Welcome to Spotlight. I’m Liz Waid.
And I’m Colin Lowther. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It
is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Have you ever had a question, but you were afraid to ask someone about it? Many people
feel this way. Maybe it was a question about something that made you feel shame or a question
about your own body. Maybe you wanted to keep the question private. But what if you really
wanted an answer? What would you do then?
If you have a question like this, you may begin by searching the Internet. If your question
is about sex or alcohol and drug use, you may not want anyone to know about it. And
the Internet does not judge you for your questions. But an Internet search can also provide many
different answers. It can provide false information. And it can be difficult to know where you
will find an honest answer.
This is why the government of Argentina created a website called Hablemos de Todo. In English
the name means: Let’s Talk About Everything. It is a website where young people in Argentina
can ask questions and get information about many different things. Today’s Spotlight
is on Hablemos de Todo.
The young people of Argentina are like the young people of any other country. They like
to spend time with their friends. They are interested in new technology. And they try
new experiences. These new experiences often include things like drinking alcohol, taking
drugs, or trying sex.
Many parents do not want to talk to their children about these issues. It is uncomfortable.
And they believe that if they talk about these things, it will encourage their children to
try them. However, in 2017, the Institute of Development Studies did a study. They discovered
that 44 percent of young people in Argentina have sex before they are 16 years old. Most
of these young people have no idea how to prevent pregnancy. They do not know how to
stop sexually transmitted diseases. Some experts think that this may result in an increase
of HIV/AIDS in the country.
These are some of the reasons the government wanted to give information about these issues
to young people. Natalia Herbst is a Senior Advisor to the Undersecretary of Youth. She
talked to government help group Apolitical. She explained how they tried to make the information
seem interesting to young people.
“In the very beginning of this project, it was based only in Buenos Aires. We decided
to make information that speaks to the common concerns of young people. This is information
about sexuality and who they are as a person and things like that. We tried to use a young
style and look. We tried to make the information as useful and friendly as possible. It is
different from other government communication.”
Hablemos de Todo launched in May of 2017. On the website, young people ask questions
about many different things. It is not just about sex. There is information about violence
against women, eating problems, drug use, caring for your body, and what to do if you
feel like killing yourself. Real people answer the questions correctly and simply. They use
materials from local organizations and UNICEF. They answer questions for 12 hours every work
day. However, the program plans to expand. It wants to offer answers 24 hours each day.
Hablemos de Todo has been very successful. In its first year it had over 100,000 Facebook
followers. Its information videos on YouTube have been seen over a million times. And the
website has answered over half a million questions from young people. Most of the users are from
Argentina. But young people from Mexico, Spain, and the United States have all used the website.
But not everyone thinks that Hablemos de Todo is a good idea. Some religious leaders in
Argentina opposed the website. They wrote against Hablemos de Todo in newspapers and
magazines. They also spoke out against it at meetings and on television. They even began
a petition against it. They collected names of people who did not like the project in
order to stop it. They believed that Hablemos de Todo was not helping young people. Instead,
they thought the information would encourage young people to make bad decisions.
There are also limits to Hablemos de Todo as a website. In Argentina most people have
good Internet access. But 30 percent of the population does not. Herbst explains how Hablemos
de Todo knows they can never reach all the young people in the country. She told Apolitical,
“You need an offline piece to reach the parts of the population that do not know about
the website. They may not have internet. Or they do not have enough private space to use
the website. Or they may share a computer with their parents.”
Hablemos de Todo knows they cannot be the only place young people get their information
about difficult subjects. For example, there is much value in school education, talking
with parents or other adults, or in the teaching and values of the religious leaders. Again,
Herbst explains,
“We need teachers in every classroom – it does not have to be just the website or just
schools. But even in a perfect world where every teacher discusses these issues in schools,
there is a good part of being able to ask a question without anyone knowing who you
are. Privacy is very important to young people.”
And Hablemos de Todo does try to find ways to get young people talking together. When
the website was started, they held a live event. Over 2,500 young people came to listen
to music, play games, and hear about the project. Pedro Robledo was the National Undersecretary
of Youth. He said,
"We came to talk about these issues. Talking is how to inform, educate young people, and
solve problems. We hope that when a child searches for something on the Internet about
these issues, we, as the Government are willing to talk about everything.”
What do you think? Where do you get information like this from? What do you wish you could
ask someone? You can leave a comment on our website. Or email us at radio@radioenglish.net.
The writer of this program was Adam Navis. The producer was Michio Ozaki. The voices
you heard were from the United States and the United Kingdom. All quotes were adapted
for this program and voiced by Spotlight. You can listen to this program again, and
read it, on the internet at www.radioenglish.net. This program is called, ‘Let’s Talk About
Everything’.
Look for our free official app in the Google Play Store and in iTunes. We hope you can
join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye.