressing issues of our time via face-to-face videoconferencing. This semester we have chosen to connect students around the world to discuss the global affects of HIV/AIDS on youth and allow the participants to take action and be a part of a solution.

CURRENTS has been nearly one year in the making, curriculums have been built, websites have been updated, logistics have been put in place and numerous generous partners and sponsors have stepped up to the plate to make this all happen for thousdands of youth throughout the United States and the 9 countries we will be visiting.

Over the course of the next several months I will share with you my journey as we bring CURRRENTS alive for the youth in the United States and the world. I hope you will join me and we can explore our world together.

Signing off a couple hours off the coast of the Bahamas in calm seas.

Chris