Grant: CIHR Café Scientifique Program

With a remarkable presence of newcomer youth between the ages of 16 and 25 years of age from African countries immigrating to Winnipeg in the past few years, a need for research and action towards addressing sexual health has become evident. The need to understand the role of migration, gender, race, culture, and coming of age in a new sociocultural environment in relation to vulnerability for HIV and STIs has fueled community-based research in the prairie city. These Cafe Scientifiques are oriented towards two main groups, the local African newcomer youth at large and the adults from African newcomer communities as well as the general public, in order to discuss research findings and to engage in conversations about the issues facing the youth. In particular, anthropologist researchers, peer researchers, and local service providers and knowledge users will present their points of view on topics related to sexual health as a human right, about sexuality as a taboo topic within African communities, and about the stigma experienced by African youth in their navigation of new sexual cultural norms. The launching of a website created by youth participants of a CIHR project will be used as a means to spark discussion. The voices of the youth will be encouraged by providing a Junior Cafe for them exclusively while at the same time the panelists will seek to engage the wider general public and adults from newcomer communities in a youth-focused presentation.