Strategic Education Centers (SEC) located in Seattle, WA has created a
Life Skills Enrichment curriculum to empower youth primarily ages 14
17 in Africa and the U.S. The curriculum includes: HIV/AIDS awareness and
prevention, computer technology training, job readiness techniques, and
community leadership development, so youth can contribute to their own
quality of life, and the well-being of their communities too.
The
first SEC program (2001 2004) was very successful in
graduating over 400 young girls from the cities of Mbabane and Emcozini,
Swaziland, as part of the SEC mission to empower and enhance the status of
girls through education, knowledge and computer training.
In
2006 2007, the second SEC program, Its Our Future Too! was
launched at Hillside High School in Manzini, Swaziland. This program
involved 200 boys and girls, SEC Student Ambassadors, who
participated in two cohorts of 100 students each. They attended an
action-packed 13-week Saturday School program curriculum to include:
HIV/AIDS prevention sessions, computer training and use of the Internet, job
shadowing employer site-visits, resume writing, guest speakers, outreach
activities to the local community to share what they have learned about
HIV/AIDS testing and healthy living. Both cohorts of Student Ambassadors
participated in a joint graduation ceremony to receive certificates of
completion.