IDSC CASE STUDY

Jeff Coffman
Dr.Flynn

HIV/AIDS education for youths plays an extremely important role in the world wide
efforts to end the AIDS epidemic. In 2012, more than one third of all the new HIV infections
were reported among our young people ages 15-24 (780,000). Even though this number is
falling, HIV related deaths have been on the rise among this young group. Actually, HIV is not
the second most prolific causes of death among young people worldwide.
Providing young people with the basics of AIDS education empowers them to protect
themselves from becoming infected. Youths are often more susceptible to sexually transmitted
HIV, and to HIV infection as a result of drug use. Procuring knowledge and skills emboldens
teens and young adults to avoid or reduce potential behaviors that carry high risks of HIV
infection. Even for those who are not taking part in particularly risky behaviors yet, AIDS
education is an important way of ensuring that this group is prepared for situations that may
put them at risk as they grow older. AIDS education also helps to reduce the stigma and
discrimination, by dismissing false information that leads to fear and blame. This is crucial for
prevention, as stigma often makes people more reluctant to be tested for HIV and individuals
that are unaware of their HIV status are more likely to pass the virus to others.
Educating young people about HIV/AIDS necessitates discussion about hard to talk
about subjects like sex and drug use. Many believe that it is unsuitable to engage in such
discussions with young people and fear that by having these talks it will further encourage
young people to engage in risky behaviors. These types of attitudes are often based on moral
and or religious beliefs rather than evidence, and extremely limits AIDS education around not
just our nation, but globally as well. Considerable evidence shows that by educating teens and

young adults about safer sex and the importance of using condoms does not lead to increased
sexual activity.
The belief that young people should only be taught about sex and drugs in terms of
them being wrong may extend the stigmatization of people who are living with this disease. If
our youth are taught that taking part in immoral sex and drugs will lead to HIV infection,
educators risk implying that anyone who has HIV/AIDS is therefore involved in these immoral
activities. In order to prevent becoming infected, young people need comprehensive
information about how the disease is transmitted and what steps they can take to stop
themselves from becoming infected. This information should be administered without moral
judgment.
Schools play a pivotal role in providing AIDS education for young people. Not only do
schools have the capacity to reach a large number of young people, but school students are
particularly receptive to learning new information. Therefore schools are a well-established
point of contact through which young people can receive AIDS education. At the same time, in
many countries HIV and AIDS are significantly weakening the capacity of the education sector,
and greater investment in education is vital for the provision of effective HIV prevention for
young people. A UNESCO study in 2009 found that in Eastern and Southern Africa, children had
'low levels of knowledge' regarding HIV/AIDS which was attributed to, among other factors, lack
of teacher training, lack of examination for students on the topic (and therefore little incentive
to teach it) and unease teaching the subject resulting from embarrassment.

Opinion is divided between education providers who take an abstinence-only approach to sex
education and those who advocate a more comprehensive approach. Which approach is favored
significantly affects how young people are educated about HIV and AIDS.

Sex education that focuses on abstinence is based on the belief that encouraging young people
not to have sex until marriage is the best way to protect against HIV infection. This approach
limits AIDS education by not providing information about how young people can protect
themselves from HIV infection if and when they do chose to have sex. It is vital for HIV
prevention that schools provide comprehensive sex education, which educates about the
importance of condom use as well as promoting delayed initiation of sex. AIDS education
requires detailed discussions of subjects such as sex, death, illness and drug use. Teachers are
not likely to have experience dealing with these issues in class, and require specialized training
so they are comfortable discussing them without letting personal values conflict with the health
needs of the students. 13Teacher training is fundamental to the successful delivery of AIDS
education in schools, and yet efforts to train teachers are often inadequate, if in place at all. For
example, teachers in Malawi report not receiving any training on HIV and AIDS, and in Kenya
many teachers have opted out of teaching about HIV and AIDS as a result of inadequate
training.
Although offering HIV/AIDS education at school is a principal method of reaching large
numbers of young people, there are 75 million children around the world who are either unable
to go to school or choose not to. 15 In order to ensure that all young people are reached with
basic AIDS education, programs that target young people outside of school are essential. Young
people who are in school also benefit from receiving further information about HIV and AIDS

from other sources, adding to and reinforcing what they learn in school. Families, friends, the
wider community, mass media and popular culture all influence young people, and it is
important that they convey accurate educational information about HIV and AIDS. Peer
education is the process by which a group is given information by someone who is a member of
the same group or community, and who has already been trained in the subject. Peer education
programs are important for HIV prevention, as they are a cost-effective means of influencing
the knowledge and attitudes of young people. Young people are strongly influenced by the
attitudes and actions of others their age, and for many young people much of their existing
knowledge of sex and HIV is based on information they have received from friends. This
information can often be distorted. Peer education harnesses this method of sharing
knowledge to convey accurate information about HIV and AIDS to young people. Peer
education is a particularly effective way of targeting difficult to reach groups, such as young
people who do not attend school, with vital AIDS education. Young people, who are not in
school, may be particularly hard to reach with HIV information if they engage in activities that
are criminalized or considered socially improper, as this can lead to them being increasingly
marginalized. Marginalization of young sex workers, injecting drug users (IDUs), or men who
have sex with men (MSM) therefore increases the risk of them becoming infected with or
transmitting HIV. 23 These young people may distrust or not take in HIV information given to
them by an authority figure. However, the same information is more likely to be effective if it is
provided by someone that young people identify with and see as credible.
Effective AIDS education encompasses both scientific and social aspects of HIV and AIDS.
Knowledge of the basic science of HIV and AIDS is important for understanding how the virus is

passed on and how it affects the body, for example. But AIDS education that deals only with
medical and biological facts, and not with the real-life situations that young people find
themselves in, does not provide young people with adequate AIDS awareness. Developing life
skills and discussing matters such as relationships, sexuality and drug use, are fundamental to
AIDS education. Knowing how HIV reproduces wont help a young person to negotiate using a
condom, for example. When planning an AIDS education lesson or curriculum, it is important to
be aware of local guidelines, as many places have legislation that dictates what sex or AIDS
education can or should be given. Local cultures also need to be taken into consideration, as
views between cultures differ on issues that are a necessary part of AIDS education, for
example human sexuality. Awareness of cultural and religious beliefs enables AIDS education
too sensitively, yet effectively, deal with issues in a way that does not conflict with the values of
young learners. When educating a group of young people, the personal circumstances of
students need to be taken into account. Some of the students may have been personally
affected by HIV or, particularly in high prevalence areas, may themselves be infected with HIV.
The sexuality of students and their families is something else that needs to be considered. AIDS
education needs to include information about and for people of all sexualities. The best place to
start when planning AIDS education for young people is to talk to young people themselves.
Allowing learners to ask questions and encouraging their input will enable young people to
express what they want from their AIDS education. Speaking to the class also ensures that
educators are aware of the current knowledge of the students, so that AIDS education can be
more effectively targeted towards areas of informational need