peer education | empowering girls | communication skills | decision-makin

skills | thinking skills | relationship skills | emotion management skills | t

life skills program | assertiveness | building a bridge | exchanging stories
role models | peer education | decision-making skills | the life skills progr
thinking skills | relationship skills | emotion management skills | assertive

Life
Skills
Manual

Peace Corps
Information Collection and Exchange
Publication No. M0063
 Information Collection and Exchange
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Life Skills Manual

Peace Corps
2001

Information Collection and Exchange

Publication No. M0063

Reprinted _____________
Life Skills Manual

 Peace Corps
 Contents

Contents
Acknowledgments.................................................................................................................................5

Part I: The Life Skills Program–Background and Introduction......................................................7

Welcome to the Life Skills Program!............................................................................................................. 9
Lessons Learned........................................................................................................................................... 15
Sample Schedules......................................................................................................................................... 22
Session 1: The Bridge Model: How Do We Build a Bridge From Information to Behavior Change? ....... 27
Session 2: Identifying the Missing Life Skill............................................................................................... 36

Part II: Peer Education......................................................................................................................39

Peer Educators.............................................................................................................................................. 41
Session 1: Dealing With Problems in Groups.............................................................................................. 45
Session 2: Support for Responsible Behavior ............................................................................................. 49

Part III: Facing Facts about HIV/AIDS and STDs.........................................................................53

Facing Facts about HIV/AIDS and STDs.................................................................................................... 55
Session 1: Facts and Myths about HIV/AIDS.............................................................................................. 57
Session 2: The Immune System................................................................................................................... 62
Session 3: How HIV is Transmitted............................................................................................................. 68
Session 4: The Relationship of STDs and HIV/AIDS................................................................................. 73
Session 5: Women and HIV/AIDS............................................................................................................... 77
Session 6: HIV Prevention........................................................................................................................... 83
Session 7: Disease Progression and Positive Behaviors.............................................................................. 88
Session 8: Cure or Treatment?...................................................................................................................... 93
Session 9: HIV/AIDS and Human Rights.................................................................................................... 98
Session 10: HIV/AIDS and Behavior Change........................................................................................... 104

Part IV: Communication Skills........................................................................................................109

Session 1: Communication Puzzle..............................................................................................................111
Session 2: Assertiveness: Attack and Avoid............................................................................................... 117
Session 3: Assertiveness: Passive, Assertive, Aggressive.......................................................................... 121
Session 4: Assertiveness: Assertive Messages........................................................................................... 127
Session 5: Assertiveness/Peer Pressure: Responding to Persuasion—Part I.............................................. 132
Session 6: Assertiveness/Peer Pressure: Responding to Persuasion—Part II............................................ 137

P­­art V: Decision–Making Skills.......................................................................................................143

Session 1: Steps in Making a Good Decision............................................................................................. 145
Session 2: Just Between Us........................................................................................................................ 149
Session 3: Exchanging Stories—Role Models (“The Person I Admire”).................................................. 152
Session 4: Your Life Story.......................................................................................................................... 156
Session 5: Your Goals................................................................................................................................. 159
Session 6: Early Pregnancy........................................................................................................................ 163


Life Skills Manual

Session 7: Alcohol and Drug Use............................................................................................................... 165

Session 8: Risk Behavior—Testing the Waters.......................................................................................... 169
Session 9: Delaying Sex............................................................................................................................. 174

Part VI: Relationship Skills.............................................................................................................181

Session 1: The Best Response Game......................................................................................................... 183
Session 2: Oh! Henry! and Managing Emotions Gallery Walk................................................................. 187
Session 3: Peer Pressure Role Plays........................................................................................................... 190
Session 4: What is Love?........................................................................................................................... 193
Session 5: Self–Esteem Building: Do We Have Self–Esteem?.................................................................. 196
Session 6: Self–Esteem Building: “A Pat on the Back”............................................................................. 199
Session 7: What are Gender Roles?—Gender Cards Exercise................................................................... 201
Session 8: Gender Picture Codes and Role Plays....................................................................................... 205
Session 9: Gender and Culture: Ideal Images and Personal Destroyers..................................................... 211
Session 10: Whose Rights and Who’s Right: A Look at Bride Price......................................................... 214

Part VII: Bringing It All Together...................................................................................................217

Forum Theater............................................................................................................................................ 219

Appendices.........................................................................................................................................225
Appendix I: Warm–Ups and Energizers..................................................................................................... 227
Appendix II: Quick Breaks!....................................................................................................................... 238
Appendix III: Assorted Ideas...................................................................................................................... 239
Appendix IV: Games and Session Ideas..................................................................................................... 244

 Peace Corps
 Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments

This Life Skills Manual was compiled and adapted from materials created by the fol-
lowing organizations: World Health Organization; United Nations Educational, Sci-
entific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO); Alice Welbourn and ACTIONAID; the
Curriculum Development Unit, Ministry of Education, Zimbabwe; and UNICEF, Harare.
We gratefully acknowledge the talent and skill of the authors of those materials.
The Peace Corps also appreciates the work of Kathleen Callahan, who developed the
Life Skills Manual, and Ruth Mota, African Health Specialist, the author of the “Facing
Facts about HIV/AIDS and STDs” section. Additional thanks are due the development
team: Judee Blohm and Lani Havens for editing, and Therese Wingate for illustrations
and graphic design. Finally, we appreciate the ideas and photographs shared by Volun-
teers, Counterparts, and staff throughout the world, especially Peace Corps/Malawi and
Tovwirane Centre, and the efforts of all those who participated in this process.


Life Skills Manual

 Peace Corps
 Part I
P­­­­­­­­­art I: Background and Introduction

Part I:
The Life Skills Program–
Background and Introduction


Life Skills Manual

 Peace Corps
 Part I
P­­­­­­­­­art I: Background and Introduction

Welcome to the
Life Skills Program!

Are you a health worker struggling with the rising rates of Human Immuno–
Deficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS), Sexually
Transmitted Diseases (STDs), unwanted pregnancy, or maternal mortality? Are you
a teacher working daily with young people who face difficult decisions: determining
a positive direction in life, potential unwanted pregnancy, or the issues of alcohol
or drug use? Have you been providing health information for years and yet see
no positive change in your community? Are you a parent, community volunteer,
or concerned community leader fearful of the toll HIV/AIDS is taking on your
area? Are you a young person ready to do something to help lead your friends into
a brighter future? If you answered “yes” to any of the above questions, the Life
Skills program might be for you.

The Life Skills Concept

The Life Skills program is a comprehensive behavior change approach that
concentrates on the development of the skills needed for life such as com-
munication, decision–making, thinking, managing emotions, assertiveness,
self–esteem building, resisting peer pressure, and relationship skills. Addition-
ally, it addresses the important related issues of empowering girls and guiding
boys towards new values. The program moves beyond providing information.
It addresses the development of the whole individual—so that a person will
have the skills to make use of all types of information, whether it be related to
HIV/AIDS, STDs, reproductive health, safe motherhood, other health issues, and
other communication and decision–making situations. The Life Skills approach
is completely interactive, using role plays, games, puzzles, group discussions,
and a variety of other innovative teaching techniques to keep the participant
wholly involved in the sessions.


Life Skills Manual

Information is Not Enough

Although it is important to provide information in the early phases of a behavior
change intervention and to reinforce such knowledge periodically, information
is rarely enough to motivate people to change behavior. If that seems hard to
imagine, just think about a behavior that you’ve been trying to change over the
years. Maybe it is reading more, exercising, eating a better balance of foods,
or quitting smoking. Have you successfully made the change? Have you ever
“relapsed” back into the behavior? What are some of the factors that have kept
you from changing?

Principles of Behavior Change and

How the Life Skills Program Mirrors
these Principles
Changing behavior is always difficult, but changing sexual behavior is espe-
cially tricky. Various organizations have developed behavior change models,
including the U.S. National Academy of Sciences (NAS). The seven principles
listed below are based in part on the NAS work.

Principles of Behavior Change How the Life Skills Program

Mirrors these Principles
1. Providing information is the logi- 1. The Life Skills program assumes
cal starting point in any behavior that you will begin by teaching
change effort. Information, although basic information about HIV/AIDS,
necessary, is rarely enough by itself STDs, unwanted pregnancy, drugs,
to produce behavior change in most or other pressing community
people. The information must be problems. [Extensive information
easily understood and relevant to about HIV/AIDS is provided in this
the individuals you are trying to manual in “Part III: Facing Facts
reach. about HIV/AIDS and STDs.”]
2. Fear messages have limited use in 2. When working with Life Skills,
motivating behavioral change. If avoid fear and negativity, and
fear is overwhelming it can hinder, instead focus on positive mes-
rather than help efforts to change. sages—creating, maintaining, and
Too much fear may cause people to reinforcing healthy behaviors, and
deny they are at risk, to rationalize working towards a better life for
by pointing to others who have prac- everyone in the community—young
ticed similar behaviors and survived, people, women, men, and People
and to avoid seeking medical care al- Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHAs).
together. Using words like “scourge”
or “plague” or showing pictures
of emaciated “AIDS victims” may
cause people not only to ostracize
those infected, but to deny their own
risks for contracting the infection.

10 Peace Corps
 Part I
P­­­­­­­­­art I: Background and Introduction

3. People are more likely to try behav- 3. Life Skills systematically attempts
iors they feel capable of performing. to build skills for healthy behavior.
It is important to teach people the This is the crux of the Bridge Model
skills for engaging in the desired be- of behavior change (see page 33).
haviors. Seeing examples of people Many programs provide “one–shot”
engaging in the healthy behavior will information to large numbers of
help a person believe that he or she people. A Life Skills program works
too can engage in that behavior. with a small group of people over
a longer period of time to motivate
participants to adopt a new behav-
ior, to teach and model the skills
necessary to successfully adopt
that behavior, and to continually
reinforce those new skills, until
participants “feel capable of per-
forming” healthier behavior. Peer
educators can further reinforce this,
as they provide a positive example
of healthy behavior.
4. Individuals are more likely to adopt 4. Life Skills helps develop critical
a new behavior if they are offered thinking skills so participants learn
choices among alternatives. For a number of alternatives in dealing
example, rather than just promoting with a difficult situation. Par-
abstinence or condoms, give ranges ticipants are thus exposed to many
of possible behaviors that reduce choices in terms of negotiating
risk, like practicing less risky sexual healthier behavior.
behaviors, getting an HIV test with
your partner, and so on.
5. Campaigns should create environ- 5. Because change is easier if one’s
ments that encourage change. Work environment encourages it, Life
to change social norms in favor of Skills programs emphasize working
healthy behavior. Peer education with a community holistically. For
programs provide a support base example, if you are interested in
for change, as accepted peers model working with young people, first
behaviors. Working with community provide a Training–of–Trainers
leaders or a PLWHA group around (TOT) to community leaders such
an HIV/AIDS program can reduce as mayors or chiefs, headmasters,
the stigma of the disease and cre- government officials and parents.
ate an environment that encourages Then have a TOT for teachers in
change. the school in which you work, or if
you are working with young people
outside the school system, consider
training the nearest adult role
models in that community. Those
workshops introduce the entire
community to the program, create
the possibility that those trained will
begin programs of their own with
their new skills, and will serve as a
powerful support to the program that
you begin with young people. You
may also wish to consider training
youth peer educators before moving

11
Life Skills Manual

to the target of your program, the

youth in a particular school or area.
If a PLWHA group operates in your
community, be sure to include it in
every aspect of your project.
6. Change is more likely in a commu- 6. Since it is clear that influential
nity if influential people adopt the people can drive change, peer
change. educators can be an effective
addition to your Life Skills program.
Young people often seek health or
sex–related information from their
peers before discussing these issues
with adults. Training influential
young people to serve as role
models in their peer group can thus
dramatically increase the impact
of your program. Some advice on
working with peer educators can be
found in “Part II: Peer Education.”
7. Relapse is expected. Therefore, 7. Because relapse is expected, it is
any program that seeks to change important to continually recreate the
behaviors over time needs to build Bridge Model to assist those who
in ways to maintain those behaviors have already fallen into damaging
and to help bring people “back on behaviors. You may need to design
the path” to positive behaviors after a slightly different approach to the
they have relapsed. “planks” in the bridge for young
women who have gotten pregnant
and expelled from school, for drug–
addicted youth, or for PLWHAs, for
example.

Pages 10–12 adapted with permission from “Principles of Behavior Change,” an article by
Thomas Coates, Ph.D., Center for AIDS Prevention Studies at the University of California, San
Francisco.

12 Peace Corps
 Part I
P­­­­­­­­­art I: Background and Introduction

The Bridge Model of Behavior Change

Information provides a solid foundation.

Begin by providing accurate health information.

Our goal is to see members of our communities living

healthy, happy, fulfilling lives.

But in order to realize a positive, healthy life, we need to avoid the

consequences of negative behavior.

A Life Skills Program focuses on building the “planks” in the bridge—working on the
individual skills that help people to make healthier decisions about their lives.

Relapse is expected in any behavior change, so we must build in “life-preservers” or ways

to bring people back onto the “bridge” should they suffer the consequences of a negative behavior.

13
Life Skills Manual

About the Manual

Although originally developed in Africa, this manual has been re–edited for global
distribution. Be sure to adapt each and every session to make it more appropri-
ate to your local culture. This may mean translating into local language, changing
names or situations in role plays, changing the entire content of a session, and pos-
sibly even discarding some sessions altogether. Re-create the content of the manual
to make it applicable to your area.
The manual consists of over 50 different lesson ideas that you can use with any
group: anti–AIDS clubs, girls’ clubs, boys’ clubs, youth clubs, women’s groups, and
so forth. The manual is written with a strong bias towards youth work and health
issues. These lessons are quite easy to adapt to any age and other topics, however.
Consider them as a starting point, so that you will have initial lesson plans ready as
you begin to work with participants. Working with your colleagues, you can develop
other lesson ideas and activities that will continue to challenge your participants to
critically think about and modify their behaviors. In addition to the lesson plans,
some lessons learned regarding peer education are included, as are some sample
schedules, and tips to facilitators.
The sessions are grouped according to three basic life skills: communication,
decision–making, and relationship skills. These are loose categories and there is
a great deal of overlap among them. “Part IV: Communication Skills” focuses on
assertiveness, responding to persuasion, active listening, and body language. “Part
V: Decision–Making Skills” includes assessing risk, exploring choices, understand-
ing consequences, planning for the future, critical thinking, and goal setting. “Part
VI: Relationship Skills” provides session ideas for the topics of gender, culture,
peer pressure, self–esteem, and managing emotions. While you may present the
sessions in any order that you choose, there is a logical flow to each section—al-
lowing new skills to build on previous ones. “Part VII: Bringing It All Together”
provides a powerful tool for practicing and evaluating all of the life skills, so that
you may assess participants’ assimilation of the topics covered. The “Appendices”
provide numerous warm–ups, games, and other suggestions for keeping the sessions
interactive, lively, and fun.
“Part III: Facing Facts about HIV/AIDS and STDs” is crucial to facilitating all other
sections. If you are about to begin the program, it is suggested that you learn this
section well, so that you will be able to answer the many questions that will arise
regarding HIV and STDs. If you have any questions or need clarification regarding
this or any other health issue addressed in the book, it is recommended that you
contact the appropriate health department or ministry in your country for up–to–date
information or refer to any of the Websites listed in “Part III: Facing Facts about
HIV/AIDS and STDs.” If you are a Peace Corps Volunteer, you may also contact
your Associate Peace Corps Director (APCD), health trainer, or the Peace Corps
Medical Officer (PCMO) for more information.

14 Peace Corps
 Part I
P­­­­­­­­­art I: Background and Introduction

Lessons Learned

Lessons Learned—Tips for

Implementing Life Skills
Below are some suggestions for effectively implementing a Life Skills program:
• Remember that this manual is only a template. Adapt the individual sessions
and/or the entire approach to your local situation and language.
• Before starting, perform an assessment of the community to help tailor the
program to specific local needs. The “Assessments and Evaluations” ideas
in the next section may be useful in helping you structure your community
assessment.
• Always work with community leaders first. Our community leader workshops
and meetings have proven invaluable in keeping the program supported. If your
work is going to be with students, meet with the headmasters and teachers first
so that they will understand the program, possibly help in the implementation,
and reinforce the content in class. Some wonderful things can happen if the
community gets energized to do Life Skills. They may even start programs
within their own groups—in churches, women’s organizations, and so forth.
• Consider all of the positives and negatives before deciding whether to incorpo-
rate peer educators into the program. A peer educator approach may not be right
for every situation. Make sure you will be able to support your peer educators
before embarking on such a program. It is possible to do Life Skills without
peer educators. For a discussion on the pros and cons of peer educators, see
“Part II: Peer Education.”
• If you do decide to work with peer educators, be sure to send letters home to
parents about the program. Let them know exactly what you are doing. Be
upbeat and congratulate them that their son or daughter was chosen for such
an important program. Remember to write in the local language.
• Do not limit your Life Skills approach to youth or to HIV/AIDS only. Life Skills
can be implemented in many different populations! Adapt, adapt, adapt!

15
Life Skills Manual

• If you are surprised that the emphasis on HIV prevention espoused in this manual
is not on exploring alternatives to sex and other issues around sexuality, do not
be concerned! We found that when we set out to talk about sex, we got little
cooperation from participants. But when we were talking about other issues
such as communication, relationships, and so forth, sexuality always came up.
An “indirect” approach may be more culturally appropriate.
• Once your program or your peer educators are working well at the secondary
school or teenage level, consider getting permission to send them into your local
primary school to conduct sessions with the upper grades of elementary school.
• You may not need money or resources to implement this program on the local
level. If you are working within a school, you might make Life Skills activi-
ties part of an after school club. If you are working at the community level,
Life Skills sessions may be part of your daily or weekly group activities—in
churches, women’s groups, AIDS committees, or wherever!
• If you are working at the district level or other area where funding is necessary
for trainings, some organizations that might be supportive include UNICEF,
Peace Corps Small Projects Assistance (SPA), and local clubs such as Rotary or
Lion’s Clubs. Be sure to explore the NGOs and other funding options in your
area first as they will be the most sustainable means of support.

Lessons Learned—Assessments
and Evaluations
Although Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs) and Counterparts typically conduct
Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA), Participatory Analysis for Community Ac-
tion (PACA), or other needs assessments when they are first posted to their sites,
many resist the idea of conducting assessments before beginning a program like
Life Skills. With only two years to implement projects, Volunteers often feel that
time does not permit additional assessment activities. Similarly, health workers and
teachers in the field are already overburdened with work; they may be unwilling
to begin each new program with an assessment of the community. Although these
concerns are valid, it is crucial for the success of any behavior change program that
the facilitators have an understanding about the attitudes in communities in which
they serve. Assessments are thus an important first step.

How do Assessments Help?

• An assessment of the community before implementing the Life Skills program
can help you to
— Raise awareness of key issues before beginning the program.
— Network with community leaders and members.

16 Peace Corps
 Part I
P­­­­­­­­­art I: Background and Introduction

— Determine the current level of understanding of the issues addressed by life

skills in the community. This will provide a baseline to help you to measure
behavior change that might occur as a result of the program.
— Discover the most appropriate subgroups in the community in which to
target the program, for example women’s groups, out–of–school youth,
girls’ clubs, church groups, and so forth.
— Tailor the Life Skills program to meet the needs of the community.
• Short reassessments at various points in the program can
— Indicate the strong aspects of the program, as well as those that might be
improved.
— Help you determine new priorities and approaches.
— Bolster your confidence and renew your energy as you see the program
begin to work!
• If the program is about to end or transition, an evaluation can
— Help determine to what degree the project has achieved knowledge, attitude,
skills, and behavior change in the community.
— Point to any changes that could be implemented to improve the program.
— Indicate whether or not the program is an effective tool for behavior
change.
— Provide guidance in terms of how the program might be replicated in other
areas.
— Be used to secure donor funding to continue or expand the project.
— Renew the energy and strengthen the confidence of those who have worked
on the project.

How Can an Assessment for the Life Skills

Program be Conducted?
Peace Corps offers a variety of tools to assist you in assessing your community,
including the PACA Handbook (ICE # M0053), the Community Content–Based
Instruction Manual (ICE # T0112), the New Project Design and Management
Workshop Training Manual (ICE # T0860) and the HIV/AIDS Idea Book (ICE #
M0081). Regardless of the method of assessment you choose, it is crucial to work
closely with your counterpart or other respected community member(s) throughout
your data collection. Since your questions will probably involve references to sexual
behavior, alcohol or drug use, or other sensitive topics, you will need to be especially
careful about use of local language and cultural appropriateness. The advice and
wisdom of a trusted counterpart is invaluable during this time.

17
Life Skills Manual

After collecting the information and compiling the results, reporting back to all
parties is important. Communities are often studied by donor organizations and
development agents, and a frequent, justified concern is that these groups collect
information without respecting the communities enough to report back and engage
community leaders in discussions about the results.
Reporting back may take the form of published reports to headmasters, teachers,
important community leaders, donors that might have funded the project, and other
contacts in the area. However, discussions may be more appropriate than written
reports. If you intend to work with community leaders, teachers, or trainers, it may
be most effective to discuss the results of the survey at that time.
In the meetings, be respectful of the enormous wisdom of community leaders. These
individuals have been intervening in problems far longer and probably with more
success than any outside health worker or teacher. Simply provide the information
collected in the surveys and facilitate a discussion on the implications of the data
for the young people and the community as a whole, especially in relation to health,
HIV/AIDS, and the long–term survival of the community. The information and
resulting discussion often is powerful enough to spark debate, suggestions, and a
commitment to intervention.
A note to PCVs: The less involved you are in these discussions, the better. These are
community problems, and it is best simply to assist by facilitating the discussion,
rather than to provide overt suggestions for change. Community leaders frequently
are silenced by the sometimes arrogant approaches of donors and outsiders. Since
you have, in all likelihood, initiated the meeting, there might already be a strong
impression that you have an agenda. It is often the most difficult challenge for eager
and enthusiastic new Volunteers to withhold their many ideas for helping. But one
of the most rewarding aspects to being a Volunteer is earning the respect of and
learning the wisdom of local leaders, and beginning to truly understand grass–roots
change. Building the program together will make it much more effective, even if
the initial ideas seem contrary to your personal beliefs.
For example, most Americans cannot imagine an HIV/AIDS program without overt
discussions of alternatives to penetrative sex, diagrams of body parts, and frank
discussions about sexual activity. To many local cultures, this approach is unaccept-
able, and can lead to rigorous resistance to the program. One of the advantages of
focusing on life skills is that this approach makes it possible to deal with issues of
sexuality in indirect ways—which is often much more culturally acceptable.

Lessons Learned—Tips for

Facilitators
• As most Life Skills sessions involve games or role plays, it may be most effec-
tive to have participants sit in a circle, with a great deal of open space in the
center of the circle. This will allow for unhindered movement within the group
for the exercises.

18 Peace Corps
 Part I
P­­­­­­­­­art I: Background and Introduction

• “Own” the training space. Be sure to move around a great deal within the
circle—approaching various participants, acting things out, and using differ-
ent tones of voice. Such confidence from the facilitators makes it easier for
participants to feel comfortable as they perform role plays or play games.
• Be conscious of the gender division of your facilitators. Having an equal number
of men and women facilitating the program can be much more powerful than
merely talking about gender equality. It also helps by introducing a variety of
perspectives on the topics and by demonstrating the crucial life skill of interact-
ing well with the opposite sex.
• Be respectful when working with co–facilitators. Avoid correcting or inter-
rupting your partner when he or she is facilitating, and be conscious of your
body language and facial expressions while other trainers are facilitating.
You are always on stage. Also, when one facilitator is guiding the group,
other trainers should sit down—too many trainers at the front of the room
can be distracting.
• For sensitive topics, it may be best to separate into single–sex groups to encour-
age better participation from both girls and boys. It is important, however, for
them to come back together and present their ideas to each other. This sharing
of information between sexes and attempting to work together comfortably is
essential to the program.
• Keep your participants involved by eliciting answers from them rather than
lecturing to the group.
• Summarize the points on a flip chart or blackboard, if possible.
• If working with flip charts, hang the pages you have finished around the room
so participants can refer back to them throughout the day or session.
• Have the Bridge Model flip chart posted on the wall during every Life Skills
session. You will find that you constantly refer to it.
• Pay attention to the scheduling of your sessions. Sessions near the end of the
day or after meals should be lively to keep people awake. One session should
move logically into another session.
• Start morning and afternoon sessions with warm–ups or energizers.
• Monitor how your group is feeling. Have an alternative way to teach the same
subject, and change styles as needed.
• Collect resources on the day’s subject and create a resource table at the back of
the room for participants to peruse during breaks. Invite participants to make a
list of ways in which they can serve as a resource for each other.

19
Life Skills Manual

Lessons Learned—Opportunities for

Implementing a Life Skills Program
One of the greatest benefits of the Life Skills approach is that the sessions are
adaptable to many different contexts, and can be used to meet many different
needs. We have found that community leaders, health workers, and teachers have
been very creative with their adaptations of the program, especially the use of the
Bridge Model, to meet many different needs. Some suggestions are listed below.
We encourage you to be creative in adapting the program to meet the specific
needs of your area.

Women’s Groups
Whether through agricultural cooperatives, church groups, or widows’ associa-
tions, the Bridge Model and the Life Skills approach can focus on whichever
planks in the bridge that women need to consider when building a bridge to a more
positive future. The planks might become microcredit opportunities, farm inputs,
skills training, self–esteem building, and so forth, with those topics becoming the
basis for the sessions to follow.

Men’s Motivation Groups

We found it very important to involve men when beginning any discussion about
gender roles, specifically as they related to reproductive health, maternal health,
and transmission of HIV/AIDS. One of the biggest pitfalls in working on gender
issues is that many approaches attempt to raise awareness among women, yet
ignore the men who are usually in the position to make decisions in the family.
We suggest creating male motivation groups, in which responsible, committed
male community leaders facilitate a version of the Life Skills program with the
men in the community. By appealing to some of the gender roles of men, these
sessions are able to focus on the responsibility that men have for the health and
welfare of their families. We found that this approach to behavior change, in
concert with women’s and/or youth groups, was much more powerful than one
type of program alone.

District AIDS Coordinating Committees

(DACCs), Community AIDS Coordinating
Committees (CACCs), and Technical
Subcommittees (TSCs)
Many countries coordinate all anti–AIDS activities through central committees
like DACCs, CACCs, and TSCs, such as the Orphan Technical Subcommittee
or the Youth Technical Subcommittee. Often involving high level professionals
from a variety of ministries, these committees can offer a great deal of support
and expertise in the fight against HIV/AIDS, and can benefit from an adaptation
of the Life Skills program.

20 Peace Corps
 Part I
P­­­­­­­­­art I: Background and Introduction

Peace Corps’ Pre–Service Training (PST)

Incorporating the Life Skills approach into Pre–Service Training for all Volunteers,
especially those from the health and education sectors, can offer new Volunteers
a practical framework through which to view their assignments. Think about
incorporating a Life Skills Training of Trainers (TOT) into a week–long Coun-
terparts’ conference so that both Trainees and professionals from the ministries
can consider integrating the program in their future work.

Women In Development (WID) or Gender and

Development (GAD) Projects
Exercises from the Life Skills Manual can be used in a girls’ retreat, a leader-
ship training, or any number of leadership and development projects developed
through WID/GAD committees.

People Living with HIV/AIDS Groups (PLWHA) or

AIDS Support Organizations
The Bridge Model can be adapted to explore the planks that HIV positive people
might develop in order to remain healthier longer and to manage their infections.
For example, some planks might become good nutrition, using condoms, emotional
support, or even writing a will.

21
Life Skills Manual

Sample Schedules

It may be helpful to structure the flow of your training into the following broad
approaches: 1) motivation, 2) information and skills, 3) practice, and 4) application.
Start your program with sessions that motivate participants to want to learn. Why are
you implementing this program? What are the issues identified by the community?
Help your participants see the need for the sessions. Examples might include starting
with the impact of AIDS or the consequences of unwanted pregnancy. Then move
to providing information and skills. This is the essence of the sessions—the actual
subject matter. Topics might include basic facts about HIV/AIDS, the Bridge Model,
or any of the sessions on communication, decision–making, and so forth. The third
step is practicing the information and skills you have been exploring. In a TOT, this
may mean that participants facilitate sample sessions. In your day–to–day program,
practice may include role plays that act out the situations you’ve been discussing.
Finally, move to application. How will participants apply the information and skills
from these sessions in their own lives? In their communities?
The suggested schedules that follow are merely intended as examples. As with
all aspects of the Life Skills program, they should be adapted to make them more
appropriate to the local situation.

Sample Schedule—Training of
Trainers (TOT)
Most of our TOT programs have been about five days long. Choose your trainers
carefully. Teachers, nurses, health assistants, clinical officers, medical assistants,
and AIDS center volunteers all can make good trainers if they have a natural ability
with, or interest in, youth. The approach used in this sample TOT is for the facilita-
tors to actually experience the program by doing the sessions as participants. As
they proceed through the program remind them that they will be facilitating the
same materials. They should constantly reflect about how they will present the ses-
sions, including ways to improve them. Day Four provides an opportunity for each
participant to facilitate a session from the manual and receive feedback.

22 Peace Corps
 Part I
P­­­­­­­­­art I: Background and Introduction

A suggested schedule is as follows:

Day One—Motivation
1. Warm–up
2. Opening Session including Self–Introduction, Title Throw–Away, Expectations,
Review of Schedule, Ground Rules (Appendix III)
3. Official Opening by District Health Officer, District Education Officer, Chief,
Mayor, or Other Official
4. Exchanging Stories (Impact of AIDS Variation) (Session 3 in Part V)
5. Epidemiological Information on HIV/AIDS facilitated by health worker or
National AIDS Control Program representative
6. Local film on unwanted teenage pregnancy and discussion, or use Early
Pregnancy (Session 6 in Part V)
For Trainers working in Africa: Two excellent choices are “Consequences” and
“Yellow Card.” “Consequences” is a film on unwanted teenage pregnancy, and
“Yellow Card” is about male responsibility for teen pregnancy. They are available
in AIDS resource centers throughout Africa, or by contacting the National AIDS
Control Programme, Ministry of Health, P.O. Box 8204, Causeway, Harare, or
Media for Development Trust, 19 Van Praagh, Milton Park, Harare, Zimbabwe
<Mfd@samara.co.zw>.
6. Present information gathered from needs assessment, if appropriate.

Day Two—Information or Skills–Building

1. Warm–up
2. How HIV is Transmitted (Session 3 in Part III)
3. HIV Prevention (Universal Precautions and Condom Demonstration only)
(Session 6 in Part III) or Condom Time Bomb activity (Appendix IV)
4. The Immune System (Session 2 in Part III)
5. Disease Progression and Positive Behaviors (Session 7 in Part III)
6. Cure or Treatment (Well–being Sectors only) (Session 8 in Part III)
7. HIV/AIDS and Human Rights (Session 9 in Part III)
Trainer note: Be flexible about the timing of these sessions. Some groups will move
through the content quickly, while others will require a great deal of time to digest
HIV/AIDS information. Be ready to move some of the Day Two sessions into Day
Three if necessary.

Day Three—Information or Skills–Building

1. Warm–up

23
Life Skills Manual

2. HIV/AIDS and Behavior Change (Personal Counseling for Behavior Change

only) (Session 10 in Part III)
3. The Bridge Model (Session 1 in Part I)
4. Quick Preview of Life Skills Sessions, for example the Best Response Game
(Session 1 in Part VI), Listening Pairs, the Straight Line, Pass the Picture,
etc. (Appendix I)
5. Group Sign–Up and Preparation Time for Tomorrow’s Practice Sessions
Suggested Sessions:
Communication Skills—Passive, Assertive, Aggressive (Session 3 in
Part IV)
Decision–Making Skills—Risk Behavior—Testing the Waters (Session 8 in
Part V)
Relationship Skills sessions—Gender Cards or Gender Picture Codes
(Session 7 or 8 in Part VI)
HIV/AIDS Session—Women and HIV/AIDS (Session 5 in Part III)

Day Four—Practice
1. Warm–up
2. Communication Skills session
3. Decision–Making Skills session
4. Relationship Skills sessions
5. HIV/AIDS Session
Trainer note: After each group facilitates a session, spend some time eliciting
feedback from the participants and discussing any issues that may have come up
regarding the facilitation techniques.

Day Five—Application
1. Warm–up
2. Bringing It All Together—Forum Theater (Part VII)
3. Facilitation Skills—Dealing with Difficult Questions (Appendix IV)
4. Peer Education Session (Part II)
5. Action Planning
6. Affirmation (such as String Spider Web (Appendix I)) and Closing
7. Evaluation

24 Peace Corps
 Part I
P­­­­­­­­­art I: Background and Introduction

Sample Schedule—Peace Corps

Pre–Service Training (PST)
The above TOT schedule can be used as an In–Service Training (IST) and a workshop
for Counterparts. It can also be used as the HIV/AIDS component of a Pre–Service
Training (PST). If it is not possible to devote five days to HIV/AIDS in the PST,
you may shorten the workshop to two days by slightly modifying Day Two and
Day Three above. You may wish to add the “Epidemiological Information” or an
Impact of HIV/AIDS (Session 3 in Part V) session to the Day Two schedule, and
to substitute Forum Theater (Part VII) for the “Group Sign–Up” session on Day
Three.

Sample Schedule—Community
Leaders’ Training
A training for community leaders might be about the same as a TOT, but the em-
phasis would be on content rather than how to train others. Also be sure to provide
time to review the assessment and have the community leaders determine strategies
to address the issues raised in the assessment.
If you are working with peer educators, it is crucial that you schedule some time on
the last day of the community leaders’ training to do a session about peer education
and to address how you and the community leaders together can choose the proper
young people for this role. Be very clear about what you want from the peer edu-
cators before this session, but be flexible enough to adapt to what the community
leaders want.

Sample Schedule—Peer Educators

In many ways, this may be your most important training. Everything may take longer
in this training than with other groups, as you should spend extra time to emphasize
the issues and techniques. Warm–ups should be longer and more lively, and breaks
more frequent. Young people need to keep moving and stretching!
It is suggested that you follow the TOT schedule above for your initial training of
the peer educators, perhaps adding an extra day or two. After that workshop, you
might meet with the peer educators once or twice a week to conduct further ses-
sions from the Life Skills Manual—having them engage both as participants and
facilitators.
It is very important that you give the peer educators time to digest and internalize
the ideas, especially the Facing Facts about HIV/AIDS and STDs (Part III) ses-
sions, and that you give them time to practice facilitating sessions.

25
Life Skills Manual

Sample Schedule—A Briefing

If you are ever called upon to introduce the idea of life skills to a group just for
information purposes, it is recommended that you present the Bridge Model (Ses-
sion 1 in Part I). If you are permitted more time than that, add Forum Theater
(Part VII) and/or the Best Response Game (Session 1 in Part VI). These sessions
usually provide a lively and interesting overview of the program.

26 Peace Corps
 Part I
P­­­­­­­­­art I: Background and Introduction

Life Skills: Basic Sessions

Session 1:

The Bridge Model:

How Do We Build a Bridge From
Information to Behavior Change?

Overview
This session is the crux of the Life Skills program. The Bridge Model is a visual
way of presenting the concept of behavior change that is used in the Life Skills
program. A thorough understanding of this model is essential in structuring a Life
Skills program in your community.
It is most effective to introduce this model after conducting some motivation ses-
sions. These sessions might include Exchanging Stories (Session 3 in Part V) (The
Impact of AIDS Variation), Early Pregnancy (Session 6 in Part V) or other sessions
that highlight some of the risk activity of youth.

Time
1 hour, 30 minutes to 2 hours

Objectives
By the end of the session, participants will be able to:
1. List risks facing young people in the community.
2. Identify life skills that might help young people to avoid risk and build a healthy,
positive future.
3. List three categories of life skills.
4. Describe the Bridge Model of behavior change.

Materials
Flip chart: Bridge Model
Markers or chalk

27
Life Skills Manual

Props for the role play

Handout: The Role Play

Preparation
Post the Bridge Model flip chart on a prominent wall, roll it or cover it up, and ar-
range the chairs around it in a half–circle.
Prepare and rehearse the role play in advance. Ask two of your female participants
to act in the role play. It is much more effective to choose two people from the larger
group, rather than using fellow facilitators or peer educators. Fellow participants
performing in the role play usually heightens the interest of the group. This role play
will be the basis for your discussion of the Bridge Model, so it is essential that it
be performed well and cover the topics you wish to highlight.

Delivery
I. The Bridge Model Role Play (20 minutes)
When introducing this activity, you may wish to refer to some of the sessions on the
impact of AIDS or early pregnancy to remind the group of the reasons for begin-
ning a new program with youth on risk behavior. Invite the group to sit back and
watch the role play, which may be very similar to situations we are seeing in our
communities.
Have your two volunteers act out the role play. Stop the role play when the point has
been made: Lucy was exposed to much information to keep her safe from pregnancy,
STDs, and HIV/AIDS, yet she got pregnant anyway. Why?

II. The Bridge Model (1 hour)

Referring back to the role play, ask leading questions to invite the participants to
explore the situation. Some examples might be:
1. Is this a realistic situation? Have you seen this happen in our community?
2. Do you think Lucy understood the risks of having sex with Richard?
3. If she understood what could happen and had all of the information, why did
she have sex anyway?
4. What were some of the things Richard said to pressure Lucy?
5. Did Lucy have good reasons for not using the condoms Rita gave her?
6. What will happen to Lucy now? What do you think will happen between her
and Richard?
After discussing the role play, reveal the Bridge Model flip chart.

28 Peace Corps
 Part I
P­­­­­­­­­art I: Background and Introduction

Discuss the model with the participants. Point out that young people generally know
a great deal about the risks of sexual activity. In a sense, the young people are stand-
ing on top of all of the knowledge they need to keep themselves safe from the risky
behavior of life. Brainstorm some of the current knowledge understood by most
young people: facts about HIV/AIDS, information on drugs or alcohol, etc. Most
young people learn all about HIV/AIDS prevention in school. Does that mean that
no one gets infected? Emphasize that even though people have the knowledge that
does not mean that they do not engage in risky behaviors. It is helpful to continually
refer back to Lucy during this discussion.
Now draw attention to the other side of the bridge. Point out that, as teachers, com-
munity members, parents, peer educators, and others we want to help our young
people move to the “Positive, Healthy Life” side of the bridge. We want to help them
use the knowledge that they have to live a stronger, healthier life. (Use gestures to
show this movement on the Bridge Model flip chart.)
While gesturing towards the “sea,” ask participants to suggest what is awaiting young
people if we do not find a way to help them successfully cross from knowledge to a
positive, healthy life. Equipped with nothing but knowledge, young people face the
risk of falling into a sea of problems like HIV infection, alcohol and drug addiction,
unwanted pregnancy, and so forth.
So, what then is missing? What does it take to help people to use their knowledge
to lead a better life? Lead a group brainstorming session about what it takes to get
across the bridge. You might continue to refer to Lucy and the role play during this
brainstorming session, using questions like, “What was Lucy missing? What did she
need to help her to use the information she had to make the right decision? Didn’t
Lucy know the risks? Did she have the information?” You may need to guide the
group to explore all angles of the situation so that you can get as many different
suggestions as possible.
Each time someone gives a suggestion, it becomes a “plank” in the bridge. Write
it on the chart above the sea between the two hills. Keep brainstorming until the
entire bridge is completed—there should be many, many ideas. Guide the group to
understand these links by referring to the role play.
When the bridge is finished and all ideas are exhausted, process the concept with
the group again. These planks in the bridge are the “life skills”—the tools a person
needs to help translate the knowledge that they have into healthier behavior. It is
our job to help to develop these life skills in people—to help them acquire the
skills and tools necessary to lead healthier, happier lives. Point out that even if a
few skills are missing (cover some of the planks with your hands), what happens?
The person may still fall into a sea of problems. It is therefore necessary to launch
a comprehensive program that targets all of these issues to better equip the people
in our community to make healthy decisions for their futures.
So, the work of the Life Skills program is not only to provide information since we
believe that most of the information is already understood. Instead, we are developing

29
Life Skills Manual

the skills (refer to the bridge with your hand) to better use this information to lead
to a positive, healthy life. Our sessions, then, focus on the development of these
life skills.

III. Introduction to Life Skills Categories

(20 minutes)
As a continuation of the above session, write the three categories of life skills on a
flip chart or on the board.
Communication Skills
Decision–Making Skills
Relationship Skills
Explain that we have simply grouped the life skills into a few categories to make
it easier to work with them. Go over each category, and ask the group to suggest
which of the life skills written on the Bridge Model flip chart might fit into each
category (for example, relationship skills might include good role models, gender
issues, communication skills, self–esteem, and resistance to peer pressure). Many
of the life skills will fit into more than one category.
Do not spend too much time on this topic. Just make sure that the participants
understand that these are just groupings for the sake of convenience. All of the life
skills are important, and some fit in more than one category.

Evaluation (15 minutes)

To ensure that the group understands the philosophy of the Bridge Model, you
may wish to follow this session immediately with Identifying the Missing Life
Skill. If time does not permit this, you might simply ask the participants to pair
off and to explain the model to each other while referring to the bridge. Move
about the room and observe the level of understanding in the group and clarify
points as necessary.

The Bridge Model was presented at the Peace Corps/Malawi workshop “Promoting Sexual Health,”
held in Lilongwe, Malawi, in July 1996.

30 Peace Corps
 The Bridge Model:
How Do We Build a Bridge from Information to Behavior Change?

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Introduction

Part I
32
The Bridge Model:
Life Skills Manual

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 The Bridge Model:
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33
Introduction

Part I
Life Skills Manual

Participant Handout
Page 1 of 2

The Role Play

Two Characters:
Rita was in her final year at secondary school when she dropped out due to unwanted pregnancy. She has
been advising her friend, Lucy, to stay in school and to avoid boyfriends, sex, and so forth, before complet-
ing her education.
Lucy is in her first year at secondary school, and she has been doing very well in her classes. Despite her
friend’s warning, she has become pregnant and has come to break the news to her friend.

Rita is sitting outside her house. She is rocking her baby in her arms. As she sits alone with the baby, she talks
about how tired she has been and how much work the baby turned out to be. She might say things like, “Oh,
my baby—how troublesome you are! Keeping me up all night like that! Won’t you ever settle down?”
Lucy walks up and shouts “Hello, is anybody home?” She is welcomed warmly by Rita. Lucy sits down
and greets her friend. She inquires after the health of the baby, and Rita tells her that the baby has been sick
and has yet to sleep through the night. The friends chat for a moment before Rita comments on how odd it
is to see Lucy like this during a school day. Rita asks Lucy why she is not in school, but Lucy changes the
subject by talking about the baby. Rita asks Lucy again, and she again avoids the topic by asking Rita about
Rita’s boyfriend, James. Rita responds by saying that she has not heard from James since the birth of their
baby. She has heard that he is now studying in the U.K., but he has never come to see her or the baby. Rita
reminisces that she, too, could have gone to the U.K. for studies—her scores were so high—and she reminds
Lucy of how important it is to avoid these boys and stay in school.
Rita asks again why Lucy is here on a school day. Lucy says something like this—“My friend, do you
remember the advice that you are always giving me?” Rita responds—“Of course I do—I told you! Don’t
make the same mistakes I made—forget these boys until you are finished with your studies. Abstaining from
sex is the best way to avoid getting pregnant or getting diseases—even AIDS!” Lucy probes further. “What
else have you advised me?”
Rita says, “I told you that if you and that boyfriend of yours, Richard, cannot abstain, then remember to
use a condom. You remember! I even gave you some condoms! Ah! But come on, my friend, what are you
really doing here? Are you in trouble? What is it?”
Lucy, now in tears, confesses that she is pregnant with Richard’s baby. Rita becomes angry. She reminds
Lucy of all the advice she has given her; she reminds Lucy of the example of her own life. Lucy protests
with ideas like, “But he loves me! He has promised to marry me!” Rita reminds Lucy that James promised
her the same thing. Rita asks why Lucy had sex with Richard after all her warnings. Lucy says that Richard
threatened to leave her if she did not have sex with him. He said it was the only way to show him that she
loved him, that everyone was having sex, etc. Rita asks why Lucy didn’t use any of the condoms she gave
her. Lucy says that her church is against condom use, and besides—Richard refused to use them.

34 Peace Corps
 Part I
P­­­­­­­­­art I: Background and Introduction

Participant Handout
Page 2 of 2

Finally, in defense of herself, Lucy says, “Well, why wait? Why not have a baby now? Richard is going to
be a doctor. I want to be his wife! What is the difference if I finish school? Look at Marie—she finished
school and she is just staying at home. There are no jobs anyway!”

35
Life Skills Manual

Life Skills: Basic Sessions

Session 2:

Identifying the Missing Life Skill

Overview
Intended to follow the Bridge Model, this role play activity helps to ensure that
the participants have fully understood the Bridge Model and the life skills concept.
Use it to review and reinforce the foundation of the program before moving on to
exploring specific life skills.

Time
1 hour, 30 minutes, to 2 hours

Objectives
By the end of the session, participants will be able to:
1. Identify specific life skills that are missing or need reinforcement in common
community situations.
2. Describe the Bridge Model for behavior change.

Materials
Assorted props for role plays

Delivery
I. Creating the Role Plays (30–40 minutes)
Remind the participants of the ideas discussed in the Bridge Model session. Indicate
that this session will reinforce our understanding of the concept of life skills.
Divide the participants into small groups. Instruct each group to create a role play
showing a typical risk situation that a young person might face. Examples might
include being pressured to drink alcohol, being pressured to have sex, and so forth.
The role play should show the young person engaging in the risk behavior because

36 Peace Corps
 Part I
P­­­­­­­­­art I: Background and Introduction

one of the life skills we listed on the bridge is missing. For example, the role
play might show a young person incapable of being assertive and then giving
in to drinking alcohol.

II. Identifying the Missing Life Skill

(1 hour)
After the group has come back together, invite each group to perform its role
play. Members of the larger group should then identify which life skill is miss-
ing in the role play. The group may notice that more than one life skill is miss-
ing—perhaps the person is lacking self–esteem, good communication skills,
and resistance to peer pressure. Let the group brainstorm about the many life
skills that might have helped the young person effectively manage the situation
in the role play. Use this exercise as a means of exploring the way these life
skills could change a situation in a young person’s life.

Evaluation (20 minutes)

To ensure that the group has internalized the Life Skills concept, invite dif-
ferent participants to stand in front of the Bridge Model flip chart and explain
it to others. Participants can use the role plays they just saw as examples in
their explanations.

37
Life Skills Manual

38 Peace Corps
 P­­­­­­­­­art II: Peer Education

Part II
Part II:
Peer Education

39
Life Skills Manual

40 Peace Corps
 P­­­­­­­­­art II: Peer Education

Part II
Peer Educators

It is up to you and your community to decide whether or not to work with peer
educators in your program. Working with peer educators may require a significant
commitment in time, resources, and support, yet the benefits of using peer educa-
tors can be considerable.

Who Are Peer Educators?

Peer educators are people selected for their leadership potential in helping others.
They are trained to help other participants learn through demonstrations, listening,
role playing, encouraging, serving as role models, providing feedback, and support-
ing healthy decisions and behaviors.

Benefits of Using Peer Educators

• Young people are likely to listen to, and imitate, peers that are well liked and
respected.
• Peer educators who model examples of healthy behaviors can influence behaviors
of other peers and help them avoid taking risks.
• Peer educators can support, encourage, and help their peers both inside and
outside of sessions.
• Peer educators may assist you by presenting the session, thereby allowing more
time for individual attention in small groups and for wider access to a larger
group of young people.
• Peer educators may be able to help manage and solve problems among the
group.
• By serving in this capacity, young people boost their self–esteem, learn valuable
and marketable skills, make contacts, and perhaps take more pride in their lives
and behaviors than prior to their roles as peer educators.

41
Life Skills Manual

What Are Some Qualities of Good

Peer Educators?
Some characteristics to look for when choosing peer educators include:
• Considered opinion–leaders by other young people (popular, influential)
• Concerned about the welfare of their peers
• Able to listen to others, nonjudgmental
• Self–confident
• Dependable, honest
• Well–liked by other young people
• Well–rounded young people—not necessarily the top student in the class;
someone who does well in school but also is active outside of the classroom,
such as in sports, clubs, or community work
• Equal mix of male and female peer educators
• Equal mix of young people from different age ranges and grades or forms
in school
• Perhaps some young people who have engaged in risk behaviors before and are
now willing to speak out about such behaviors
• Mix of young people from different clubs, sports teams, and interests to reach
a wider range of people

What Are Some Problems in Using

Peer Educators? Proposed Solutions?
• Peer educators require an extra time commitment. You should be willing to
spend significant time choosing, training, re–training, monitoring, and evaluat-
ing peer educators.
• It can be difficult maintaining motivation. Often peer educators want an incen-
tive for the work that they provide. Emphasize the benefits of being a peer
educator, including skills and self–esteem building, contacts, and so forth. You
might provide a group uniform or badge to set them apart from others, make it
possible for them to network with other peer educators (going on a trip), and
consider them for youth conferences or trainings that might arise.
• Students may become jealous of peer educators. Strike a balance between
motivating the peer educators through opportunities and making other young
people jealous by your treatment of the peer educators. If others are jealous of
the peer educators, they will be much less effective than if they are well liked
and feel a part of the group.

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• Some peer educators engage in risk behavior. Even after training and working
with a young person, he or she may become involved in the very activities you
are teaching participants to avoid. A peer educator who becomes pregnant, gets
caught drinking, and so forth may be incredibly damaging to the program. For

Part II
this reason, constant monitoring, re–training, and reinforcement are crucial for
your peer educator program. However, keep in mind that “relapse is expected”
in behavior change. Your response to such a situation is important in reducing
the stigma associated with HIV or STD infection, unwanted pregnancy, etc.
Guiding this peer educator through such a life change will provide a powerful
example for the peer group.
• Peer educators may not be knowledgeable and convey incorrect information.
When peer educators spread health information, other young people typically
believe them; after all, you have chosen and trained these young people, so the
belief is that they must be experts. Therefore, if peer educators are spreading
incorrect information, it can be doubly harmful. It is imperative to spend time
training and re–training these young people to disseminate correct informa-
tion. Alternately, peer educators might work in pairs, to reinforce each other’s
behavior and serve as sources of mutual support.
• Peer educators move, transfer, and leave the program. It is important to have
a number of peer educators in the program to offset the inevitable reality of
losing some.

How Can We Choose Peer Educators?

There are a number of ways to choose your peer educators. There are positives and
negatives about all of them. Here are a few ideas:
• Involve the community leaders. If you are presenting a community leader train-
ing or briefing, include a few sessions on peer education. Assign small groups
to answer the questions in this section. Make sure the community leaders are
very clear on what a peer educator does, what type of person makes the best
peer educator, and so forth. Have them nominate twice as many peer educators
as you actually want in the program. Then, put the potential peer educators
through some exercises—such as the “True/False game,” role plays, a personal
interview, and so forth. Based on the personalities that manifest themselves in
these exercises, choose a good mix of peer educators.
• When conducting surveys or focus group discussions, include “Who might you
go to in the community if you had a problem?” In this way, you may come up
with a list of potential peer educators.
• Ask the young people to nominate or choose peer educators. It is certainly a
good idea to have young people choose those who will represent them. You
can try to avoid the popularity contest phenomenon by asking them to vote for
twice as many peer educators as you need; then using the process suggested for
the community above, choose the best peer educators.

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• If you are working in a school, it may be best to select some peer educators
from each of the grade levels. If all peer educators are from the final grade, you
will lose all of your peer educators at once when they finish school.
• To reach a wide range of people, choose young people from different groups,
clubs, and interests.

Pages 41–44 adapted and reprinted with permission of World Health Organization from School Health
Education To Prevent AIDS and STD: A Resource Package for Curriculum Planners—Handbook for
Curriculum Planners, p. 38, and Teacher’s Guide, p. 15 © WHO 1994

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Peer Educator Session Plans

Part II
Session 1:

Dealing With Problems in Groups

Overview
Sometimes peer educators will be responsible for leading sessions and small groups.
This session provides opportunities to discuss some of the problems that might arise
in groups and create strategies for dealing with them.

Time
1 hour

Objectives
By the end of the session, participants will be able to:
1. List potential problems that might occur in a group.
2. Identify strategies to cope with problems that arise in groups.

Materials
Flip charts or board
Markers or chalk
Handout: Problem Scenario Cards (each numbered statement is a separate card)

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Life Skills Manual

Delivery
I. Small Group Work (20 minutes)
Introduce the topic to your participants. Explain that they are going to do a short
exercise to look at the kinds of problems that might come up in small group discus-
sions and ways to deal with those problems.
Split the peer educators into groups or pairs. Give each group or pair a problem card.
They should read the situation, discuss it, and report back to the group:
1. What might be the effect of this behavior on the whole group?
2. What are strategies for dealing with this behavior?

II. Dealing with Problems in Groups—Large

Group Discussion (40 minutes)
Have all groups report back. Discuss each situation and possible ways to approach
the problem. Come to an agreement with the group about how to handle the issue.
After all groups have presented, ask everyone to help summarize the strategies.
Write them on a flip chart or board so that you can refer to them later. Some of the
ideas might be as follows:

Dealing With Problems in Groups

1. Create “Ground Rules” for the group during the first session and refer to
them when there is a problem.
2. If there are disruptions, politely remind the group that there is a task or
problem to solve as well as a time limit.
3. Talk privately to the person causing the problem. Try to find out what is at
the root of the problem. Review the basic group rules and how the person’s
behavior is negatively affecting the group. Request his or her support and
cooperation for the next time the group meets.
4. Respond to those who interrupt by saying, “Excuse me. Just a reminder
that everyone in the group has a right to speak without being interrupted.”
Or “Excuse me, please let…finish before speaking.”
5. If the behavior is so disturbing that it cannot be ignored, address it in the
group. Criticize what is being said or done (not the person responsible for
the disruption). Point out how the behavior blocks the groups from func-
tioning well.
6. At the end of a group session, lead a discussion about how the group is
doing. Try to do this in such a way that feelings are not hurt.

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Brainstorm a list of suggested ground rules. Post that list, also.

Some Suggested Ground Rules

• Everyone will be given an opportunity to talk

Part II
• Everyone will participate fully and freely
• Everyone has a right to “pass” (to decide not to discuss a personal issue)
• Only one person talks at a time; no interrupting others
• No insults or negative comments
• Keep on the topic; no side discussions or other topics
• Be on time; maintain punctuality
• “What you hear stays here.” Information revealed in session should be confi-
dential.

Evaluation
Problems inevitably will come up even in the Peer Education sessions. You will
have some idea of how well the peer educators will handle the problems in groups,
based on how well they manage the tensions within the peer group itself over the
course of the training period.

Pages 45–48 adapted and reprinted with permission of World Health Organization from School Health
Education To Prevent AIDS and STD: A Resource Package for Curriculum Planners—Handbook for
Curriculum Planners, pp. 39–40 © WHO 1994

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Life Skills Manual

Participant Cards
(each numbered statement is a separate card)

Problem Scenario Cards

1. The small group has been together for a few days now and it is quite clear that Gift dominates the others.
He talks most of the time and when others say something, he does not pay attention.

2. Natalia has been very quiet during the first group meeting. However, suddenly she becomes very criti-
cal of the other group members. She makes rude remarks to one person in particular but also objects to
opinions expressed by the rest of the group.

3. Xiang is a little older than the others in the group. He tells people in his group what to do and how to
do it. No one has objected to what he is doing, but you can tell they are not happy about the situation.

4. Eva often interrupts others in the group. She also puts others down by calling their ideas stupid or dumb.
The rest of the group is getting angry with her because of her behavior.

5. Jose is not really interested in the group meetings. When he attends, he acts bored and does not contrib-
ute. At other times, he tries to talk to someone in the group about something completely off the topic. If
others do not join him, he becomes loud and disruptive.

6. The boys in the group always talk first, answer questions first, and dominate the discussions. The girls
always seem to wait for the boys to speak first—even if they obviously know the answers.

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Peer Educator Session Plans

Part II
Session 2:

Support for Responsible Behavior

Overview
Since they are serving as role models and leaders among their friends, it is impor-
tant to emphasize the peer educators’ responsibility to be supportive of those young
people who are engaging in healthy behavior. This exercise takes a look at a few
situations in which a young person might need some support and encouragement
and gives the peer educators a chance to practice giving appropriate responses.

Time
1 hour, 30 minutes, to 2 hours

Objectives
By the end of the session, participants will be able to:
1. Identify common situations where their intervention might be helpful.
2. Identify strategies to support responsible behavior.
3. List resources in their communities that they might use if they require assistance
or information.

Materials
Props for the role plays
Handout: Peer Support Situation Cards (each numbered statement is a separate card)

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Life Skills Manual

Delivery
I. Small Group Work (30–40 minutes)
Introduce the topic to the peer educators. Discuss the fact that sometimes young
people take risks with their health and safety. Because of consequences like HIV/
AIDS, STDs, and unwanted pregnancy, taking risks can be very dangerous. Young
people who make healthy decisions to delay sex, to use a condom, or to be toler-
ant and compassionate to people with HIV/AIDS need the support of their friends,
especially the peer educators.
Divide the peer educators into groups. Give each group a role play card. They
are to:
1. Read and discuss the situation.
2. Decide what they would do to give the main person in the story support for this
healthy decision.
3. Create a role play showing the situation with support for the person.

II. Role plays (1 hour or more, depending on

the size of the group)
Have all groups perform their role plays in front of the larger group. Discuss the
strategies suggested by the peer educators and provide any additional ideas regard-
ing ways to support the person in the story.
You may wish to ask the following questions as you summarize this activity:
1. Why do many young people feel it is not “cool” to support healthy decisions?
2. What difficulties might you have if you support these healthy behaviors?
3. How might you overcome these problems?
Remind the participants about the important responsibility they have as peer edu-
cators. Supporting healthy decisions when they look “uncool” is one of their most
important, but perhaps most difficult, tasks. As peer educators, they can set the tone
for the behavior of the other young people. If young people begin to see that delay-
ing sex or using condoms has the support of their friends, it will be much easier for
everyone to choose to make healthy decisions.

III. Sources of Support (15 minutes if done

in the session)
For the final part of the session, discuss the kinds of issues that peer educators
should not try to deal with themselves. They may have the opportunity to talk
privately with young people who need more information and counseling than they
can provide. Therefore, it is important to know where to get help in the community.
Using brainstorming, small group work, or an outside–the–session project, the peer
educators should identify a number of sources and how to reach them. These sources

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will enable young people to get information about HIV/AIDS and STDs, to obtain
medical help, to go for counseling or to get advice, and to be tested for HIV. Sug-
gestions for such a resource list include: doctors, clergy, health centers or hospitals,
counselors, church groups, places where you can buy or get free condoms, nurses,

Part II
AIDS groups or centers, STD clinics, social welfare offices, community develop-
ment assistants, youth groups, teachers, and so forth.

Evaluation
You might consider instituting a period at the beginning of each peer educator meet-
ing during which they would share situations in which they supported responsible
behavior that might have happened since the last meeting.

Pages 49–52 adapted and reprinted with permission of World Health Organization from School Health
Education To Prevent AIDS and STD: A Resource Package for Curriculum Planners—Students’ Ac-
tivities, pp. 76–77 © WHO 1994

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Life Skills Manual

Participant Cards
(each numbered statement is a separate card)

Peer Support Situation Cards

1. You have been seeing a person for a short time now and you feel you are really “in love.” This person
is trying to persuade you to have sex. You use all of your assertive skills but the situation gets worse.
He or she will not agree with you and becomes impossible to talk to. You ask a friend who is with you
to walk you home. On the way home, you tell your friend what happened. Your friend supports your
decision not to have sex by saying, “ .”

2. You have been going out with the same person for some time now. You love each other very much. You
have talked about sex and have agreed to use a condom when you have sex to protect yourself from HIV.
You have had sex with a condom a few times but this night you somehow forgot to bring a condom and
you really would like to have sex. After some discussion, you decide to be affectionate with each other
without sex. The next day you discuss the decision with your best friend. Your friend supports your
decision by saying, “ .”

3. After school, you and some friends want to go to the local store for candy. Someone says, “I’m not go-
ing there.” Someone else asks, “Why not?” The first speaker says, “I’ve heard the shopkeeper has HIV.
I’m not going to risk getting AIDS.” Another person says, “You can’t believe everything you hear.” This
person asks you what you think. You say, “ .”

4. It is Monday morning and you are talking to some friends about what happened over the weekend.
One of the members of the group is bragging about being at a party where there was alcohol and sex. A
couple of people in the group are impressed and say things that support him, “Yeah! You must have had
a great time!” You are not impressed by what went on, and you feel you should say something. You say,
“ .”

5. You are at a dance. You notice a group of people in the corner laughing and pushing someone. Getting
closer, you overhear them teasing the boy or girl because he or she is refusing to take some of the beer
they are passing around. They are a bit drunk, and are getting rough with the person. The person keeps
trying to refuse to drink—saying he or she does not like alcohol. They continue to tease him or her. What
do you say or do?

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Part III:
Facing Facts about HIV/AIDS

Part III
and STDs

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Facing Facts about HIV/AIDS

and STDs

Part III
This section of the Life Skills Manual gives basic information about HIV, AIDS,
and STDs that can be incorporated into the Life Skills curriculum. These sessions
were designed to address people potentially living with HIV as well as those who
are currently not infected.
The sessions build on each other and concentrate on addressing the knowledge and
attitudes of participants as they relate to HIV/AIDS. Participants are empowered
to use new knowledge in a reassessment of their own attitudes.
These sessions avoid using fear tactics or blame of any group for the infection. Mes-
sages of fear and blame have caused people to avoid the topic of HIV/AIDS rather
than confront it. In addition to addressing the urgency of dealing with the disease
in their community, these sessions clarify commonly held myths about AIDS. The
ultimate goal of the sessions is to move participants to a place of hope and affirm their
ability to respond intelligently and effectively to the pandemic that faces them.
The 10 sessions are designed around the following concepts:
1. AIDS is a problem and we have the power to do something about it.
2. HIV attacks our immune systems; so, we should do all we can to strengthen
our immune systems.
3. It is clear how HIV is transmitted.
4. Early treatment of other STDs can dramatically reduce the risk of infection with
HIV.
5. Women are especially vulnerable to HIV infection and need information and
skills to protect themselves and their children from infection.
6. There are simple and effective ways for everyone to prevent HIV infection.

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Life Skills Manual

7. The time it takes for HIV to lead to AIDS can vary greatly, and our health be-
haviors can affect that time period.
8. Although there is no cure for AIDS, there are many treatments available.
9. Protecting the human rights of people living with HIV/AIDS not only helps them
to live positive and productive lives, but also helps to prevent HIV transmission
in our community.
10. Knowledge, attitudes, and skills need to be used together to help us practice
behaviors that reduce risks for HIV and lead us to a healthier life.

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Facing Facts about HIV/AIDS and STDs Session Plans

Session 1:

Facts and Myths about HIV/AIDS

Part III
Overview
This introductory session addresses the facts and myths about HIV/AIDS. It ad-
dresses this concept: AIDS is a problem and I have the power to do something
about it. Remember to adapt the statements in this session to the facts and myths
most prevalent in and relevant to your country.

Time
2 hours

Objective
By the end of the session, the majority of participants will be able to recognize the
seriousness of HIV/AIDS in their community.

Materials
Tape
Signs placed on the wall with the words “True” and “False.” Bowl with pieces of
paper in it describing myths and facts such as the following:

True
1. While Africa has been more affected by AIDS than any other part of the world,
HIV infection rates are rising in many other regions.
2. Although many people do not have access to expensive drugs to treat AIDS,
there are medicines that can slow down disease progression.
3. In (country) about ( percent) of adults are infected with HIV. (Use UNAIDS
Website to update statistics for your country.)
4. Although treatments to slow the progression of HIV/AIDS exist, there is still
no cure for AIDS.

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5. Although HIV transmission is a risk for everyone, women and girls are more
vulnerable to HIV infection than men and boys.
6. The amount of food we have to eat can be related to the number of people who
have AIDS in our community.

False
1. AIDS is a disease that mostly affects white people.
2. Since everyone dies of AIDS, it is better not to know if you have it.
3. You can be cured of AIDS by having sex with a virgin.
4. People in the United States have access to medicines that can cure them of
AIDS.
5. No one has AIDS in our country.
6. Traditional healers (or religious leaders) in our country have cured AIDS.
7. AIDS is a disease of immoral people, such as prostitutes.
8. It has recently been proven that HIV does not cause AIDS.

Delivery
I. Facts and Myths (90 minutes)
Have participants each take one piece of paper from the bowl with statements, read
it to themselves, and tape it under either “True” or “False.” Then they read aloud
the statements to the group and decide if the group agrees with the placement. After
the statements are placed, ask if there are questions. The facilitator should make
any necessary corrections.

Trainer note: To help participants evaluate the statements, use the following in-
formation. Be sure to periodically update this section with current data from the
UNAIDS Website.:

Background for True Statements:

1. Check the UNAIDS website for recent statistics on the increase in HIV infec-
tion in your region and one or two others. You will find that while Africa has
the largest number of infections, HIV is on the rise throughout much of the
world.
2. New drugs like anti–retroviral therapy and protease inhibitors are not available
to many people due to high cost and lack of infrastructure for monitoring the
immune system. There are, however, medicines to treat and prevent opportunistic
infections that can help to prolong life.

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3. Check the UNAIDS Website for updates for your country.

4. There are many treatments, but no cure, for AIDS. Reading Cure or Treatment
(Session 8 in Part III) will give you a clearer distinction of the difference between
“treatment” and “cure.”
5. See Women and HIV/AIDS (Session 5 in Part III) for reasons that women and
girls are especially vulnerable to HIV infection.
6. This question is looking at the impact of HIV disease on agricultural produc-
tion. The most dramatic statistics are from Zimbabwe. They document reduc-
tions in the following areas of agricultural production due to AIDS deaths:

Part III
maize, 61 percent; vegetables, 49 percent; groundnuts, 37 percent; number of
cattle owned, 29 percent. Similar statistics would result in any country whose
farmers or agricultural workers were increasingly affected by AIDS. Further,
having little food to eat can shorten the honeymoon period for People Living
with HIV/AIDS, as they will not have access to the nutrition they require to stay
healthy longer.
Background for False Statements:
1. Emphasize that people of every race and nationality have been infected with
HIV.
2. Although people may believe that the stress of knowing one’s HIV status can be
a terrible burden, it is clear that knowing one’s status can help prolong one’s life
by getting early treatment for opportunistic infections and taking care of one’s
general health. (Read Disease Progression and Positive Behaviors (Session 7
in Part III).) Also, knowing one’s status can help us protect families and loved
ones from infection and help people prepare for the future.
3. This is a myth. Not only is it not true, but acting on it can spread the infection
to many young girls.
4. Although people in the United States have access to medications often not
available to people with few resources in many other countries, these medica-
tions do not cure AIDS. (See Cure or Treatment (Session 8 in Part III) for the
difference between “treatment” and “cure.”)
5. See UNAIDS statistics for your country. If you are in a country with low preva-
lence, you may want to suggest that although we do not have a high prevalence
of HIV in our country, we still have a need to protect ourselves by practicing
HIV prevention. Suggesting that no one has AIDS in any area is the kind of
denial that leads to increased risk of transmission.
6. No one has yet found a cure for AIDS. It is possible that alternative or tradi-
tional healers have some remedies that may alleviate some of the symptoms of
AIDS temporarily. Other practices, however, may cause HIV to progress more
rapidly or increase the possibility of transmitting HIV if procedures involve
sharing instruments with blood on them. It is important that medical doctors

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and traditional healers communicate in order to share what they have learned
about the disease.
7. Since HIV is mainly transmitted through sexual activity, many people infected
with HIV have been accused of being immoral. Women particularly are blamed
for immoral behavior. In fact, according to the United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP), two–thirds of all women infected with HIV in the world
relate that they have had only one sexual partner. Studies done in several met-
ropolitan cities that compare prevalence of HIV among prostitutes to women
who do not engage in prostitution, demonstrate that prostitutes are at no greater
risk than other women unless they use injected drugs. It is much harder to ne-
gotiate condom use with your spouse than with casual contacts. Fidelity, if it
is to be used by women as their prevention method, needs to include a way of
determining if their partner is already infected with HIV.
8. It has been scientifically proven that both HIV and AIDS exist and that infection
with HIV attacks the immune system and will lead to AIDS in most people.
After clarifying the true and false statements, lead a discussion using questions,
such as:
• Do you believe that HIV/AIDS has affected our community? Why or why not?
What evidence do you see of the effects of AIDS in our community?
• What other things have you heard about HIV/AIDS in our community that you
think might be untrue?
• Do you think that everyone who has HIV/AIDS knows that he or she has it?
Why or why not?
• Would people hide the fact that they or someone in their family has HIV/AIDS?
Why or why not?
• Have you ever heard someone say that they have a cure for AIDS? Why do you
think someone might say that when there is no cure?
• Why do you think young girls are infected more often than boys?
• Which of our life skills can help protect us from HIV/AIDS?
• What can we do to help our community fight HIV/AIDS?

Evaluation (5 minutes)
Before and after the session, have students raise their hands if they think AIDS is a
problem in their community, or if AIDS could be a danger for themselves or their
family. Observe if the number of hands raised increases at the end of the session.
If the group feels uncomfortable sharing opinions in public, participants may vote
by paper anonymously before and after the session.

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Resources
For ongoing updates on the latest news related to HIV:
• Website: News@hivcybermail.org
• Website: af–aids@hivnet.ch
• Website: www.unaids.org
A number of excellent publications are available free from the UNAIDS
website by following the “Publications” link to “How to Order.”

Part III
See especially, AIDS Epidemic Update: UNAIDS

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Facing Facts about HIV/AIDS and STDs Session Plans

Session 2:

The Immune System

Overview
By providing specific biological information, this session addresses the concept:
HIV attacks our immune systems; so, we should do all we can to strengthen
our immune systems.

Time
2 hours

Objectives
By the end of the session, participants will be able to:
1. Describe the functions of at least five components of the immune system.
2. Demonstrate how HIV attacks the immune system.

Materials
Handouts: Drawings of Parts of the Immune System
Numbered small pieces of paper for writing questions
Tape
Candy

Preparation
If possible, make a copy of one drawing for each participant. Write the description
of the cell’s function (from the overview below) on the back of each drawing.

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Delivery
I. Overview (30 minutes)
Facilitator explains to the group the following facts about the immune system using
the drawings. It may be best to stimulate discussion by asking participants to share
the facts they already know.
• What is our immune system?
The immune system is our body’s way of fighting disease. It is very complex
and has more parts than we can discuss today. Understanding some basic

Part III
facts about the immune system, however, can help us learn both how to
prevent disease and how to help slow down disease progression if we are
already infected.
• Our blood cells are labeled by what two colors?
Red and white.
• What is the major function of red cells?
Red cells, called erythrocytes, carry oxygen through our system and carry
away carbon dioxide.
• What is the major function of white blood cells?
White blood cells, called leukocytes, are our immune cells. Your immune
system is made up of white cells that protect you from diseases. Some of
the main cells in your immune system are:
The macrophage: Macro = Big, Phage = Eater. The Big Eater. This cell eats
the invaders or germs (called antigens) and sends a signal to the captain of
your immune system that an invader is present and that the immune system
army needs to respond.
The T4 Helper Cell (CD4): Captain of your immune system. It receives the
message from the macrophage when an invader (antigen) is present and
orders two more cells (the B cell and the T8 killer cell) to search for, and
destroy, the invader. The T4 Helper Cell is also the cell that HIV attacks and
destroys. T cells are called “T” because they mature in the thymus gland.
The B Cell: Like a factory. It identifies the shape of the invader (antigen)
and makes “antibodies” (like keys), which fit the antigen. These antibodies
can recognize immediately future antigens of this kind and stop them from
making you sick in the future.
The T8 (CD8) or Cytotoxic or Killer Cell: Also called by the T4 Helper
Cell to attack the invader and kill it directly.

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• What is an antigen?
An antigen is a foreign invader or germ that enters our system. It can be a
virus, a bacteria, fungus, protozoa, and so forth. Have the group name an
antigen common in their community besides HIV. (Examples: cold virus,
TB bacteria, etc.)
• What is an antibody?
An antibody is a response to an invading antigen. Antibodies are produced
by B cells. They work like “keys,” fitting the shape of the antigen “locks.”
When an antigen enters the system again, it is recognized and attacked by
antibodies.
• What is HIV?
The virus that attacks the T4 Helper Cell. When it cripples enough T4
Helper Cells, the rest of the immune system is not called into action. Other
antigens invade the body and cause disease. At this point, the infected person
develops AIDS.

II. Dramatizing Attack of the Immune

System (30 minutes)
With the help of the group, use the drawings to show how the immune system works
to destroy the antigen.
• What happens when HIV enters the body? Use the drawings to demonstrate that
when HIV enters the system, it is eaten by the macrophage, but when it gets to
the T4 Cell it invades that cell, the Captain, and takes it over, later killing it. A
T4 Helper Cell damaged by HIV does not effectively call out the other forces
to attack the invader, giving HIV a greater chance to take over more T4 Cells
and multiply the amount of HIV in the body. The amount of HIV in the body
is called the viral load.
• When enough T4 Helper Cells are destroyed, all kinds of other invaders (an-
tigens), like tuberculosis (TB) germs, can enter without being stopped by the
Captain. When the viral load has risen and the antibody level has dropped, a
person gets sick with AIDS.
• Give each participant one of the drawings of the parts of the immune system and
have them reflect on what they do to fight disease. Then have each member of the
group introduce themselves, holding up their pictures, and explaining what they
do. One complete group will dramatize for the others how the immune system
works, first with the invasion of a regular antigen, and then with the invasion
of HIV. They will show how HIV takes over the T4 Helper Cell and does not
call the other helpers, and new antigens invade. The whole group can then be
invading antigens and the immune system collapses. Everyone falls down.

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III. The Elephants and Lions Game

The Elephants and Lions Game may also be used to reinforce the learnings
from this section. Be sure to substitute animal names more appropriate for your
community.
The game is played like this:
1. Ask for one volunteer. Have the volunteer stand in the front of the room. This
person is the baby elephant.
2. Ask for six more volunteers. These volunteers are the adult elephants. Their
job is to protect the baby elephant. They should form a circle and join hands

Part III
around the baby elephant. To show them the importance of their job, the facili-
tator should try to hit the baby elephant—you will find that the adult elephants
quickly get the point and close ranks to avoid attack. The adult elephants should
stand very close to the baby elephant.
3. Now, ask for four or five more volunteers. These people are the lions. Their job
will be to attack the baby elephant—they should try to jab, hit, kick, punch—
whatever they can do to hurt the baby elephant.
4. When the facilitator says, “Go!”, the lions should try to attack the baby elephant.
Let this go on for a few seconds—until the baby elephant has at least one contact
from the lions—but the baby elephant should not be hurt.
5. Now ask the following questions (the volunteers should stay where they are.):
• What is the baby elephant? What does the baby elephant represent?
Answer: The baby elephant is the human body.
• What are the adult elephants?
Answer: The adult elephants are the immune system. Their job is to protect
the body from invading diseases.
• So, what are the lions?
There may be a few people who say that the lions are HIV. That is not so.
Ask another person to try to tell you the meaning of the lions.
Answer: The lions stands for the diseases, illnesses and infections that at-
tack a person’s body.
6. The facilitator now very dramatically goes to each of the lion volunteers—one
by one. Say, “These diseases, such as tuberculosis (touch the first volunteer),
malaria (touch the next person), diarrhea, and cholera (touch another person)
may attack the human body but are they able to kill the human body?” The
answer should be “no.” The human body gets attacked by diseases or germs
every day, but the immune system (point to the adult elephants) manages to
fight them off and protect the body. The human body might get sick (such as
the hit or kick that the baby elephant suffered), but it does not die, because the
immune system is strong.

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The facilitator continues: “But suppose I am HIV. I come to this body (the baby
elephant), and I attack and kill the immune system.” At this point, the facilitator
should touch all but two of the adult elephant volunteers and ask them to sit
down. Touch each person as you remove them, acting as if HIV is killing the
immune system.
The facilitator continues: “Now, will the baby elephant be protected? Will the
human body be safe with the immune system gone?”
Next, the facilitator should again tell the lions to attack (touch only) on the word
“Go!” The lions are able to easily get to the baby elephant this time.
7. Summarize the idea that HIV has killed the immune system. This lack of an
immune system makes it possible for diseases like tuberculosis, diarrhea, and
so forth, to actually kill the person, rather than just make the person sick.
8. To be sure people have understood, you can ask: “Does HIV kill the person?”
They should say, “No—The diseases killed the person.” Also, ask someone to
tell you the difference between HIV and AIDS.

Evaluation (1 hour)
During the last hour, play a game where questions from this and the previous ses-
sion are written under little numbered pieces of paper taped to the board that says,
“Win the National Lottery!” (Use an appropriate title for your country.) Sample
questions might include:
1. What is the percentage of people in our country estimated to be living with
HIV?
2. What is the function of the B cell?
The group divides into three teams. Each team takes turns selecting a number and
reading the question aloud in front of the whole group. They have one minute to
confer with their team and answer the question. If they answer the question cor-
rectly they get a point. If not, the next team has a chance to answer the question
and win that point, and so on. Some numbers do not have questions but are lucky
numbers, and teams or individuals who draw them win candy, or should give a
candy to someone who has changed their attitude about AIDS. The team with the
most points wins the game and the rest of the candy. Observe which questions are
answered correctly.

Resources
For more detailed information on the immune system check:
• Website: www.aidsmap.com

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Participant Handout
Page 1 of 1

Drawings of parts of the Immune System

Part III
Macrophage (Big Eater) T4 Helper Cell — CD4 (The Captain)

T8 — CD8 Cytotoxic (Killer) Cells B Cells — the Antibody Factory

Antigen Human Immuno–Deficiency Virus (HIV)

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Facing Facts about HIV/AIDS and STDs Session Plans

Session 3:

How HIV is Transmitted

Overview
There are many ideas among the public about how HIV is transmitted. It is clear
how HIV is transmitted. In this session, participants will learn to differentiate
between the myths and facts.

Time
2 hours

Objectives
By the end of the two–hour session participants will be able to:
1. List the four main fluids that transmit HIV.
2. Describe the term “portal of entry.”
3. Distinguish between ways they can and cannot contract HIV.

Materials
Flip chart or board
Markers or chalk
Tape
Handouts: Activities that Can and Cannot Transmit HIV (each activity is a separate
card)

Delivery
Trainer note: Expect discomfort in the audience when talking about the following
topic, and acknowledge it. Lead the group through their embarrassment and agree

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that these things are sometimes very hard to talk about. It is a very important life
skill to be able to talk about sexual things clearly and openly. You may want to
brainstorm with the group about why being able to name and talk clearly about
these embarrassing things is important for everyone’s protection. Some ideas
might be to understand your own body and how it works, to be able to talk to your
children accurately about sexual matters, to be able to explain to a doctor what
you are feeling, to clearly understand what can put you at risk for HIV/AIDS and
STDs, and to talk with your friends and also your partner to make informed and
conscious decisions regarding sex.

Trainer note: You may find it helpful to begin this session with The Epidemic Game

Part III
found in Appendix IV.

I. Overview (30 minutes)

HIV can be contracted only in very specific ways. First a person must be in direct
contact with one of four main body fluids that transmit HIV. Do you know what
these are? Brainstorm with the group: List these suggestions only under a heading
“Fluids that do transmit HIV”: blood, semen, vaginal fluids, or breast milk. Write
other suggestions under the heading “Fluids that do not transmit HIV.” Say that
there are a few other fluids like amniotic fluid (that an unborn baby floats in) that
doctors or nurses or other health workers may be exposed to that could transmit HIV.
Confirm that they understand what “semen” and “vaginal secretions” are, by asking
participants what local terms are used to describe them, if it is culturally acceptable
to say those terms. Explain that in order to get infected, these fluids need a portal
of entry or a door into your body. A portal of entry is the way that HIV enters the
body. This is either through a cut, sore, or opening in the skin or through the soft
tissue called “mucous membrane” located in the vagina, the tip of the penis, the
anus, the mouth, the eyes, or the nose. The participants now can evaluate whether
any given activity can transmit HIV by:
1. Determining if one of these fluids that transmits HIV is present, “What is the
fluid?” and
2. Determining if there is a portal of entry into the body, “Where is the door?”
The most common ways of transmitting HIV are through vaginal and anal sex;
possibly oral sex; through sharing needles or other sharp equipment such as razors,
which could have another’s blood on it; through direct blood transfusions of untested
blood; or from mother to infant during pregnancy, delivery, or breastfeeding. There
is no way to catch HIV by being near a person with HIV, or by sharing their cups or
bathrooms, or by hugging them or kissing them when blood is not present. There
are no documented cases of HIV transmission through sharing toothbrushes. This
practice could only present a risk if there was blood present on the toothbrush.

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II. Activity Cards (90 minutes)

Use cards listing activities that either can or cannot transmit HIV. The facilitator
tapes the cards on the backs of participants. Participants walk around the room and
ask questions that can only be answered by “yes” or “no” to other participants in an
effort to discover the activity taped on their back. When the activity is guessed, the
participants tape the activity to their front and keep assisting others by answering
“yes” or “no” to their questions. Activities could be “being bitten by a mosquito” or
“having vaginal sex with a virgin.” Questions could be “Could this activity transmit
HIV?” or “Does this activity involve the mouth?” and so forth. When all activities
are guessed, group members stand in a circle and share their activities with each
other. They take turns taping their activities under the headlines of “Can transmit
HIV” or “Cannot transmit HIV.” If controversy occurs over the correct column, the
facilitator leads the group through reasoning by “What is the fluid?” and “Where
is the door?”

Trainer note: Depending on what community you are working with, you may en-
counter resistance to talking openly about sexual activities and seeing them printed
on people’s backs. This activity is designed to help overcome taboos about talking
about sex which exist in most cultures. Select sexual activities that are practiced in
the culture of your community. Make it clear that because a person is wearing an
activity, that does not mean that they practice it or condone its practice. Encour-
age participants to be aware that others, however, may practice those activities.
We are here to clarify how HIV is and is not transmitted and not to judge others.
There should be no resistance from participants to addressing activities that do not
transmit HIV, but the trainer should select activities that are common misconcep-
tions about HIV transmission in the community.

Evaluation
Proper placing of transmission cards will indicate the level of knowledge gained
on transmission dynamics. Also, it is important to observe the participants’ ability
to use their newly gained knowledge about fluids and portals of entry to reason out
if any particular activity can or cannot transmit HIV.

Resources
• Website: www.aidsmap.com
• Website: www.unaids.org
A number of excellent publications are available free from this website
by following the “Publications” link to “How to Order.” The following
resources are applicable to this session:

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UNAIDS KM67 School Health Education to Prevent AIDS and STD: A

Resource Package for Curriculum Planners 1999
UNAIDS KM60 AIDS and HIV Infection: Information for United Nations
Employees and their Families 1999

Part III

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Participant Cards
(each activity is a separate card)

Activities that Can Transmit HIV

• Vaginal sex
• Direct blood transfusion of untested blood
• Sharing needles
• Contact with blood of an infected person
• Breastfeeding
• Mother to infant during delivery
• Mother to infant during pregnancy
• Exchange of blood
• Contact with semen
• Contact with vaginal fluids

Activities that Cannot Transmit HIV

• Being near a person with HIV
• Sharing a drinking cup with a person with HIV
• Hugging a person with HIV
• Kissing a person with HIV when blood is not present
• Shaking hands with a person with HIV
• Proper use of a condom during sex

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Facing Facts about HIV/AIDS and STDs Session Plans

Session 4:

The Relationship of STDs and

HIV/AIDS

Part III
Overview
This session describes four major sexually transmitted diseases and their symptoms.
Participants learn the concept that early treatment of sexually transmitted diseases
can dramatically reduce the risk of infection with HIV. They have an opportunity
to role play telling a partner about STDs and why they should get treated.

Time
2 hours

Objectives
By the end of the session, participants will be able to:
1. Identify symptoms of four STDs.
2. Describe how an STD infection increases the risk of HIV transmission.
3. State why it is important to get early treatment for an STD.
4. Visit an STD treatment site before the next session.

Materials
Flip chart or board
Markers or chalk
Handouts: Common STDs Cards (each STD is a separate card) and Symptoms of
STDs Cards (each symptom is a separate card)

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Delivery
I. Overview—The Role of Sexually
Transmitted Diseases (STDs) in HIV
Transmission (15 minutes)
Having an STD is one of the most important factors in HIV transmission. It can
increase the risk of HIV transmission substantially. A recent study showed that the
presence of STDs in eastern and southern Africa was one of the two major reasons
why there was a higher incidence of AIDS in these regions of the continent.
A genital sore or ulcer as in syphilis, chancroid, or herpes expands the portal of
entry. Having a discharge, as in gonorrhea or chlamydia, means that more white
blood cells are present. Since white blood cells are hosts for HIV, it means that
more virus can be transmitted or received when the discharge is present. Quick
and proper treatment of STDs and immediate referral of partners can be important
strategies for HIV prevention. Often women do not have apparent symptoms of
sexually transmitted diseases, so check–ups and partner referrals are very impor-
tant. But men, too, may occasionally not have symptoms, even of gonorrhea; so,
it is important that the man seek treatment also if his partner is infected and avoid
blaming partners for infection.

II. The STD Game (45 minutes)

Tape the names of STDs horizontally along the top of the wall. Write popular names
of the diseases in parentheses next to the scientific names. Throw the cards with the
names of the signs and symptoms on the floor. Divide the group into four groups,
giving each one a name of one disease. Each group seeks out the cards believed to
be related to their disease and tapes them in the appropriate column on the wall.
The facilitator leads a discussion with the group to realign any misplaced cards.
(See handout, “Common STDs and Symptoms.”)

III. Discussion Questions (30 minutes)

Lead the participants in the following discussion:
1. Where do people in our community go to get treated for STDs?
2. Which of these places is the best place to get treated? Why?
3. Are people afraid to seek treatment for STDs? Why?
4. Why is it important to get treated early for an STD?
5. Why is it important that your partners get treated?
6. How can we tell someone that they have been exposed to an STD without
blaming them or getting hurt ourselves?

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IV. Role Play (30 minutes)

Have volunteers role play two situations. In the first situation, have a male partner
inform his female partner that she needs to get treated for gonorrhea because he is
having symptoms of that disease. In the second situation, have a female partner tell
her male partner that he needs to get treated for syphilis because she just learned in
her prenatal exam that she has that disease. Evaluate how the situations went. Were
they realistic? Did they achieve the desired outcome—willingness of the partner to
get tested? Did partners feel blamed? Are there other ways to reveal this news that
would have been more effective at getting the desired outcome?

Part III
V. Homework
Ask if participants have ever visited a clinic for an STD check–up. Would any
members of the group be willing to visit a clinic or STD treatment site before the
next session and report on the experience? They could evaluate the accessibility of
services, availability of medications, knowledge of STDs by provider, confidential-
ity, cleanliness, and attitudes of service providers to clients.

Evaluation
• Proper placing of STD symptom cards
• Observation of communication skills in role play
• Number of correct answers to discussion questions
• Number of participants who describe their visit to an STD clinic at follow-
ing session

Resources
Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Office of Medical Services Pre–Service Training,
Peace Corps. Available in PC Medical office.
• Website: www.unaids.org
A number of publications are available free from this website by follow-
ing the “Publications” link to “How to Order.” The following resource is
applicable to this session:
UNAIDS GPA 14 Management of Sexually Transmitted Diseases

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Participant Cards
(each std and each symptom is a separate card)

Common STDs and Symptoms

Gonorrhea Syphillis Herpes Simplex Chancroid

· Yellow–green or · Painless sore on · No cure, treatment · Painful sore on penis
white discharge from penis or vagina is medicine called or vagina
the penis or vagina Acyclovir
· Sore appears · Sore appears 3 to 5
· Burning sensation 10 to 90 days · Small painful blisters days after exposure
on urination after exposure on genitals or mouth
· Inflammation of
· Symptoms usually · Non–itching rash · Symptoms may recur lymph gland on
2 to 14 days after on body (palms and when under stress one side
exposure soles)
· Viral infection · Greatest risk factor
· Possibly no symp- · Hair loss, fever, and for HIV transmission
· Severe neurological
toms chills
damage or death to
· Possible swelling in · Possible death if newborns if exposed
area of testicles untreated in birth canal
· Possible sterility if · Possible death or
untreated bone deformation in
newborn if mother
· Possible blindness
not treated early in
in newborns if not
pregnancy
treated with drops in
eyes

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Facing Facts about HIV/AIDS and STDs Session Plans

Session 5:

Women and HIV/AIDS

Part III
Overview
Women are especially vulnerable to HIV/AIDS and need information and skills
to protect themselves and their children from infection. In this session both
biological and cultural or social factors that put women at higher risk than men are
explored. Symptoms of HIV specific to women and children are discussed, as well
as ways to reduce the risk to these two groups.

Time
2 hours

Objectives
By the end of the session, participants will be able to:
1. List five symptoms of HIV specific to women (gynecological).
2. List at least three symptoms of HIV specific to infants infected with HIV.
3. Describe the modes of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and give at least
three ways to reduce the risk of HIV transmission from mother to child.
4. Describe at least three cultural or social and three biological factors that put
woman at higher risk for HIV infection.
5. List ways in which they can help reduce the risk of HIV transmission to women
and children in their community.

Materials
Flip chart or board
Markers or chalk

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Life Skills Manual

Handouts: Symptoms of HIV Specific to Women and Children on cards (each symp-
tom on a separate card)

Women’s Symptoms:
Recurring lower abdominal pain; repeated vaginal yeast infections (white itch-
ing discharge); abnormal menstrual periods (either extremely heavy flows or
missing periods); cervical cancer; sores of unknown origin in the vagina

Infant’s Symptoms:
Failure to thrive or grow at a normal rate; enlarged liver or spleen; earaches;
repeated thrush or white spots in the mouth

Delivery
Trainer note: The following session deals with issues of female anatomy that may
be difficult for some women to talk about, and that can be embarrassing to address
when men are present. The trainer may decide to make this a women–only session.
If women are completely unfamiliar with their genital area, the facilitator may want
to use pictures or have women draw pictures of their genital area before doing the
following activities. Some women in the community, such as midwives or health
workers, may be very familiar with women’s genitalia, and it could be helpful to
have these women help facilitate this session. Stress that although these may be
embarrassing topics, knowing about our bodies helps us take care of our health
and teaches us how to better educate our female family members. In describing
symptoms, we may be using terms that seem very clinical. If appropriate, use local
language and terms to help identify these symptoms and repeatedly check to see if
the women have questions or concerns throughout the activities. Lastly, be sure to
research the latest statistics about mother-to-child transmission in your country by
checking the UNAIDS website before this session.

I. Specific Signs and Symptoms of HIV in

Women and Infants (20 minutes)
Explain to the group that infection with HIV may not cause symptoms initially.
Later symptoms of HIV infection may appear, but diagnosis of AIDS is usually
determined by a combination of opportunistic infections and symptoms. Certain
symptoms like weight loss, fever and chills, cough, and so forth may be common
symptoms of early HIV infection in men and women alike. Women and children,
however, may have specific symptoms of HIV that are unique to them. Because
these symptoms are often not listed in brochures about HIV/AIDS, women may
go for a long time without realizing that they could possibly be infected with HIV.
Although the signs and symptoms we will discuss do not necessarily mean that a
woman or infant is infected with HIV, if they are persistent it may be important to
talk to a health professional about getting a test for HIV.

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Place the cards randomly on the floor. Explain that the cards have HIV symptoms
written on them that are specific for either women or infants. Have the group orga-
nize them into two groups: those that they think are women’s symptoms and those
that they think are infants’ symptoms. Once the group has placed the cards, explain
what the symptoms are and make any necessary corrections.

II. Mother-to-Child Transmission

(40 minutes)
Ask the group if they understand how HIV can be transmitted from a woman
infected with HIV before, during, and immediately following delivery. Build on

Part III
their answers by talking about exposures in the womb, during delivery, and through
breastfeeding. Explain that the risks are highest when a woman has a high viral load,
that is, immediately following infection or when the woman is very sick with AIDS.
Remember that almost all babies born to HIV–infected mothers will test positive
at birth, but this test is looking at the mother’s antibodies, which have been passed
passively to the baby. It can take up to 18 months for the baby to lose its mother’s
antibodies, and have a negative test.
Write the following four highlighted statements on the board and have group mem-
bers read them out loud and discuss their opinions of the following suggestions for
reducing the risk of mother-to-child transmission.
• Avoid getting pregnant if you are HIV positive. Does an HIV–positive
woman have the right to choose if she wants to get pregnant? Is there stigma
associated with not bearing children? Can the baby get infected if the father
is positive but the mother is not infected? (No, as long as she is not in the
window period. See Disease Progression and Positive Behavior (Session
7 in Part III) for description of window period.)
• Breastfeed even if you are HIV positive. Who has the right to decide
whether to breastfeed or not? What are some community beliefs about
breastfeeding? Is there stigma associated with not breastfeeding one’s
infant? The facts are that breastfeeding increases the overall risk of HIV
transmission by 14 percent. When a mother is infected during the time she
is breastfeeding, the risk of transmission to the baby is even greater due to
the increased viral load in her system. But breastfeeding is very important
for a baby’s health and protects babies from other diseases. In some coun-
tries where infant mortality is high, it is suggested that a mother continue
to breastfeed even if she is positive, especially if she cannot find another
source of noncontaminated milk. What could be other sources of noncon-
taminated milk? It was also shown that if a mother decides to breastfeed
when she is HIV positive, it is better to breastfeed exclusively and only for
six months.
Also, using a condom, if having sex during the time she is breastfeeding, will
prevent more virus from entering the bloodstream and the breastmilk.

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• Have a Caesarean delivery. Studies have recently shown that Caesarean

deliveries with sterile precautions can reduce the risk of HIV transmission.
Is this a practical solution for women in your community?
• Start treatment with AZT or Nevirapine during pregnancy. This treat-
ment can drastically reduce the transmission of HIV from mother to child to
as low as eight percent. This treatment is available to some pregnant women
in some countries through clinical studies and other programs. What about
following pregnancy? What are the consequences for the woman and the
baby if the woman does not have access to drugs after pregnancy? Why
might some women not get tested even when treatment is available?

III. What Makes Women Especially

Vulnerable to HIV Infection? (40 minutes)
Hopefully before this session, participants will have had some exposure to gender
role discussions either from the Life Skills sessions or through PACA and WID/
GAD materials. More women than men are becoming infected with HIV in many
countries, and women have a greater risk than men for becoming infected with HIV
during a single sexual encounter. Women are at greater risk for biological reasons,
and because of social roles, or cultural practices.
Lead participants in brainstorming ways that women may be at greater risk biologi-
cally or socially or culturally in their communities. Write their suggestions on a flip
chart or the board.

Trainer Note: The second list below is not intended to be displayed, it is simply
provided to help you begin to think through some potential cultural or social risk
factors. An appropriate list can only be generated by the community to ensure that
it reflects the cultural or social risk factors in your local area.

Possible Biological Risk Factors:

• Women receive greater quantities of possibly infected fluids during a sexual
encounter.
• Women have a surface area of mucous membrane (portal of entry) that is
greater in size than men’s.
• Very young women have more risk of infection during sex both because the
cells in the vagina in underdeveloped women are more likely to receive the
virus, and because tearing may cause bleeding which increases the risk of
infection.
• If a woman has been circumcised or uses natural substances to dry out her
vagina, the smaller or drier area may rupture more easily during sex.

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• Because the vagina is an internal organ, women are less likely to know that
they have sores from STDs, which could facilitate HIV transmission.

Possible Cultural or Social Risk Factors:

• Taboos related to speaking about sex
• Gender roles that do not permit women to participate in sexual or reproduc-
tive decisions
• Girls’ initiation rites that could include female circumcision or young girls’
sexual initiation by an older male relative

Part III
• Men’s preference for dry sex, which can encourage women to put drying
agents in the vagina that can cause tearing
• Marriage rites that give women a property value or imply male ownership
of their wives
• Extreme poverty that encourages the exchange of sex for money, school
fees, or food
• Common myths, such as believing that a man can cure AIDS by sleeping
with a virgin or that condoms either do not work or are actually contaminated
with the virus
• Lack of female–controlled prevention methods such as microbicides

Trainer note: When discussing the above factors, it is important to be objective and
nonjudgmental. Have the group address specifically how these social or cultural
factors might affect HIV transmission. Also examine with the group if there are ways
that these cultural practices could also be turned into opportunities for reducing
the risk of HIV. For example, in countries that practice risky initiation rites, might
these be changed to include some kind of symbolic practice that represents circum-
cision? Might community health outreach efforts include education about working
with husbands to prevent HIV from entering into the family?

IV. What Can We Do? (20 minutes)

Go around the room and have participants say one thing they plan to do to help
protect themselves as women or their female partners (if men) and their unborn
children from getting infected with HIV.
If men are not in the group, it will be essential to include men in a later session
concerning this issue, since men usually have the greatest decision–making power
in the community related to reproductive health and sexual decisions. How do the
women think their partners would respond to this information? What do they think is
the best way to reach their men on this topic? Do any of the women have husbands
who would be good leaders of public opinion? What is the next step?

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Evaluation
• Correct placing of symptom cards and clarity of understanding of symptoms
in the discussion period
• Observation of discussion in second activity and ability of women to express
their own opinions publicly on the controversial topics discussed
• Identification of biological and social or cultural risk factors in the third
activity
• Number of women who come up with a concrete suggestion for preventing
HIV transmission among women and infants

Resources
• Website: www.unaids.org:
A number of excellent publications are available free from this website
by following the “Publications” link to “How to Order.” The following
resources are applicable to this session:
UNAIDS KM72: Counseling and Voluntary HIV Testing for Pregnant
Women in High HIV Prevalence Countries 1999
UNAIDS KM64: Prevention of HIV Transmission from Mother to Child:
Strategic Options 1999 (English, French, and Spanish)
UNAIDS KM50 Gender and HIV/AIDS: Taking Stock of Research and
Programmes 1999
UNAIDS KM47 AIDS 5 Years Since ICPD, Emerging Issues and Challenges
for Women, Young People, & Infants 1999
UNAIDS KM20 HIV and Infant Feeding: Guidelines for Decision–
Makers 1998
UNAIDS KM17 Facing the Challenges of HIV/AIDS/STDs:
A Gender–Based Response 1998 (English and French)
UNAIDS POV9 Women and AIDS 1997 (English, French, and Spanish)

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Facing Facts about HIV/AIDS and STDs Session Plans

Session 6:

HIV Prevention

Part III
Overview
In this session participants learn the importance of universal precautions. Since it is
impossible to determine who might be HIV positive, it is important that people protect
themselves against HIV at all times. The session also addresses the concept that
there are simple and effective ways for everyone to prevent HIV infection.

Time
2 hours

Objectives
By the end of the session, participants will be able to:
1. Define universal precautions and identify when to use them.
2. Demonstrate proper application of a condom.
3. Demonstrate refusal skills in a role play.

Materials
Flip chart or board
Markers or chalk
Gloves or plastic bags for every participant
Wooden penises or soda bottles for condom demonstrations
Condoms for every participant
Samples of female condoms, if available

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Delivery
Trainer note: You may wish to invite a nurse or doctor to conduct the section on
universal precautions. This could be a host–country national medical professional
or a Peace Corps Medical Officer.

I. Discussion on Universal Precautions

(20 minutes)
Begin by asking participants, “Who knows what the term ‘universal precautions’
means?” Universal precautions is a term usually used by health care professionals
working in hospital and clinic settings. It means that everyone “universally” should
be considered to be potentially infected with HIV. You should not decide to use
barriers for protection from infectious bodily fluids based on how sick a person may
look or how at risk they appear to be. All people, including yourself and your sexual
partner, should be considered to be potentially infected with HIV unless you have
tested negative at least three to six months after your last possible risk activity. If
you are exposed to the blood of another person, it is not necessarily helpful to test
them for HIV, since they may test negative for antibodies and still have the virus.
Therefore when handling blood or any of the fluids mentioned earlier (blood,
semen, vaginal secretions, and breast milk, as well as others that health workers
could be exposed to such as amniotic fluid, pleural fluid, cerebral spinal fluid, or
synovial fluid), you must create a barrier between the fluid and the portals of entry
mentioned. (Review How HIV is Transmitted (Session 3 in Part III) if necessary.)
Proper disposal of the barrier, such as gloves, is also important, as is hand washing
after the event. These precautions also protect you from hepatitis B, which is much
more infectious than HIV.
This means that when you are dealing with any of the above fluids:
• Use latex gloves or plastic barriers if gloves are not available.
• Clean up blood spills immediately using gloves or plastic barriers and wipe
with a bleach or water solution; then, dispose of soiled items in plastic
bags.
• Put used injection needles in puncture–proof containers. Do not recap
needles, as this is the most common way that health care workers have
infected themselves.
• If a person you are working with begins to bleed, hand them a cloth to stop
the bleeding themselves until a medical person arrives.
• If working in a situation where blood could be splattered in your face, such
as helping with a delivery, cover your eyes with glasses and your nose and
mouth with a mask, if possible. Wash your hands.
• At your school or worksite, keep a first–aid kit with gloves and bandages
and antiseptic available.

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• If you do become exposed, contact a medical officer immediately for pos-

sible prophylactic treatment. Be sure not to treat the person whose blood
you may have touched only as a possible infector, but show concern for
their health as well by offering information and possible testing.

II. The Glove Game (15 minutes)

Give each participant one glove or plastic bag to place on one hand. Call out different
situations that would either require use of a barrier or not. Have participants raise
their gloved hand if the activity requires universal precautions or the bare hand if
it does not. Sample situations might include:

Part III
• When dressing the bleeding wound of a young student (glove)
• When shaking hands with a person you know to be sick with AIDS (bare)
• When cleaning bloody mucus from the mouth of a TB patient (glove), and
so on

III. Condom Demonstration (40 minutes)

Since HIV is usually transmitted through sex, not having sex is a good way to prevent
HIV transmission. If someone has sex, latex condoms are a good barrier to protect
one from coming in contact with the fluids we talked about. Ask the group if anyone
has seen condoms. What do they think about them? Let them express their dislike,
fears, incorrect information and discomfort openly. Tell them that condoms are not
100 percent effective, usually because they are not used consistently or correctly.
But in studies done with couples where one partner is infected and the other is not,
and where partners used the condom consistently and correctly, the other partner
did not get infected.
Do a demonstration with a penis model, bottle, or other object in front of the group,
or ask a participant to do a demonstration and talk through the important steps to
keep a condom from breaking:
1. Check the expiration date.
2. Check that the condom has not been left too long in the sun by making sure
there is an air pocket in the wrapper.
3. Open the package carefully.
4. Find out which way the condom rolls out.
5. Pinch the tip of the condom to prevent air being trapped.
6. To increase sensation for the man, add a drop of water–based lubricant (not any
oil product) inside the unrolled condom as you are pinching it.
7. Roll the condom gently down to the base of the erect penis.

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8. Withdraw before the erection is completely gone and remove the condom care-
fully, tying it off so that the fluid does not spill.

Trainer note: If you have a safe environment in the room and a sufficiently mature
audience, it is good to have pairs in the class practice putting the condom on a
bottle or wooden object by themselves while the partner observes and clarifies the
steps. Emphasize to the group that working with condoms will help overcome embar-
rassment and make them more effective peer educators or health trainers. Doing
condom demonstrations in educational settings has never been shown to increase
or promote earlier sexual activity among young non–sexually–active people.
If female condoms are available in your community, demonstrate how one is used.
Talk about the advantages of a woman–controlled prevention method—a product
that covers a wider surface area, and one that is made of a sturdier product than
latex and will not break if oil–based lubricants are applied. Negative factors in-
clude lack of availability, cost, and awkwardness of application. Many women who
have tried female condoms have liked them once they got used to them. If you have
married people in your group, you may want some couples to experiment with a
female condom three times and report back to the group. You may wish to do some
research about the availability and cost of female condoms in your area before
encouraging their use.
Additional session ideas regarding condom use can be found in the Appendix.

IV. Role Play Refusal Skills (40 minutes)

Have volunteer participants role play at least two scenarios in front of the group.
The participants may create the situations themselves. Examples would be:
1. A young girl is being pressured to have sex by an older man who will buy her
a gift. The girl is refusing to have sex with him.
2. A woman wants her husband to use a condom until he sees a doctor because he
has been complaining that it burns when he urinates. She refuses to have sex
with him unless he uses a condom.
Discuss whether the role plays were realistic. Did the outcomes protect the partners
from infection or not? What else could the person say that might be effective in
these situations?

V. Evaluation (5 minutes)
Have participants state one new thing they learned during the session and one thing
they plan to do protect themselves or their family from contracting HIV. (Examples
could be talking to partner or family member about HIV, making a first–aid kit to
have at their worksite, getting an HIV test or an STD check–up, trying a female or
male condom with their partner, refusing to have sex with partner who is not willing
to use protection.) At the next sessions, ask who has taken some action to help protect
themselves or their families from contracting HIV. What were their experiences?

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Evaluation
• Accuracy of selection of gloved hand for universal precautions
• Observation of correct steps in condom demonstrations
• Observation of negotiation skills used in role plays

Resources
Contact Peace Corps Medical Officers (PCMOs), local clinics, condom vendors,
and local Population Services International (PSI) representatives.

Part III
• Website: www.unaids.org
A number of excellent publications are available free from this website
by following the “Publications” link to “How to Order.” The following
resources are applicable to this session:
UNAIDS: GPA 21 Report of the Consultation on Action to be Taken after
Occupational Exposure of Health Care Workers to HIV (English and
French)
UNAIDS: GPA 10 Guide to Adapting Instructions on Condom Use (English
and French)
UNAIDS: GPA 45 Condom Promotion for AIDS Prevention—A Guide for
Policymakers, Managers, and Communicators
UNAIDS: P.V 7 The Female Condom: Point of View 1998

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Facing Facts about HIV/AIDS and STDs Session Plans

Session 7:

Disease Progression and

Positive Behaviors

Overview
The time it takes for HIV to lead to AIDS can vary greatly and our health be-
haviors can affect this time period. There is a pattern to disease progression and
the presence of co–factors can increase the speed of progression.

Time
2 hours

Objectives
By the end of the session, the majority of the participants will be able to:
1. Define the terms: window period, incubation period, and honeymoon period.
Explain what they have to do with HIV disease progression.
2. List at least three symptoms of early HIV infection and four infections common
to people with AIDS.
3. Explain the meaning of the term “co–factor” and give at least three examples
of co–factors.

Materials
Flip charts or board
Markers or chalk
A large rope
Two different colored tapes or chalks

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Handouts: Early Symptoms of HIV, Disease Progression Diagram, and Opportu-

nistic Infections and Cancers on cards. (Put each symptom of HIV, opportunistic
infection, or cancer on a separate card.)
Early symptoms of HIV:
weight loss, cough, chronic diarrhea, yeast infections, fever, chills
Opportunistic infections and cancers:
tuberculosis (TB), pneumonia, shingles, Kaposi sarcoma, cervical
cancer, toxoplasmosis

Part III
Trainer note: Be sure to list the opportunistic infections most common in
your area.

Delivery
I. Overview (10 minutes)
Many people infected with HIV have lived for years before developing AIDS. In
a study where over 500 HIV–positive individuals were followed for 14 years, 32
percent did not develop AIDS during that time, and nine percent were symptom
free. There are many things people can do to live longer and feel better even when
they are infected with HIV. There are also many behaviors and other factors which
can speed up the time it takes from the time when someone is infected with HIV
until he or she gets sick with AIDS. These are called co–factors.

II. Disease Progression (30 minutes)

Trainer note: Describe the steps in disease progression without using the diagram,
as the development and use of it are in step III.

There are three major periods of HIV infection:

Window period
The time between infection and when a person develops enough antibodies to show
up positive on the HIV test—usually between two weeks and three to six months. At
this time, a person has a high viral load and is very infectious because no antibodies
are controlling the virus. The person’s test is still negative at this time because the
test detects antibodies, not the virus.

Incubation period
The time between infection and the development of disease symptoms associated
with AIDS. This could take many years. Some people infected over 15 years ago
have still not progressed to AIDS.

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Honeymoon period
This is the time between the end of the window period and the end of the incubation
period. It is called the honeymoon period because the persons are living in relative
harmony with their virus. They may have a few minor symptoms, but usually do not
look sick. During this time, their antibody load is high, and their viral load is low.
Although they can still pass the virus to others through sex, they are less infectious.
During this time, pregnant women have less chance of passing HIV to their babies,
either during delivery or through breastfeeding.

III. Creating a Disease Progression Diagram

(30 minutes)
Either on the wall or on the floor with colored tape, convene the participants in a
circle and have them help create the disease progression diagram by talking them
through the steps. Then distribute the cards with names of early symptoms and op-
portunistic infections and have the group place them along the timeline. Ask them
how a person could find out if he or she really had HIV or another disease; talk about
the symptoms of the opportunistic infections; and ask them if there are treatments
at their local hospital or health clinic to treat the symptoms or the diseases listed.
As an out–of–session assignment, two of the students could visit a local hospital to
find out what treatments are available and report back to the group.

IV. Co–Factor Brainstorming (30 minutes)

What are some of the co–factors that could make a person already infected with
HIV get sick faster? Elicit responses such as:
• Not eating healthy foods
• Not getting enough rest
• Smoking, drinking alcohol, or using drugs, which weakens the immune
system
• Getting re–infected with more HIV by having sex without a condom with
an infected partner
• Not preventing or treating other diseases as early as possible, such as TB
or STDs
• Feeling stressed or anxious, such as when one feels all alone and guilty and
has no one to support him or her

V. Co–Factor Tug–of–War (30 minutes)

Bring out a large tug-of-war rope. Have each member of the group call out one
co–factor that can speed up progression of the disease or something positive someone
can do to prevent progression of the disease. Help the group think of many posi-
tive things they can do for their physical, emotional, and spiritual health. Students
take their position on the positive or negative end of the rope and play tug of war

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to see if the positive behaviors can pull down the co–factors. After the tug of war
ask the participants if and why they think it might be important to find out early if
they are infected with HIV. Do they know where they can get tested and counseled?
Consider conducting a future field visit to this site and offering the experience of
getting tested as an alternate activity.

Trainer Note: An alternative is to use the Bridge Model to build a bridge to a longer
and healthier life through positive behaviors, even while infected with HIV.

Evaluation

Part III
• Observation of participants’ ability to create disease progression chart
• Correct placement of symptom cards on the time line
• Ability to list co–factors in the tug–of–war game

Resources
• Website: www.projinf.org
Opportunistic Infection Table
• Website: www.unaids.org
A number of excellent publications are available free from this website
by following the “Publications” link to “How to Order.” The following
resources are applicable to this session:
UNAIDS TU8 HIV–Related Opportunistic Diseases: Technical Update 1998
(in English, French, and Spanish)
UNAIDS: POV8 Tuberculosis and AIDS 1997 (in English, French,
and Spanish)

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Participant Handout
Page 1 of 1

Disease Progression Diagram

AIDS

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Facing Facts about HIV/AIDS and STDs Session Plans

Session 8:

Cure or Treatment?

Part III
Overview
There are mistaken beliefs that some people have been cured of HIV/AIDS, and that
wealthy people or countries are the only ones who can get treatments. This session
addresses these ideas and emphasizes the concept that although there is no cure for
AIDS, there are many treatments available. The cycle of well–being is explored
and activities within each sector are explored for people with HIV/AIDS.

Time
2 hours

Objectives
By the end of the session, participants will be able to:
1. Agree that there are ways to treat HIV when expensive drugs are not available
and that it is important to find out early if you are infected.
2. Distinguish between “cure” and “treatment” and give at least five examples of
treatment strategies available in the community.

Materials
At least 30 pieces of paper—3”x 8”
Colored markers
Tape
Handout: Components of Well–Being
Flip chart: Components of Well–Being (only the center circle of the diagram)

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Delivery
I. Overview (20 minutes)
What is the difference between a treatment and a cure? Has anyone in the group
heard of anyone in their community or in the world being cured of AIDS? What do
they think this means?
A “cure” means that the germ that causes a disease has been completely killed or
eliminated from the body and will not return unless a person is re–infected. “Treat-
ment” means use of a drug, injection, or intervention that can cause the symptoms to
become less painful or pronounced or cause them to disappear altogether. A treatment
may not always lead to a cure, however, because in some cases symptoms may be
“dormant” (asleep), but the antigen is still in the body and the symptoms may recur
at a later date without re–infection. Bacteria can usually be cured, while viruses
(such as the cold virus, herpes, or HIV) are missing some basic genetic material
(such as RNA or DNA) and they must use this genetic material from our cells to
survive. Therefore, we cannot kill the virus without killing the cell. In other words
treatment but not cure is possible.
Some say that people have been cured of HIV because HIV can no longer be de-
tected in their blood. The viral load could be so low that it cannot be picked up
on a laboratory test. In fact, their viral load is so low due to the medicines they
are taking, but the virus could be reproducing in their bone marrow. Many people
who have taken medications have had undetectable levels of virus, but later their
viral load has risen. People could also be so sick that they no longer have enough
antibodies to be detected on an antibody test. Perhaps you have heard of stories in
your country where someone who was previously known to have had a positive
test for HIV became very sick, but then they were said to be cured of AIDS because
their antibody test was no longer positive. They still have the virus but no longer
can produce antibodies.

An Expanded Understanding of the Meaning of

“Treatment”
If we look at health in a broader sense, our physical health is only one component
of our total well–being and is influenced by the other components. “Treatment” in
its broadest sense can mean any intervention that helps improve any aspect of our
well–being. There are many strategies we can use to prolong our life and improve
its quality even if we are infected with HIV. This concept is very important, espe-
cially for those struggling to cope with HIV without access to anti-retroviral therapy.
Although we should still struggle to create access to new anti–retroviral treatments
for everyone in the world, there are still many forms of treatment that are currently
available to everyone.

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II. Well–Being Sectors (20 minutes)

Ask the group to describe what each sector of the well–being chart means to them.
What are examples of elements of each section? Help elicit responses similar to
those below. Which sections of the circle do they see as being the most important
for maintaining and restoring their health? Who are people in the community who
help to support their well–being in different sectors?
• General Health Maintenance: nutrition, rest, exercise, avoiding infections,
avoiding drugs and alcohol. Studies have shown that these things strengthen
our immune system.

Part III
• Psychological well–being: having a positive attitude, building self–esteem,
counseling, reducing stress.
• Spiritual well–being: having faith or a belief system, prayer, or meditation.
• Social well–being: having spousal or family support, peer support, a social
system that protects one from discrimination, continuing productive work
or advocacy. Studies have shown that women with breast cancer who were
involved in support groups lived twice as long as those who were not.
• Physical well–being: at least three types of medical interventions
1. Treatments to strengthen the immune system which could include traditional
remedies like herbs and acupuncture, and so forth.
2. Treatment to prevent or alleviate symptoms and cure opportunistic infec-
tions like TB, pneumonia, diarrhea, skin conditions, and so forth.
3. Anti–retroviral therapy and protease inhibitors such as AZT, D4T, Indinavir,
Nevirapine often not available in some countries except for treatments to
reduce risk of mother-to-child transmission.

III. Creating a Holistic Treatment Plan

(45 minutes)
Divide group into five subgroups, and have each group represent one of the aspects
of well–being. Each group writes in large letters on 3”x 8” paper activities within
their sector they could do to improve the health status of someone living with HIV/
AIDS. Group members tape their plan around the outer rim of the diagram on the
wall. Groups take turns explaining their treatment plan to the whole group.

Evaluation (15 minutes)

Ask for a show of hands of how many believe that treatments for HIV are available
to people in their community. Discuss what they are and where they are available.
Ask for a show of hands of how many think it would be a good idea to find out early
if you had HIV. Lead a discussion about the reasons why this might be true.

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Resources
• Website: www.projinf.org (for Treatment Information)

Pages 93–97 adapted with permission from “Strategies for Survival” by Ruth Mota, in AIDS in the
World II, edited by Jonathan Mann and Daniel Tarantola 1996

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Participant Handout
Page 1 of 1

Creating aTreatment Plan

for the Whole Person

Part III
• Good Nutrition
• Rest and relaxation
• Exercise • Faith
• Avoid smoking, drugs, • Meditation
alcohol • Belief system
• Avoid STDs, re–infection
with HIV

General Spiritual
Well–being Well–being

• Spousal support
• Counseling Psychological Social • Extended family
• Positive attitudes Well­–being Well–being support
• Stress reduction • Peer support
• Interpersonal • Productive work
skills–building Physical • Advocacy work
• Self–esteem building • Protection from
Well–being
discrimination

• Immune system enhancers

• Traditional herbs, acupuncture
• Treatment of opportunistic infections (TB,
Pneumonia, diarrhea, fever)
• Treatment with anti–virals and protease
inhibitors (AZT, DDI, Indinavir, etc.)

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Facing Facts about HIV/AIDS and STDs Session Plans

Session 9:

HIV/AIDS and Human Rights

Overview
This session explores the concept that protecting the human rights of people liv-
ing with HIV/AIDS not only helps them to live positive and productive lives,
but also helps to prevent HIV transmission.

Time
2 hours

Objectives
By the end of the session, participants will be able to:
1. List at least five human rights of people living with HIV.
2. Identify a link between the protection of human rights for people living with
HIV and the prevention of infection.
3. Define what it means to live positively with HIV/AIDS.
4. Describe how participants’ attitudes towards People Living with HIV/AIDS
have changed after the session.

Materials
Five small pieces of paper for each participant
Pencils
A basket for collection of papers
Water for the speaker
Tissues
Handout: Excerpts from HIV/AIDS and Human Rights International Guidelines,
United Nations, 1998

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Preparation
A few weeks before this session, visit local organizations of People Living with
HIV/AIDS and find out if they have a speakers’ component. Get to know their
philosophy and experience related to public speaking on personal experiences of
living with HIV/AIDS. Talk to speakers; explain your purpose; and select the best
speaker for your presentation on human rights. Offer a stipend or meal, along with
transportation to the session.

Trainer note: Many HIV support groups now have people living with HIV who are
willing to educate groups about HIV/AIDS by sharing their personal experience

Part III
with the disease. The group should be prepared ahead of time for this visit, and the
facilitator should check with the speaker what types of questions they are comfortable
answering. Sample questions could relate to the human rights theme. What made
the speaker decide to speak publicly about his or her HIV infection? Has he or she
experienced any discrimination? What have been the advantages to speaking out?
The group should make a pact of confidentiality related to the speaker’s comments.
It is important to select a speaker who is honest, prepared, and eager to speak with
groups, and who can model what it means to live positively with HIV. This can be a
transformational moment in changing stereotypes about the disease and breaking
through denial about personal risk factors.

Use the HIV/AIDS and Human Rights International Guidelines (pages 101-103) as
a background for the discussion in Activity I.

Delivery
I. Discussion of Human Rights (20 minutes)
Ask the group what the term “human rights” means to them. What human rights do
they have? Brainstorm with the group what they consider to be basic human rights for
all people regardless of their health status. Ideas might include the right to medical
care, employment, housing, education, reproductive rights, and so forth.

II. Losing Our Rights (40 minutes)

Give each participant five small pieces of paper and have them write down five rights
that are important to them, one on each piece of paper. Then have them hold the pa-
pers up like a hand of cards. The facilitator walks around the room with a basket and
randomly takes slips of paper from the participants putting them in the basket. You
may skip some participants altogether and take all five from another. Then process
with the group what rights they lost, and how that made them feel. How did they feel
about the injustice of the selection process? If they thought they might be infected with
HIV and they knew that they would probably suffer discrimination would they want
to get tested? If they knew they were positive for HIV would they tell their partner or
potential partner? If not, could this affect transmission of HIV in our community?

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Trainer note: An alternative to this exercise is The Loss Exercise in

Appendix IV.

III. Interacting with a Person Living with

HIV/AIDS (60 minutes)
Spend an hour in a dialogue between group members and a person living with HIV
or AIDS regarding how this disease has affected his or her life.

Evaluation (Homework)
Have students either write an essay about what they learned from the experience or
write a letter to the visitor thanking him or her and saying how the speaker’s talk influ-
enced their views towards people living with HIV and/or affected their behavior.

Resources
• Website: www.unaids.org:
A number of excellent publications are available free from this website by
following the “Publications” link to “How to Order.” The following resource
is applicable to this session.
UNAIDS KM 21 HIV/AIDS and Human Rights: International Guidelines,
Joint publication of UNAIDS and the United Nations, 1998
• List of local associations of People Living with HIV/AIDS in your country.

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Participant Handout
Page 1 of 3

Excerpts from HIV/AIDS and Human Rights International Guidelines, United Nations, 1998
III. International human rights obligations and HIV/AIDS
Introduction: HIV/AIDS, human rights and public health
72. Several years of experience in addressing the HIV/AIDS epidemic have confirmed that the promo-
tion and protection of human rights constitute an essential component in preventing transmission of HIV
and reducing the impact of HIV/AIDS. The protection and promotion of human rights are necessary both to

Part III
the protection of the inherent dignity of persons affected by HIV/AIDS and to the achievement of the public
health goals of reducing vulnerability to HIV infection, lessening the adverse impact of HIV/AIDS on those
affected and empowering individuals and communities to respond to HIV/AIDS.
73. In general, human rights and public health share the common objective to promote and to protect the
rights and well–being of all individuals. From the human rights perspective, this can best be accomplished
by promoting and protecting the rights and dignity of everyone, with special emphasis on those who are
discriminated against or whose rights are otherwise interfered with. Similarly, public health objectives can
best be accomplished by promoting health for all, with special emphasis on those who are vulnerable to
threats to their physical, mental or social well–being. Thus, health and human rights complement and mu-
tually reinforce each other in any context. They also complement and mutually reinforce each other in the
context of HIV/AIDS.
74. One aspect of the interdependence of human rights and public health is demonstrated by studies show-
ing that HIV prevention and care programmes with coercive or punitive features result in reduced participa-
tion and increased alienation of those at risk of infection.15 In particular, people will not seek HIV–related
counselling, testing, treatment and support if this would mean facing discrimination, lack of confidentiality
and other negative consequences. Therefore, it is evident that coercive public health measures drive away
the people most in need of such services and fail to achieve their public health goals of prevention through
behavioural change, care and health support.
75. Another aspect of the linkage between the protection of human rights and effective HIV/AIDS pro-
grammes is apparent in the fact that the incidence or spread of HIV/AIDS is disproportionately high among
some populations. Depending on the nature of the epidemic and the legal, social and economic conditions
in each country, groups that may be disproportionately affected include women, children, those living in
poverty, minorities, indigenous people, migrants, refugees and internally displaced persons, people with dis-
abilities, prisoners, sex workers, men having sex with men and injecting drug users—that is to say groups
who already suffer from a lack of human rights protection and from discrimination and/or are marginalized
by their legal status. Lack of human rights protection disempowers these groups to avoid infection and to
cope with HIV/AIDS, if affected by it.16
76. Furthermore, there is growing international consensus that a broadly based, inclusive response, involv-
ing people living with HIV/AIDS in all its aspects, is a main feature of successful HIV/AIDS programmes.
Another essential component of a comprehensive response is the facilitation and creation of a supportive
legal and ethical environment which is protective of human rights. This requires measures to ensure that
Governments, communities and individuals respect human rights and human dignity and act in a spirit of
tolerance, compassion and solidarity.

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Participant Handout
Page 2 of 3

77. One essential lesson learned from the HIV/AIDS epidemic is that universally recognized human
rights standards should guide policy makers in formulating the direction and content of HIV–related policy
and form an integral part of all aspects of national and local responses to HIV/AIDS.
A. Human rights standards and the nature of State obligations
78. The Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, adopted at the World Conference on Human
Rights in June 1993,17 affirmed that all human rights are universal, indivisible, interdependent and inter-
related. While the significance of national and regional particularities and various historical, cultural and
religious backgrounds must be borne in mind, States have the duty, regardless of their political, economic
and cultural systems, to promote and protect universal human rights standards and fundamental freedoms.
79. A human rights approach to HIV/AIDS is, therefore, based on these State obligations with regard to
human rights protection. HIV/AIDS demonstrates the indivisibility of human rights since the realization of
economic, social and cultural rights, as well as civil and political rights, is essential to an effective response.
Furthermore, a rights–based approach to HIV/AIDS is grounded in concepts of human dignity and equality
which can be found in all cultures and traditions.
80. The key human rights principles which are essential to effective State responses to HIV/AIDS are
to be found in existing international instruments, such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the
International Covenants on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and on Civil and Political Rights, the
International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel,
Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and the Convention of the Rights of the Child. Regional
instruments, namely the American Convention on Human Rights, the European Convention for the Protection
of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights also
enshrine State obligations applicable to HIV/AIDS. In addition, a number of conventions and recommenda-
tions of the International Labour Organization are particularly relevant to the problem of HIV/AIDS, such
as ILO instruments concerning discrimination in employment and occupation, termination of employment,
protection of workers’ privacy, and safety and health at work. Among the human rights principles relevant
to HIV/AIDS are, inter alia:
The right to non–discrimination, equal protection and equality before the law;
The right to life;
The right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health;
The right to liberty and security of person;
The right to freedom of movement;
The right to seek and enjoy asylum;
The right to privacy;
The right to freedom of opinion and expression and the right to freely receive and impart information;
The right to freedom of association;

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Participant Handout
Page 3 of 3

The right to work;

The right to marry and found a family;
The right to equal access to education;
The right to an adequate standard of living;

Part III
The right to social security, assistance and welfare;
The right to share in scientific advancement and its benefits;
The right to participate in public and cultural life;
The right to be free from torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
81. Particular attention should be paid to human rights of children and women.

J. Dwyer, “Legislating AIDS Away: The Limited Role of Legal Persuasion in Minimizing the Spread of HIV”, in 9 Journal of
15

Contemporary Health Law and Policy 167 (1993).

16
For the purposes of these Guidelines, these groups will be referred to as “vulnerable” groups although it is recognized that the
degree and source of vulnerability of these groups vary widely within countries and across regions.
17
A/CONF.157/24 (Part I), chap. III.

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Facing Facts about HIV/AIDS and STDs Session Plans

Session 10:

HIV/AIDS and Behavior Change

Overview
In this session, participants work to apply what they have learned in previous ses-
sions. Through a case study they explore the concept that knowledge, attitudes,
and skills need to be used together to help people practice behaviors that reduce
risks for HIV and lead to healthier lives.

Time
2 hours

Objectives
By the end of the session, participants will be able to:
1. List at least three principles that influence behavior change.
2. Design a behavioral change intervention plan for a family affected by AIDS.

Materials
Flip chart paper
Markers
Tape
Handouts: Family Exercise: (Group 1 through Group 5) and Principles of Behavior
Change (pages 10–12)

Delivery
I. Overview (5 minutes)
Facilitator discusses with the group how difficult it is to change behavior. No one
can really change the behavior of another person, and changing our own behavior is

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a slow process, often marked by many relapses. Although information is important

for us to form opinions, it alone will not lead to behavior change. To move from
information to adopting new behaviors, we must re–examine our attitudes and de-
velop new skills. It is for this reason that the skills–building exercises in this Life
Skills Manual are so important.

II. Personal Counseling for Behavior

Change (30 minutes)
Have participants pair up. One person will describe either a health behavior they
have changed or a health behavior they have not changed but know they ought to

Part III
change. The listener establishes a pact of confidentiality around the content and
draws the speaker out either as to what helped change his or her behavior or what
impeded the behavior change. Preferably, they will discuss a behavior they have
been working on related to HIV/AIDS as a result of the previous sessions. After 15
minutes the facilitator will ask participants to report to the group the factors that
helped change behavior and those factors that blocked change. Write down the
factors on a large sheet in front of the group. If time permits, reverse roles so each
person gets to describe a health behavior they are trying to change.

III. Discussion (15 minutes)

Compare what participants listed with the Principles of Behavior Change list by
Thomas Coates (pages 10–12). Then lead the group in the following activity.

IV. Family Exercise (1 hour, 15 minutes)

Facilitator states that a family has been informed by a doctor that their 18–month–old
daughter died of AIDS. Participants now divide into five groups. Each group takes
35 minutes to strategize interventions for a different family member. Have one
member of each group take on the role of the particular family member in order to
get a deeper understanding of the person’s issues.
Each group will report their plan to the large group. (If they have been introduced
to the Bridge Model, have them relate their plan to the model.) After all of the
presentations, discuss the importance of families knowing about HIV/AIDS trans-
mission and treatment.

Evaluation
• Group list of behavior change principles that compares favorably with the
Behavior Change Principles.
• Group’s ability to build a bridge to a healthier life for the family members using
knowledge, attitudes, skills, and behavior they intend to change as a result of
the sessions. In six months, follow up on their behavior change plans.

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Participant Handout
Page 1 of 2

Family Exercise
Group 1
The 45–year–old father of the family is feeling very ill and has been unable to work for two
months. He has fever, chills, and weight loss, and a cough that is beginning to produce blood.
He has taken some herbal remedies, but does not want to go to the hospital. He does not believe
the doctor’s story that his child died of AIDS.
Draft an action plan for the father. Select at least one behavioral change that you believe would
be important to improve the health of the father. List possible alternative options that would
improve his health.

Group 2
The 35–year–old mother is tired. She is experiencing lower abdominal pain and chronic vagi-
nal yeast infections. She has just learned that she is pregnant again. She is grief–stricken over
the death of her child and feels that it is her fault that her baby died. She is very worried about
everyone in the family.
Draft a strategy with the mother for an action plan to deal with her situation.

Group 3
The 17–year–old son is not in school, but he knows that people can get AIDS from sex. Because
his father is sick and his mother is busy caring for the rest of the family, he spends lots of time
with his friends on the streets. He is good–looking and has many girlfriends, and sometimes has
had sex with commercial sex workers after drinking with his friends.
Design an action plan for the son that focuses on behaviors you think are important for him to
address. Discuss options with him for addressing those behaviors.

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Participant Handout
Page 2 of 2

Family Exercise
Group 4
The 11–year–old daughter in the family is frightened by what is happening at home and does not
understand why her baby sister died, or why her father is so sick. Because her father is no longer
working, she does not have money to buy clothes or books. A kind man has offered to buy these

Part III
things for her if she will be sweet to him.
Strategize an intervention plan for the daughter.

Group 5
The 65–year–old grandmother is worried. She has just lost her baby granddaughter and she is worried
that she will soon lose her son. Her daughter–in–law has been looking sick lately, too, and people
in the community are saying it might be AIDS. She has watched a number of her friends take over
care of the family after the deaths of their sons and daughters, and she just doesn’t know what she
will do to care for her grandchildren if their parents die. She is a frail old woman—where will she
find any support?
Strategize an intervention plan for the grandmother.

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Part IV:
Communication Skills

Part IV

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Communication Skills Sessions

Session 1:

Communication Puzzle

Overview
This session is useful as an introduction to the idea of good communication. After this
session, the group can move on to exercises that practice the good communication
skills they have discussed.

Part IV
Time
1 hour, 30 minutes

Objectives
By the end of the session, participants will be able to:
1. List barriers to good communication.
2. Identify good communication skills.

Materials
One puzzle (cut up into five puzzle pieces) in an envelope for each participant
Flip chart or board
Markers or chalk
Flip charts with titles: First Round, Second Round, Third Round, Good
Communication Skills
Handout: Communication Puzzle (complete)

Preparation
Prepare one puzzle in an envelope for each participant before the start of the session.
(If supplies are a problem, participants can use paper and pencil and draw the puzzle
each time.)

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Delivery
I. Introduction (5 minutes)
Refer the group to the Bridge Model and briefly review it. Suggest that Communi-
cation Skills are perhaps the most important of all. As such, it is important to begin
the program by taking a closer look at barriers to good communication and to think
about some of the steps to good communication. Ask for one volunteer from the
group. Ask that volunteer to leave the room–you will join him or her outside in a
few moments.
Now, instruct all participants to remove everything from their desk or their area.
They do not need to have anything in front of them at all. Give one envelope to each
participant. Instruct everyone not to open the envelope or even look at it. They are
asked just to place it in front of them and await further instructions.
Explain that they will get three chances to assemble the puzzle correctly.

II. First Round (10 minutes)

Instructions to the Participants:

• Do not take the pieces out of the envelope until the volunteer tells you to do so.
• Under no circumstances are you to look at someone else’s puzzle.
• Absolutely no talking is permitted. There can be no questions.
• Wait for the volunteer to give instructions. Follow the instructions step–by–
step.
• After the volunteer is finished, we will check each puzzle for a winner before
going on to the second round.

Instructions to the Volunteer:

Prepare the volunteer outside the room. Instruct him or her in the following:
• Give the volunteer a copy of the puzzle sheet. Tell him or her to make sure that
the participants cannot see the puzzle sheet.
• Explain that each participant has pieces of the puzzle in the envelope. The volun-
teer is to go inside and explain step–by–step how to put together the puzzle.
• Emphasize that under no circumstances should the volunteer entertain any
questions. There should be absolute silence from the participants. If a question
is asked, the volunteer should ignore it completely and continue.
• Ask the volunteer to stand with his or her back to the group while providing
instructions on how to complete the puzzle.

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Guide the volunteer into the room, make sure his or her back is to the group, and
wait while he or she gives the instructions. When he or she has finished, walk with
the volunteer around the room to see if anyone has completed the puzzle correctly.
In all likelihood, no one has done so. Ask the volunteer to leave the room and await
your further instructions. (If by chance a participant has managed to do the puzzle
correctly, congratulate him or her and remove the participant and the puzzle from
the larger group.)

III. Second Round (10 minutes)

Instructions to the Participants:

• The instructions for the Second Round are basically the same. Ask that the
participants follow the volunteer’s instructions without looking around them.
They should do their best to complete the puzzle.
• This time, however, the participants are permitted to ask questions and to speak.
They should feel free to ask questions.

Part IV
Instructions to the Volunteer:
Trainer’s note: The instructions for this round are crucial. It is important to ensure
that the volunteer understands not to answer questions.

• This time, the volunteer is permitted to face the group.

• Tell the volunteer that under no circumstances are the participants permitted to
ask any questions. No matter what questions are asked or comments are made,
the volunteer should continue without stopping. This is crucial to the success
of the exercise. Make sure that the volunteer understands that he or she is not
to respond to anything that the group says.
Guide the volunteer back into the room. After the volunteer provides directions to
the group, walk around the room with the volunteer to see if anyone has done the
puzzle perfectly. Then escort the volunteer out of the room.
At this point, many of the participants will be frustrated or annoyed. This is part of
the idea. Do not discuss how they feel or entertain any questions. Just continue with
the final round of the exercise. Explain that this is their final chance to complete
the puzzle.

IV. Third Round (15–20 minutes)

Instructions to the Participants:

• This time, the participants should feel completely free. They may ask any ques-
tions; they may look at the puzzles around them. They should do whatever they
need to do to ensure that the puzzle is completed correctly.

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Instructions to the Volunteer:

• This time, the volunteer can feel completely free. He or she may move freely
around the room. He or she may answer all questions, provide examples, and
offer words of encouragement—whatever it takes to ensure that each and every
participant successfully completes the puzzle.

V. Processing the Exercise (Approximately

45 minutes)
It is very important to process this exercise well. First of all, thank the volunteer for
a job well done. Participants might be angry with the volunteer. Remind participants
that the volunteer was following specific instructions.
Reveal the flip chart labeled First Round. Ask the participants to tell you about
some of the problems that came up during the first round. Why was it difficult to
complete the puzzle? What was good about this round? Frustrating? What would
have made it easier to complete the puzzle? How did they feel during this round?
Be sure to check in with the volunteer to see how he or she was feeling during this
round. Ideas might include:
• No way to communicate
• Volunteer not even facing us or looking at us
• No eye contact or encouragement
• Went too fast or did not realize we were not getting the puzzle
• Did not understand any of his or her instructions
Next, unveil the flip chart labeled Second Round. Ask guiding questions about the
second attempt. How was it better this time? Was anything improved? What were the
frustrations? Many of the participants may be angry or frustrated that the volunteer
ignored them during this part of the exercise. What were the feelings associated
with being ignored by the speaker? What does this mean for communication skills?
Remember to check in with the volunteer and to see how he or she processed this
experience. Some ideas generated by the group might be:
• Asked questions, but was ignored
• Volunteer was not helping us
• We could see his or her face this time, and that helped sometimes
• He or she slowed down because it was clear we were not getting puzzle
• Faced us this time; looked at us; felt more in touch with speaker
Continue with the Third Round. Why was it so much easier to complete the puzzle
this time? List all of the helpful things that happened in this round. Third Round
ideas might include:

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• Moved around the room and helped us

• More encouraging, improved body language and eye contact
• Answered our questions; responded to our needs
• Seemed much more friendly and helpful
• We were allowed to help each other; more support
• Thought we knew what the puzzle would turn out to be, but it does not look
like anything
Finally, reveal the Good Communication Skills flip chart or write the title on the
board. Use the exercise to help the group develop a list of good communication
skills. Examples:
• Body language, gestures, good eye contact
• Responsive to questions, encouraging attitude
• Important not to assume you know what the person is saying, but to keep your

Part IV
mind open (corresponds with thinking they knew what the puzzle would look
like in the end)
• Encouraging words or sounds
• Listening skills
• Feedback
Summarize the activity. Point out that good communication skills have an impact
on all the other life skills; so, it is important to be conscious of how you are
communicating at all times and to take steps to become a good communicator.

Evaluation
It will be clear from the final brainstorming for Good Communication Skills
whether participants have understood the basics of good communications discussed
in this session.

This session was modeled at the Peace Corps/Malawi workshop “Promoting Sexual Health,” held in
Lilongwe, Malawi, in July 1996.

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Participant Handout
Page 1 of 1

Communication Puzzle

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Communication Skills Sessions

Session 2:

Assertiveness: Attack and Avoid

Overview
This session can be used as an introduction to the idea of “assertiveness.” This con-
cept may be foreign to most people, so it may be necessary to spend a few sessions
simply focusing on defining the terms “assertive,” “aggressive,” and “passive.”

Part IV
This session is the beginning of the creation of these definitions. Sessions 3 and 4
continue elaborating upon the definitions. Sessions 5 and 6 provide practice.

Time
1 hour, 30 minutes

Objectives
By the end of the session, participants will be able to:
1. Describe the difference between “attacking” and “avoiding.”
2. Identify factors that indicate attacking behavior or avoiding behavior.
3. Identify attacking and avoiding aspects of their own behavior or the behavior
of those close to them.
4. Describe the emotions involved in being in positions of power or
powerlessness.

Materials
Flip charts or board
Markers or chalk

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Delivery
I. Statues of Power (40 minutes)

Trainer note: The exercise may inspire strong reactions, so you should monitor
the group closely and be aware of this possibility. Those with strong reactions
may welcome the opportunity to talk about them, so you may want to provide for
feedback in small groups.

This exercise is meant to stimulate some of the emotions associated with power and
how these emotions affect us.
Divide the group into pairs. Each pair is going to produce a tableau (frozen image)
showing one person in a position of power and the other in a powerless position.
Allow them a few minutes to prepare their first tableau. Then ask them to change
roles (so that the powerful figure becomes the powerless one and vice versa) and
prepare a second tableau.
When they have prepared both tableaux, give each pair the opportunity to show
them to the rest of the group. Ask for quick comments about what people observe.
Ask both members of each tableau to express what they are feeling in one word
(proud, scared, humble, and so forth.)
Which of the two positions felt more familiar to participants? Can they relate any of
the emotions they felt to situations in their lives? What did they feel for the power-
less person when they were in the powerful position? Vice versa?

II. Attack and Avoid (40 minutes)

After processing the above exercise, gather everyone into a circle. Ask participants
to listen to the list of actions that you are going to read out.
• If they think they do an action often, they should put both hands in the air.
• If they think they do an action sometimes, they should put one hand in the air.
• If they think they never do an action you mention, they should keep both
hands down.

Trainer note: If you feel participants are ready to be more active, you could ask
them to move to different corners of the training area in response. For example, if
they do an action often, stand by the blackboard, or if they do it sometimes, stand
by the windows, and so on.

The actions appear in two columns. Read down the first column first, then the sec-
ond. Ask participants to react after each word or phrase.

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List of Actions

Attacking Avoiding
Nagging Withdrawal
Shouting Sulking in silence
Persisting (I am right!) Taking it out on the wrong person
Revenge (I’ll get you back) Saying that you are being unfairly treated
Warning (If you don’t…) Talking behind someone’s back
Interrupting Feeling ill
Exploding Being polite but feeling angry
Sarcastic Feeling low and depressed
Insulting Not wanting to hurt the other person
Correcting Trying to forget about the problem

Part IV

Next, point out to everyone that the words you read first (in the first column) are
attacking behaviors and the second list are avoiding behaviors. Ask members of
the group to reflect for a moment about which set of behaviors they engage in more
often than others.
Brainstorm the word “attack” and then the word “avoid.” Ask participants to call
out what each word means for them. Allow a few minutes for each word. There
may be good and bad feelings expressed about each word. Note these ideas on the
flip chart or board.
Then ask participants to think of one personal reason why they would behave in
an attacking or avoiding way. Ask for a few volunteers to describe their examples
to everyone.
Ask participants to consider how “attacking” or “avoiding” could be expressed.
What would they say? How would they say it? How would they say it with their
bodies? Note some of these ideas on the flip chart or board.
Ask them to think of one word or phrase that they use when either avoiding or
attacking, whichever is their most frequent behavior. They should consider how
the phrase is said and the body language that goes with it. An example of avoid-
ing behavior might be, “Where are you going?” said in a soft, uncertain way. This
indicates that the questioner is expecting an angry answer (body language might
be hunching the shoulders and turning away). Ask how the same phrase could be
said in an attacking way.
You might point out how the effect of what people say is very much dependent on
what they do—their body language. With the “Where are you going?” example,
you could suggest that they try using the phrase while looking straight at the person
with a big smile and speaking with a strong, certain voice. This behavior will have

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a big effect on what they say and the message that is being communicated. In this
example, the participants may find that when they change their body language, what
they actually say is interpreted much more positively.
In groups of three, take turns practicing examples while the other two in the group
offer suggestions about how body language could change to make the response a
positive one rather than an attacking or avoiding one. Try other examples, includ-
ing participants’ suggestions, or, “What time are you coming back?” or “What are
you doing?” and so forth.

Evaluation (10 minutes)

Summarize and evaluate the session using some of the following questions:
1. What warning signs can help us recognize and even predict the behavior
of others?
2. What warning signs can we learn to recognize in ourselves that we are embarking
on an avoiding approach? An attacking approach?
3. How can we alter our pattern of reacting and begin to learn a new response?
4. How does it feel to change our body position?
Responses to these questions will give you an indication of the participants’
understanding of the topic.

Pages 117–120 adapted and reprinted with permission of Alice Welbourn and ACTIONAID from
Stepping Stones: A Training Package on HIV/AIDS, Communication and Relationship Skills, pp.
183–141. © Alice Welbourn and G & A Williams 1995

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Communication Skills Sessions

Session 3:

Assertiveness:
Passive, Assertive, Aggressive

Overview

Part IV
Usually best after Attack and Avoid (Session 2 in Part IV), this session focuses on
more specific definitions for “passive,” “assertive,” and “aggressive.”

Time
2 hours (can be shortened to 1 hour, 30 minutes)

Objectives
By the end of the session, participants will be able to:
1. Define the terms “passive,” “assertive,” and “aggressive.”
2. Identify passive, assertive, and aggressive behaviors.

Materials
Flip charts or board
Markers or chalk
Handouts: Role Play Number One, Role Play Number Two
Flip charts: Passive Behavior, Assertive Behavior, Aggressive Behavior

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Preparation
Prepare flip chart or board before the session. It is helpful to add a picture to each
word to make the definitions clear. Or, you might prefer to brainstorm the flip chart
with the group during the session.
Prepare the two assertiveness role plays with peer educators or volunteers from the
group before the session. Make sure to rehearse these role plays well prior to the
session.

Delivery
I. The Yes or No Game (20 minutes)
Ask participants to stand up and spilt into two groups. One group should make
a line facing the center of the training area; the others should make a line facing
them. Explain that one group is the “yes” group and that the only word allowed is
“yes.” The other group is the “no” group, and “no” is the only word allowed. When
you say “go,” each group needs to try to convince the other, but can only use the
assigned word—yes or no.
After a minute or so, have the groups change roles; the “yes” group says “no,” and
vice versa.
After another few minutes, ask participants to describe how they felt about doing this
exercise. If not mentioned, ask about body language, use of “attacking or avoiding”
stances, laughter, and so forth. Discuss how laughter is also an important means of
expression. Laughter can be a good thing at times, but at other times it can be very
harmful. Ask for examples.

II. Passive, Assertive, Aggressive

(40 minutes)
Ask someone from the group to come up to the front of the room and remind ev-
eryone of the meanings of attacking behavior and avoiding behavior. Write these
ideas on the flip chart or board as the volunteer summarizes the ideas from Attack
and Avoid.
Next, explain that in this session we are going to talk in depth about these different
kinds of behavior. Review the description of “attacking behavior”; point out that we
call this type of behavior “aggressive.” Ask for examples of aggressive behavior.
Refer to some of the examples given in the Attack and Avoid session.
When it seems clear that the group understands the connection between “attacking”
and “aggressive,” move on to the “avoiding” description. Point out that what we
called “avoiding behavior” is called “passive.” Ask for examples of passive behavior,
perhaps by referring back to those discussed in the Attack and Avoid session.

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Next, remind the group about the feelings associated with both attacking and avoiding
behavior. Ask them to remember how they felt during the Statues of Power exercise.
(It may even be helpful to have one pair come up and remind the group by showing
their tableau from the previous session.) Ask the group which type of behavior is
better. Are either of them the best type of behavior? Is there another way to act?
What would be a better approach to interactions with each other?
Allow the answers to these questions to lead you to the idea of assertiveness. Tell
the group that it is not necessary for someone to be in the powerful or powerless
position—in other words, it is not necessary to attack or avoid. Instead, it is pos-
sible to reach a balance between those two behaviors. We call this type of behavior
“assertive.” Ask if anyone from the group can define assertive behavior.
Finally, reveal the definitions prepared before the session. Review each of the
definitions with the group. Ask participants to give you examples of each type of
behavior.

III. Role Plays (45 minutes)

Part IV
Explain that we are going to see two role plays to help us fully understand the differ-
ences between passive, assertive, and aggressive behavior. Tell the group to watch the
first role play and try to identify any passive, assertive, or aggressive behavior.
Have the volunteers do the role play.
After Role Play Number One, discuss the following points:
A. Is Paulo’s behavior passive, assertive, or aggressive? (Aggressive)
B. Why? What did Paulo do to make you decide he was aggressive? What did he
say? How did he say it? Describe his body language. Answers might include:
1. Body Language—moving closer to her and occupying her physical space;
standing “nose to nose” or with “hands on hips”
2. Interrupting
3. Speaking in a loud voice
4. Insulting her by calling her “childish”
C. Is Juanita’s behavior passive, assertive, or aggressive? (Passive)
D. Why? What did she do to make you decide she was passive? What did she say?
How did she say it? Describe her body language. Answers may include:
1. Body Language—head down, soft voice
2. Giving in to the will of others
3. Putting herself down—“I know you’ll think I’m silly, but …”
Ask volunteers to do the second role play.

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After Role Play Number Two, discuss the following points:

A. Is Tana’s behavior passive, assertive, or aggressive? (Assertive)
B. Why? What did she do to make you decide she was assertive? What did she
say? How did she say it? Describe her body language. Ideas might include:
1. Spoke in calm, firm voice
2. Discussed her needs; made her feelings clear
3. Checked to see if he was comfortable with her statements
4. Body language—faced him, looked him in the eye
When summarizing the session, remind the group about some of the issues you
discussed in the Bridge Model session. Ask someone to tell you how assertiveness
might be a helpful life skill.

Evaluation (15 minutes)

A powerful way to evaluate the ideas from this session is to encourage the group
to get back into the Statues of Power pairs and to position themselves into their at-
tacking or avoiding tableaux. When everyone is ready, suggest that each pair move
from the attacking or avoiding stance to a more assertive posture. Watch as the pairs
transform themselves from positions of powerlessness and power to positions of
equality and mutual empowerment.

“The Yes/No Game” was reprinted with permission of Alice Welbourn and ACTIONAID from Step-
ping Stones: A Training Package on HIV/AIDS, Communication and Relationship Skills, p. 145. ©
Alice Welbourn and G & A Williams 1995
Pages 121–126 adapted and reprinted with permission of the World Health Organization from School
Health Education to Prevent AIDS and STD: A Resource Package for Curriculum Planners—Student’s
Activities, pp. 38–39. © WHO 1994

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Participant Handout
Page 1 of 1

Passive Behavior
• Giving in to the will of others; hoping to get what you want without actually having to say it; leaving it
to others to guess or letting them decide for you
• Taking no action to assert your own rights
• Putting others first at your expense
• Giving in to what others want
• Remaining silent when something bothers you
• Apologizing a lot
• Acting submissive—for example: talking quietly, laughing nervously, sagging shoulders, avoiding dis-
agreement, hiding face with hands

Part IV
Assertive Behavior
• Telling someone exactly what you want in a way that does not seem rude or threatening to them
• Standing up for your own rights without putting down the rights of others
• Respecting yourself as well as the other person
• Listening and talking
• Expressing positive and negative feelings
• Being confident, but not “pushy”
• Staying balanced—knowing what you want to say; saying “I feel” not “I think”; being specific; using
“I” statements; talking face–to–face with the person; no whining or sarcasm; using body language that
shows you are standing your ground, and staying centered.

Aggressive Behavior
• Expressing your feelings, opinions, or desires in a way that threatens or punishes the other person
• Standing up for your own rights with no thought for the other person
• Putting yourself first at the expense of others
• Overpowering others
• Reaching your own goals, but at the sake of others
• Dominating behaviors—for example: shouting, demanding, not listening to others; saying others are
wrong; leaning forward; looking down on others; wagging or pointing finger at others; threatening;
or fighting.

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Participant Handout
Page 1 of 1

Role Play Number One

Paulo has been seeing Juanita for about one month now. He wants her to come to his house; his parents
are not home. Because he often talks about getting into a more physical relationship, Juanita is feeling
pressured to be alone with Paulo. She tries to speak about her feelings a few times, but Paulo keeps inter-
rupting her. Juanita, her head down, finally says to Paulo, in a soft voice, “I know you’ll think I’m silly,
but…” Paulo interrupts again, approaches Juanita nose to nose, and says loudly with his hands on his hips,
“You are silly, and not only that, you’re childish too!” Juanita hangs her head down, looks at the ground,
and agrees to go to Paulo’s house.

Role Play Number Two

Tana has been upset with Kamel. When she sees him, she says, “Kamel, I need to talk to you right now.
Could we talk where no one is around?” Moving to another room, Tana sits straight with her hands on the
table and looks Kamel in the eye. She says in a calm but firm voice, “I’ve thought about your suggestion
for our date, but I feel uncomfortable about it. I think we need more time to be close friends before being
alone. I really like you and I know you’d like for us to be alone, but I’m not ready for that yet. Is that OK
with you?”

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Communication Skills Sessions

Session 4:

Assertiveness: Assertive Messages

Overview
This session follows Passive, Assertive, Aggressive (Session 3 in Part IV). It is a
continuation of that idea and builds on what participants have learned. In this session,
the group will discuss how to formulate and deliver an “assertive message.”

Part IV
Time
Approximately 2 hours

Objectives
By the end of the session, participants will be able to:
1. Identify the steps to an assertive message.
2. Develop assertive messages for a variety of situations.

Materials
Flip charts or board
Markers or chalk
Handouts: Steps to Deliver an Assertive Message and Assertiveness Scenario Cards
(each numbered statement is a separate card)
Flipchart: Steps to Deliver an Assertive Message

Preparation
Prepare the scenarios on cards or small sheets of paper before the session. Prepare
the Steps to an Assertive Message flip chart.

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Delivery
I. Opening a Fist (25 minutes)
Explain the following to participants, acting it out as you say it: We have seen how
our body language can influence other people’s responses to us. For instance, if
someone is acting aggressively towards us, he or she may be leaning toward us,
with clenched fists. By changing our body language, we can improve the situation.
For instance, if we are sitting down, we can relax our shoulders, uncross our arms,
open our palms upwards, uncross our legs, hold our heads straight, look right at the
aggressive person. All of these changes help to create a more balanced response in
the aggressive person.
Now ask participants to divide into pairs. First, one will act as the aggressive person
and the other will act as the assertive person; then they will switch roles. The aggres-
sives must hold their hands up in a very tight fist and feel very angry. The assertives
must try to persuade or convince the aggressives to undo their fists.
The assertives should use all their skills to persuade the aggressives to calm down
and to open their fists. The assertives and the aggressives must not touch each other,
but the assertives can say or do anything that they think will work to calm down the
aggressives and persuade them to open their fists. If the aggressives think that the
assertives have done a good enough job, they may open their fists, but they must
not give in too easily!
Give the pairs eight minutes each to try out their assertiveness skills on each other.
See by a show of hands how many people managed to persuade their partners to
open their fists. Praise and encourage everyone and explain that this gets easier
with practice.

II. Assertive Messages (40 minutes)

Spend some time in the beginning reviewing the definitions of passive, assertive, and
aggressive, and summarize the activities from the first two sessions on assertiveness.
Make some connections between this assertive behavior and building the bridge
to a positive, healthy life. Assertiveness is one of the most important life skills. An
assertive person is able to fully use good communication skills, self–respect, and
personal strength to create healthy relationships with other people. But to be assertive
you must first learn the skills. The first time you do this, it will be difficult. As you
practice, it will be easier and feel more natural. Explain that you have summarized
these skills into four steps for making an assertive message.
Hang on the wall or uncover the flip chart Steps to Deliver an Assertive Message.
(It is helpful to write the steps on the board or flip chart, and then fill in a message
for each step.) Explain the situation at the top, and then go step–by–step through the
process. Act out the “messages.” Remind the group that body language and tone of
voice may be just as important as the messages that are sent. Make sure everyone
is clear on the steps before proceeding.

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Next, use the following scenario to develop assertive messages with the whole
group. This will help the group to understand the steps and prepare them for the
pair work to follow.

The Situation
Aaron and Frank are good friends. Aaron has a part–time job and he has loaned
money to Frank on several occasions. Lately Aaron has noticed that Frank is
becoming slower to pay the money back. Aaron decides to discuss this matter
with Frank and to ask Frank to pay the money back sooner.
After reading the situation aloud and making sure it is clear, go through each step
with the group and ask for suggestions on the “messages.”

III. Creating Our Own Assertive Messages

(1 hour)
Explain that it is time to try to create our own assertive messages. This may be awk-
ward at first, but will become easier with practice. Split the group into pairs. Give

Part IV
each person a different scenario card. (Each pair will have two scenarios—one each.)
After reading the situation, each person will write out assertive messages following
the steps on the board or flip chart. Then each person will share the messages with
their partners—getting any advice and making any changes that they might decide
together. Lastly, the pair will act out each situation with each other and practice
delivering their assertive messages.
Make sure you go around to each pair to ensure that the instructions are clear. Assist
people as needed. Allow at least 30 minutes for this part of the exercise. After each
pair practices two different situations, invite interested pairs to come up in front of
the group and act out their assertive messages. Use these situations to spark discus-
sion and create many different approaches to these assertive messages.
Summarize the activity at the end of the session.

Evaluation
You will be able to evaluate the effectiveness of this exercise based on the role
plays and discussion at the end of the session. These final activities will give you
some idea about whether participants are beginning to master the skills necessary
for assertive behavior.

“The Opening a Fist Activity” is reprinted with permission of Alice Welbourn and ACTIONAID from
Stepping Stones: A Training Package on HIV/AIDS, Communication and Relationship Skills, pp.
155–156. © Alice Welbourn and G & A Williams 1995
Pages 127–131 adapted and reprinted with permission of the World Health Organization from School
Health Education to Prevent AIDS and STD: A Resource Package for Curriculum Planners—Students’
Activities, pp. 41 and 43. © WHO 1994

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 Steps to Deliver an Assertive Message
Aaron and Frank are good friends. Aaron has a part–time job and he has loaned money to Frank on several occasions. Lately Aaron has

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noticed that Frank is becoming slower to pay the money back. Aaron decides to discuss this matter with Frank and to ask Frank to pay
the money back sooner.

Steps Description Words you might say … Messages

Page 1 of 1
Life Skills Manual

1. Explain your State how you feel about the • “I feel frustrated when …” “I feel as if I’m being used
feelings and behavior or problem. Describe the • “I feel unhappy when …” when I lend you money and
the problem behavior or problem that violates • “I feel … when …” don’t get it back in good
your rights or disturbs you. • “It hurts me when …” time.”
Participant Handout

• “I don’t like it when …”

2 Make your State clearly what you would like • “I would like it better if…” “I would like it better if
request to have happen. • “I would like you to …” when you borrow money you
• “Could you please…” would give it back as soon as
• “Please don’t …” possible.”
• “I wish you would …”

3. Ask how the Invite the other person to express • “How do you feel about it?” “Is that OK with you?”
other person his or her feelings or thoughts • “Is that OK with you?”
feels about about your request. • “What do you think?”
your request • “Is that all right with you?”
• “What are your ideas?”

Answer The other person indicates his The other person responds. “Yes, I guess you’re right.
or her feelings or thoughts about I’m not too good at getting
your request. money back right away, but
I’ll return it sooner next
time.”

4. Accept with If the other person agrees with • “Thanks.” “Thanks for understanding.
thanks your request, saying “thanks” is a • “Great, I appreciate that.” Let’s go and listen to some
good way to end the discussion. • “I’m happy you agree.” music.”
• “Great!”

Peace Corps
Reprinted with permission of the World Health Organization from School Health Education to Prevent AIDS and STD: A Resource Package for Curriculum Planners
— Students’ Activities, p. 40 © WHO 1994
 P­­­­­­­­­art IV: Communication Skills

Participant Cards
(each numbered statement is a separate card)

Assertiveness Scenario Cards

1. A person of the opposite sex asks you to go to a party with him or her. You don’t know anyone who is
going, which makes you feel a little uncomfortable. You have also heard that this person uses drugs and
does not have a very good reputation at school. You decide to be assertive and say no.

2. You are talking to a number of your friends. Most of them have had sex and are teasing you about the
fact that you have not. One member of the group hurts your feelings by saying something inappropriate.
You decide to make an assertive reply.

Part IV
3. You decide to get your ears pierced. Your friend tells you that you can get it done at a place in town. You
go to the place, but it does not look very clean. You have heard about HIV/AIDS and unclean needles.
You decide to ask the person if the needles are clean and to see the equipment used for cleaning. The
person won’t show you, but insists that the shop is very clean and safe. The person urges you to get the
procedure done. You decide to say no assertively.

4. A friend of your family asks if you want a ride home after school. You do not feel very good about this
person, and you feel uncomfortable about the situation. You decide to be assertive and refuse the ride.

Trainer note: These situations, like many in this manual, are really youth–oriented. Be sure to adapt them
or create your own if you are working with other groups. For example, if you are working with women’s
groups, you might do some scenarios about being assertive with a husband in a household situation.

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Communication Skills Sessions

Session 5:

Assertiveness/Peer Pressure:
Responding to Persuasion—Part I

Overview
In previous sessions, we have addressed the issue of assertiveness and provided
techniques to help participants deliver an assertive message. But assertiveness is
not always so easy. Other people will not always agree with you when you are as-
sertive. In fact, they may interrupt you, get you off the topic, or try to persuade you
to do something you do not want to do. Therefore, it is important to learn how to
respond to such attempts at persuasion.

Time
2 hours

Objectives
By the end of the session, participants will be able to:
1. List six techniques often used to persuade others.
2. Identify possible responses to persuasion.

Materials
Tape
Handout: Persuasion Role Play, Large Persuasion Cards, Small Persuasion Cards

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Large Persuasion Cards

(each word or phrase is a separate card)
“Argue” “No Problem” “Put You Down”
“Reasons” “Threaten” “Getting Off the Topic”

Small Persuasion Cards

(each phrase is a separate card)
“You’re just afraid.” “You owe me.”
“Why not? Everyone’s doing it!” “What do you think can happen?”
“You know that I love you.” “Do it or goodbye.”
“I’ll find someone else who will.” “I can hurt you if you don’t.”
“Nothing will go wrong.” “Don’t worry.”
“I’ll take care of everything.” “I’ve got it all handled.”

Part IV
“Aren’t you grown up enough to “You can’t get pregnant if you just
do this?” have it once.”
“But we’re getting married anyway.” “You’re old enough now.”
“You have nice eyes.” “I like you when you’re angry.”
“What do you know about...anyway?”

Preparation
Prepare large and small cards before the session. Put tape on the back of each
card. Prepare and rehearse the role play with peer educators or volunteers from
the group.

Delivery
I. Persuasion Categories (1 hour)
Indicate that the group will take a look at the different ways people might try to
get you off your topic (the assertive message) or refuse to accept your assertive
message.
Tape the prepared Large Persuasion Cards at different points along a blank wall.
Review each card and discuss how people can use the technique to convince, per-
suade, or distract from assertive messages.
Next, hand one Small Persuasion Card to each participant. In turn, all members of
the group should stand up, read the statement on their cards, explain the possible
categories where the statement might belong, and tape the statement to the wall
underneath an appropriate category. Use this short exercise as a way to identify the

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types of persuasion someone might use to change someone’s assertive message.

(You can also refer to the Best Response Game (Session 1 in Part VI) if you have
already played it. The “pressure lines” were examples of persuasion, and the game
gave practice in responding to such types of persuasion.)

Persuasion Categories
Put you Down: “You’re just afraid.”
“Aren’t you grown up enough to do this?
Argue: “Why not? Everyone’s doing it!”
“What do you think can happen?”
“What do you know about … anyway?”
Threaten: “Do it or goodbye.”
“I’ll find someone else who will.”
“I can hurt you if you don’t.”
No Problem: “Nothing will go wrong.”
“Don’t worry.”
“I’ll take care of everything.”
“I’ve got it all handled.”
Reasons: “But we’re getting married anyway.”
“You can’t get pregnant if you have it just once.”
“You owe me.”
“You’re old enough now.”
Getting Off the Topic: “You have nice eyes.”
“I like you when you’re angry.”
“You know that I love you.”
When the different statements are on the wall and the group seems to understand
the idea of persuasion, move on to some strategies to deal with these types of
pressure.
On a flip chart or on the board, write “What do you say when someone tries to get
you off the topic?” Brainstorm with the group some statements to use if someone
is making distracting statements, trying to change the subject, or trying to get them
off topic. Possible suggestions might be:
1. “Please let me finish what I am saying.”
2. “Please don’t stop me until I’m finished.”
3. “That’s fine, but please listen to what I have to say.”
4. “I know you think…, but let me finish what I was saying.”
5. “Thank you, but…”
Next, go through the same process with the following question: “What do you say
when someone tries to persuade you (change your mind, convince you)?” Once

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you have brainstormed a list of suggestions, you may wish to group them into three
categories: refuse, delay, or bargain.
What do you say when someone tries to persuade you?
Refuse
Say no clearly and firmly, and if necessary, leave.
• “No, no, I really mean no.”
• “No, thank you.”
• “No, no­—I am leaving.”
Delay
Put off a decision until you can think about it.
• “I am not ready yet.”
• “Maybe we can talk later.”
• “I’d like to talk to a friend first.”
Bargain
Try to make a decision that both people can accept.
• “Let’s do … instead.”
• “I won’t do that, but maybe we could do …”
• “What would make us both happy?”

Part IV
II. Persuasion Role Play (1 hour)
To illustrate the above ideas, have your peer educators (or other volunteers) perform
their pre–rehearsed role play. Explain that you are about to see a role play in which
someone is trying to deliver assertive messages, while the other person is trying to
persuade the person or move off the topic. The group should watch for the steps to
delivering an assertive message in the role play, and should also notice whether the
person is defending with “Refuse,” “Delay,” or “Bargain” techniques. The short
role play will be shown three times, using all three strategies.
Make sure that the participants are clear about the different steps used during the
conversation in the role play. Have them name the steps to you, referring back to
Assertive Messages (Session 4 in Part IV).
Summarize the activities at the end of the session. If you intend to move on Re-
sponding to Persuasion—Part II (Session 6 in Part IV) inform the students that
you will be exploring these ideas further in the next session.

Evaluation
The responses to the role play provide an excellent opportunity to evaluate the
success of the previous exercises. Participants’ understanding of the subject matter
should be clear from their recollection of the Steps to Deliver an Assertive Message,
and their discussion about how to respond to persuasion in the role play.

Pages 132–136 adapted and reprinted with permission of the World Health Organization from School
Health Education to Prevent AIDS and STD: A Resource Package for Curriculum Planners—Students’
Activities, pp. 44–45. © WHO 1994

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Participant Handout
Page 1 of 1

Persuasion Role Play

Your older brother is supposed to give you a ride home. You meet him but he is staggering and slurring
his words. You feel that he has had too much to drink and it would not be wise to drive with him. He tries
to persuade you to go with him. You will do the role play three times, each time using a different ending:
refuse, delay, or bargain.
Work together to come up with a short role play to show this situation. Use the following kinds of statements
in your role play.
Sister: “I feel scared about driving with you when you have been drinking.”
Brother: “What do you know about drinking anyway?”
Sister: “Please let me finish what I am saying. I don’t want to drive home with you and I really don’t
think you should be driving. What do you think? Will you please not drive home?”
Brother: “Hey, I’m fine. You have nothing to worry about.”
Sister: (three alternative endings)
Refuse: “I don’t agree and I’m not going with you. So goodbye.” (You leave.)
Delay: “Let’s go for a walk and talk about it.”
Bargain: “Why don’t you leave the vehicle here and we’ll walk home together?”

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Communication Skills Sessions

Session 6:

Assertiveness/Peer Pressure:
Responding to Persuasion—Part II

Part IV
Overview
This session builds on Assertive Messages (Session 4 in Part IV), adding steps for
responding to persuasion as part of the process. The session focuses on assertive
responses to persuasion.

Time
2 hours

Objectives
By the end of the session, participants will be able to:
1. List the steps for responding assertively to a persuasive message.
2. Identify strategies for refusing, delaying, and bargaining.

Materials
Flip chart or board
Markers or chalk
Flip chart: Revised Steps to Delivering an Assertive Message—Responding
to Persuasion
Handouts: Persuasion Scenario Cards (each numbered statement is a separate card)

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Preparation
Write the steps on a flip chart or on the board before the session. Also prepare scenarios
on cards or small sheets of paper; each numbered statement is a separate card.

Delivery
I. Revised Steps to Delivering an Assertive
Message—Responding to Persuasion
(1 hour)
Spend a few moments in the beginning of the session reviewing the previous dis-
cussions about assertive behavior, assertive messages, and persuasion. Make sure
the group remembers the ideas of refusing, delaying, and bargaining when trying
to resist persuasion.
Reveal the Revised Steps to Deliver an Assertive Message. Go step–by–step through
the process. Act out the “messages.” Point out the changes made to our original
steps to include the response to persuasion. Make sure everyone is clear on these
steps before proceeding.
Next, use the following situation to develop assertive messages with the whole group.
This will help the group to understand the new steps and prepare them for the pair
work that will follow. After reading the situation and making it clear, go through
each step with the group and ask for suggestions on the “messages.” It is helpful to
write the steps on the board or flip chart, and then fill in a message for each step.
The Situation
You are alone with your boyfriend at his house. It is getting late and he lives
quite a distance from your home on a deserted road.
He is usually very gentle but tonight he has been drinking beer. He becomes
quite aggressive with his demands for sex. He interrupts you and tries to talk
you into having sex. You refuse, delay, or bargain.
This is a potentially dangerous situation. Which is the safest course of action? If
you simply refuse, will you be putting yourself in danger? What else could you do?
Some ideas might include:
1. If his parents are coming home soon, you might use delaying tactics until they
arrive.
2. You might bargain with him by indicating that you might consider being with
him sexually soon, but only if he does not approach you when he is drinking.
3. You might delay by discussing the fact that he is drinking and the effect that
seems to be having on his behavior.

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4. You might bargain with him to lie in bed while you “get ready.” Then stay in
the toilet until he falls asleep.
5. If you are feeling in danger, you might pretend to go to the toilet, but run to a
neighbor instead.

II. Persuasion Scenarios (1 hour)

Next, we will practice defending our assertive messages when confronted with
distracting or persuasive statements. Split the group into pairs. Give each pair one
situation card. (Each pair will have a different situation.)
The pair will decide together on how to handle the situation using the steps we have
reviewed. They will decide whether they would refuse, delay, or bargain, and they
should think about the assertive statements they could use in the situation. Lastly,
the pair will act out the situation with each other, practicing and delivering their
assertive messages. After one person gives a successful assertive message, the pair
should change roles so that the other person has a chance to practice responding
to persuasion.

Part IV
After each pair has practiced both roles, invite interested pairs to come up and act
out their assertive messages in front of the group. Remember to review the responses
to persuasion and discuss the strategies used. Summarize the activity at the end of
the session.

Variations—Negotiating Condom Use

The same exercise can be adapted to a session on negotiating condom use. Create
a list of persuasive lines someone might use to keep from using a condom during
sex. Follow the same Steps for Delivering an Assertive Message, and have the group
practice delivering that message and responding to persuasion. You can think of
many situations.
Here are some samples:
“We’re both clean…we don’t need to use a condom.”
“I still don’t want to have sex with a condom. It’s not natural.”
“I’d be embarrassed to use a condom.”
“I don’t want to use a condom. I don’t like condoms.”
“I don’t have a condom. Let’s do it just this once.”
“Your chances of getting a disease doing it just once are about zero.”
“A condom would make it so awkward.”
“It’s like eating a sweet in the wrapper.”

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“They spoil the mood.”

“They don’t feel good.”
“You think I have a disease.”
“They have HIV in them.”
“They make me feel dirty.”
“You’re already protecting yourself from pregnancy.”
“I’d be too embarrassed to get them from the health center.”
“It’s against my religion.”

Evaluation
To evaluate the effectiveness of this method, observe the strategies used by each
pair to respond to persuasion in each situation.

Pages 137–142 adapted and reprinted with permission of the World Health Organization from School
Health Education to Prevent AIDS and STD: A Resource Package for Curriculum Planners—Students’
Activities, pp. 46–49. © WHO 1994

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Participant Handout
Page 1 of 1

Revised Steps to Delivering an Assertive

Message: Responding to Persuasion
Steps Words you might say

1. Explain your feelings and the problem. • “I feel frustrated when …”

• “I feel unhappy when …”
• “I feel … when …”
• “It hurts me when …”
• “I don’t like it when …”

2. Distracting Statements Other person tries to get you off topic.

3. Get back on topic. • “Please let me finish what I was saying.”

Part IV
• “I’d like you to listen to what I have to say …”

4. Make your request. • “I would like it better if …”

• “I would like you to …”
• “Could you please …”
• “Please don’t …”
• “I wish you would …”

5. Ask how the other person feels about • “How do you feel about that?”
your request. • “Is that okay with you?”
• “What do you think?”
• “Is that all right with you?”

6. Persuasive statement Other person tries to get you to change

your mind.

7. REFUSE • “No, I really mean no.”
• “No, and I’m leaving.”
• “No, I am not going to do that.”

DELAY • “I’m not ready now—maybe later.”

• “Maybe we can talk later.”
• “I’d like to talk to a friend.”

BARGAIN • “Let’s do … instead.”

• “How about if we try …”
• “What would make us both happy?”

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Participant Cards
(each numbered statement is a separate card)

Persuasion Scenario Cards

1. Your friend wants you to skip school and go somewhere to drink alcohol. He tells you a whole group is
going. He says, “You are afraid, aren’t you?” You got caught off the school grounds last month and do not
want to get caught again. You decide to tell him you don’t want to go.

2. Your parents are away and you invite a friend of the opposite sex over to study. After doing the homework
he or she grabs you and tries to kiss you. You push him or her away but he or she says, “Come on, you didn’t
invite me over just to do homework.” You take a firm stand so it will not happen again.

3. Your boyfriend or girlfriend thinks it is time to have sex. You love him or her but you feel that sex before
you are ready is wrong. Your boyfriend or girlfriend says, “You’re just scared. If you really loved me, you’d
show it.” Although you are afraid it will end the relationship, you decide to tell him or her that you are just
not ready.

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P­­art V:
Decision–Making Skills

Part V

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Decision–Making Skills Sessions

Session 1:

Steps in Making a Good Decision

Overview
This session is an introduction to decision–making skills. The exercise invites par-
ticipants to create one possible framework to explore when making decisions.

Time
1 hour, 30 minutes

Objectives
By the end of the session, participants will be able to:

Part V
1. List some steps in making a decision.
2. Describe some of the important factors to consider in decision–making.

Materials
Flip charts or board
Markers or chalk
Handout: Decision–Making Scenario Cards (each numbered statement is a
separate card)

Preparation
Prepare the scenario cards before the session.

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Delivery
I. Small Group Work (30–45 minutes)
It is important to spend some time discussing the link between good decision–mak-
ing and avoiding risk activity. It can be helpful to refer back to the Bridge Model
and the role play with Rita and Lucy.
What steps might young people take if they have to decide something crucial? What
should they do first? Next? Should they seek advice? From whom?
In trying to devise a list of steps in making a sound decision, it may be helpful
to put ourselves in the position of someone about to make an important decision.
The idea behind this exercise is to imagine that we are about to make an important
decision, to work through the process that we might use to come up with ideas
towards that decision–making, and finally, to list the steps that we might take in
making that decision.

Trainer note: You may wish to emphasize that the actual decision the groups reach
is less important than understanding the process someone might go through to make
such a decision and the factors to be considered.

Divide the participants into small groups. Give each group one card with one deci-
sion–making scenario on it. The groups should do the following:
1. Discuss the situation.
2. In trying to make the decision, what should the people in the scenarios do
first?
3. List the steps that the people should take in trying to reach their decision.
4. Finally, as a group, discuss the situation and make a decision for the scenario
on the card.
5. On the flip chart or part of the board, write the steps to making a decision,
what decision the group would make for the scenario, and the reasons for the
final decision.

II. Steps in Making a Decision (45 minutes)

Have each group present its ideas to the larger group. Discuss each situation in turn.
After all groups are finished, summarize the decision–making process and help
consolidate all group ideas into one list of Steps in Making a Decision.

Trainer note: Some suggestions from past groups include the following:
Stop.
Take some “time out.”
Define the problem.

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Think about the situation.

Seek advice from others.
Listen to the advice given.
Pray.
Consider family values and personal values.
Consider cultural practices and religious beliefs.
Consider all of the options or alternatives available.
Imagine the consequences and possible outcomes of each option.
Consider the impact of actions on other people.
Choose the best alternatives.
Make the decision.
Act on the decision.
Accept responsibility for your actions.

It is very useful to emphasize the final point on this list—accepting responsibility

for your actions. Young people should learn early that each of their actions comes
with a consequence; and that, after being given the opportunity to make a decision
and choose, they must accept responsibility for the choices they make. This is the
very essence of what it means to be an adult.

Part V
A powerful follow–up exercise to this session is to give the following out–of–ses-
sion assignment (especially for those groups keeping a journal). Ask participants
to think about all of the decisions past and present which are affecting their lives.
They will then make the following three lists:
• Decisions that have been made for me (past)
• Decisions I have made for myself (now)
• Decisions I will have to make in the future
Encourage the participants to write down all kinds of decisions regardless of how
large or how small. After making these lists, encourage the participants to think about
all of these decisions and how they have affected or are affecting their lives.

Adapted from a “Decision–Making Skills” exercise from the Peace Corps/Malawi “Promoting Sexual
Health Workshop,” August 1996
Homework assignment adapted and reprinted with permission of UNICEF Harare from Think About
It! An AIDS Action Programme for Schools—Form 1, p. 33. © UNICEF Harare 1995

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Participant Cards
(each numbered statement is a separate card)

Decision–Making Scenario Cards

1. You are a 15–year–old girl living in a small town. You are taking care of four younger siblings, and you
cannot find money for food. You have a friend near the market who has been offering you nice gifts and
buying some food for you. Recently, he has suggested that you should meet together at a resthouse (inn
or motel). What will you do?

2. You are a 20–year–old man, and you have recently married. You and your wife are students at the uni-
versity. You want to start a family, but you also want to finish your degrees and get jobs. Your wife has
suggested using something to prevent pregnancy.

3. You are a 38–year–old woman, and you have seven living children. You really do not want to get preg-
nant again, but your husband is opposed to using anything to prevent pregnancy.

4. You and your boyfriend are in love and you plan to be married. You have been abstaining from sex
until after you get married, but it is becoming harder and harder to abstain as time passes. Lately, your
boyfriend has been suggesting that you have sex now. After all, you are truly committed to each other
and are getting married anyway.

5. You are a 17–year–old girl in secondary school. Your anti–AIDS club has been very active lately, and you
have been thinking a lot about AIDS. You think that your past experiences may have put you at risk to be
HIV positive, but you are afraid to know for sure. A close friend has suggested that you get an HIV test.

6. You are a 36–year–old teacher at a primary school. Your husband is teaching at a secondary school,
and you have been married for 16 years. You have five older children, and you are in the hospital for a
month with complications from delivering your sixth child. While you are in the hospital, your husband
takes a second wife. You have always agreed that you would be his only wife, and you are shocked and
upset at his decision.

7. You are a 20–year–old boy just entering the final grade in secondary school. Your father died several
years ago, and your uncle has paid your school fees for the last few years. Your uncle has just died, and
now there is no one to pay for your final year in school. You are hopeful that you can get a placement at
university if you are able to take the college entrance exams. But because there is no money for school,
you are considering trying to find some work for a few years and returning to school later.

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Decision–Making Skills Sessions

Session 2:

Just Between Us

Overview
This is a good follow–up to the introductory session, Steps in Making a Good
Decision (Session 1 in Part V). It provides a forum for practicing making deci-
sions and also sparks debate about important topics in the community. If there is a
particular issue in your area or school, you may wish to create a different role play
that addresses that issue.

Time
Approximately 2 hours

Part V
Objectives
By the end of the session, participants will be able to:
1. Identify important factors in making a decision.
2. Describe the link between values and decision–making.

Materials
Handout: Role Play Cards (each numbered situation is a separate card)

Preparation
Write out the role play situations on paper or cards. Each numbered situation is a
separate card.

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Delivery
I. Small Group Work (1 hour)
Divide the group into two smaller groups. Explain that we are going to practice us-
ing our decision–making and thinking skills in a debate–style role play. Give each
group one role play situation.
Give the groups time to come up with their role plays. They should be thinking first
of what decisions they would make in these situations and how they will end their
role play. These are difficult issues; so encourage a great deal of discussion among
the groups before they decide on what the outcome of their situation will be.

II. Role Plays and Debate (50 minutes)

Each group performs its role play for the other group. After each role play, process
the exercise with some of the following questions:
1. Do we all agree with the decision that was made?
2. Does anyone think the situation should have ended differently? How?
3. What values were at work in arriving at these decisions?
In summarizing the activity, point out that decision–making is not always an easy
process. Personal values play a large part in the decisions we make, and if we go
against those values, it can lead to feelings of guilt and confusion.

Evaluation (10 minutes)

Reinforce the Steps in Making a Good Decision session (Session 1 in Part V) by invit-
ing participants to tell you what steps their groups took in making these decisions.

Pages 149–151 adapted and reprinted with permission of UNICEF Harare from Think About It! An
AIDS Action Programme for Schools—Form 3, p. 17. © UNICEF Harare 1995

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Participant Cards
(each numbered situation is a separate card)

Role Play Cards

1. A month before exams, Ivan tells Misha he has some important information for him if he promises to
keep it secret. Misha is curious and agrees. Ivan says he knows how to get the history exam in advance.
His brother has a friend who has a friend who works in the Ministry. This person is selling examination
papers secretly. Ivan says two classmates have already bought papers. He wants Misha to buy one too.
Misha feels frightened and angry. He does not believe in cheating. He thinks Ivan and the others should
be reported to the teacher, but he promised to keep it a secret. Now he doesn’t know what to do.
Decide what Misha is going to do. Then create a role play acting out the situation and showing the reac-
tions of all of Misha’s friends to his decision.

2. A doctor had a patient whom she knew well. The patient was ill and the doctor thought he might have
HIV. She sent him for a blood test, which came back positive. The doctor knew the patient had several
girlfriends and advised him to tell them so they could protect themselves. The patient became angry and
told her to mind her own business. His girlfriends must not find out.
The doctor worried a lot about this. She knew doctors should not discuss their patients’ illnesses but
she knew her information could save people’s lives. She decided to break the rule of confidentiality and
inform the girlfriends. The patient was very angry and took the doctor to court because she had broken

Part V
her oath of confidentiality.
Act out the court case. Present the patient’s case and then allow the girlfriends to take the stand. Appoint
someone as judge. Do you find the doctor guilty of breaking her professional code of confidentiality?
Take a group vote on the verdict.

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Decision–Making Skills Sessions

Session 3:

Exchanging Stories—Role Models

(“The Person I Admire”)

Overview
This session provides participants with an opportunity to clarify the characteristics
and qualities they admire and seek to emulate. By visualizing the person they want
to become, participants are encouraged to set personal goals for their lives.
Trainer note: This exercise can be adapted for a number of different types of ses-
sions, and is especially effective as part of a Peer Educator training. (See Variations
at end of session.)

Time
1 hour to 1 hour, 30 minutes

Objectives
By the end of the session, participants will be able to:
1. List the characteristics or qualities they most admire in others.
2. Identify qualities they wish to develop in themselves.

Materials
Flip charts or board
Markers or chalk

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Delivery
I. Exchanging Stories (30–45 minutes)
Introduce the session by referring back to the Bridge Model. Suggest that in building
the “me you want to be” you probably want to think about the qualities of a strong,
healthy person. To begin a discussion about building a positive, healthy life as a strong,
motivated person, we are going to do an exercise called “Exchanging Stories.”
Write the term “role model” on the flip chart or board. Ask the participants to brain-
storm the meaning of the term. After listing their suggestions, discuss the ideas and
arrive at something like this for a definition: “Someone whose example you follow
in your life” or, “Someone you admire and wish to be like.”
Ask participants to think about the person that they most admire in the world. Who
is their role model? Who would they most want to be like? It can be a famous person
or someone that they know personally. It can be from anywhere in the world, or at
any time in history.
Give the participants a few moments to think quietly about the person they will
choose. Then tell each participant to turn to a partner. One person should share the
life story about the person he or she most admires. After about five minutes, direct
the pair to change roles so that both people get a chance to tell their stories.
Next, ask each pair to choose one of their two stories to share with others.
Each pair will then join with another pair for a total of four people. Two stories will
be told—one from each pair.

Part V
After the two stories are told, each group of four will again pick the one story that
they most want to share with the others. They will then join with another set of
four—each set of four telling one story. Continue in this way, adding two groups
together, until you are finally left with two or three groups only (this will depend
on the number of participants).
Finally, have one representative of each of the remaining groups stand up and tell
the large group the story of their choice for a role model. Two or three stories will
be told—one from each of these larger groups.

II. Qualities We Admire (Approximately

30 minutes)
Use a blank sheet of flip chart paper or write on the board to process this exercise.
Ask the participants to reflect on all of the stories told. What qualities do these role
models share? What do they have in common? What makes us admire these people?
How are they alike? Write each response on the flip chart. Ideas might include:
• Honest
• Reliable or dependable

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• Started with nothing but became successful

• Support many people in the family or community
• Active in the church and community
• Pays attention to the needs of others
Discuss with the group the importance of role models such as the people they admire.
Are you working hard to develop these same qualities in yourselves? Can watching
these role models help you to the right path and help you to avoid dangerous situ-
ations that might compromise your own goals? Suggest that this is the time in life
to start developing those qualities to become strong, healthy, happy adults.

Evaluation (15 minutes)

Invite all participants to state one thing that they will do to become more like the
person they admire.

Variations
In a Peer Educator Training
Point out that because they were chosen as peer educators, they will be looked to as
role models by the other young people in their community or school. Discuss with
them what a responsibility that is, and the importance of taking this responsibility
seriously and modeling good behavior for the other students to follow.

In a Girls’ Club Training or any All–Girl Environment

It is effective to adapt this exercise from “Role Models” to “Woman I Admire.”
Instead of discussing a person one admires or wishes to be like, the young women
can discuss the woman they admire or wish to be like. This can be an incredibly
empowering exercise for the girls, as it gives them a chance to reflect on the strong,
powerful women in their lives—something they probably do not do very often.

As an Introduction to the Topic of HIV/AIDS

This technique can also be an effective introduction to the “Impact of AIDS.” In
the beginning of the session, discuss the fact that many of us have been person-
ally affected by HIV/AIDS. We all have our own personal stories to share about
HIV/AIDS and the impact it has had on our lives. Stress that we are not talking
about the life of the nation or any other part of the community, but on the personal
lives of each and every one of us in this room. Perhaps we know someone who has
died; perhaps we are infected ourselves; maybe we are taking care of orphans in

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our home; perhaps we have changed our behavior due to the threat of HIV/AIDS;
perhaps it has been the focus of our work. In some way, each of us has had some
personal exposure to this disease.
Participants should take some time to think about how HIV/AIDS has affected
them personally. Proceed with the rest of the exercise using the same technique
outlined above. When processing, use the personal stories to make connections to
the wider impact that HIV/AIDS has had on the individual, the community, and
the entire nation.

The “Exchanging Stories” technique was modeled at the Peace Corps/Malawi “Community Content
Based Instruction” workshop held in Lilongwe, Malawi, in July 1997.

Part V

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Decision–Making Skills Sessions

Session 4:

Your Life Story

Overview
This is another exercise to prompt participants to think about their futures. By
imagining a satisfying and happy future, participants are encouraged to avoid any
behaviors that might take them away from the path toward their vision.

Time
1 hour, 30 minutes

Objectives
By the end of the session, participants will be able to:
1. Identify factors that might have some impact on their future plans.
2. Describe possibilities for their lives over the coming years.
3. Describe the impact HIV/AIDS might have on their futures.

Materials
None

Delivery
I. Visualizing the Future (45 minutes)
Remind the group of the importance of visualizing their future goals and using
these hopes and dreams to avoid risk behavior. Suggest that a clear idea of one’s
dreams can help to build a satisfying future. Invite the participants to listen as you
read the story:

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Anna Shapes Her Future

When Anna was born, the stars seemed to shine more brightly than ever
before. She had such intelligence, sensitivity, and beauty that surely
her life would be charmed.
At 13 years old, Anna went to a good secondary school. Her parents felt
she should be given the best possible education to prepare her for the
rest of her life. Anna shone at everything. She was so kind and so loved
by all of her friends that no one could feel jealous of her success.
At 19 years old, when Anna had just completed her second year at
university studying to be an engineer, she met a boyfriend.
He was a lovable person with a very happy nature. Time spent with
him was always wonderful although he never seemed very serious
about his work.

In pairs, have the participants talk about Anna’s options and then complete her story.
Did her life fulfill her and her family’s expectations or was this just a dream story?
Did she keep control of her life? Encourage the pairs to be creative.
After the pairs finish, have them present their story endings to the group. Discuss
all of the different possible endings. Does HIV/AIDS come up as a possible end-
ing? Unexpected pregnancy? Discuss how Anna’s bright future might be affected
by such problems. How would her “life story” change because of decisions she

Part V
might make?

II. Our Own Life Stories (45 minutes)

Trainer note: Guided visualization can be a very powerful technique. Be sure you
are comfortable helping anyone in the group who may envision upsetting things
and begin to cry. If you are not, ask someone with more experience to assist you
with this session.

Now let us think about our own futures, our own life stories. Ask participants to
close their eyes, sit back and relax, and imagine their lives next year.
Who will you be living with? Who will your friends be? Will you have a
special friend of the opposite sex?
What will you do in your spare time? Will you smoke, drink, or take drugs?
How might AIDS enter your life at this time? Will you know anyone who
is HIV positive or has AIDS?
Next imagine yourself in five years’ time. (Ask some of the same questions
from above.)

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Now think about your life in your late 20s. Will you be married? What work
will you be doing? How might AIDS enter your life at this time?
Finally, imagine that you have your own children ages 13 or 14. What kind
of lifestyle would you wish for them? What fears will you have for them?
How might HIV/AIDS affect their lives?
Think about what decisions you might make along the way to change
your future.
Ask participants to open their eyes and just relax for a few minutes. Then ask them
to reflect on what they just envisioned—on the stages of their lives. (Don’t ask
them to report out.)
Give the group a writing assignment, either in their journals or just on paper. They
should write their own “life story” imagining their futures while keeping in mind
the questions they were thinking about during this session. They can either keep this
story to themselves or share it—whatever they choose. The important thing is for
them to go through the process of imagining their lives and the possible successes
or obstacles they might encounter along the way.

Evaluation
If the participants agree, you may collect the life stories and read them to evaluate
each participant’s individual internalization of the sessions, or you may wish to
invite interested participants to share their stories with the larger group.

Pages 156–158 adapted and reprinted with permission of UNICEF Harare from Think About It! An
AIDS Action Programme for Schools—Form 2, p. 34. © UNICEF Harare 1995

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Decision–Making Skills Sessions

Session 5:

Your Goals

Overview
It is recommended that this session follow Your Life Story (Session 4 in Part V).
This is intended to help participants begin to create an action plan for their goals.
Participants are guided through a process of mapping out the steps to achieve their
goals and encouraged to begin to incorporate this process into their future planning.

Time
1 hour

Objectives

Part V
By the end of the session, participants will be able to:
1. Define short–term and long–term goals.
2. Identify an action plan for goal setting.
3. List short–term and long–term goals and strategize fulfillment of those goals.

Materials
Flip chart or board
Markers or chalk
Handout: What Are My Goals?—Goals Worksheet

Delivery
I. Planning for Our Goals (30 minutes)
Spend a few minutes reviewing the previous sessions regarding visualizing the future
and life stories. Suggest to the group that our goals are more likely to be achieved if

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we plan for them and follow that plan to completion. This session provides one kind
of action plan participants might wish to use in mapping out their future goals.
Discuss and record the meanings of “short–term goal” and “long–term goal” on the
flip chart or board. Some suggestions include:

Short–term goal:
A project that can be completed within six months. Examples include: “I am
going to clean the house today”; or, “I am going to pass my exams in two
months”; or “I am going to knit some table coverings to sell at the market.”

Long–term goal:
A project that can be completed in a year or more. Examples include: “I am
going to go to University to become a doctor”; or, “I am going to have three
children who will go to good schools.”
Next, distribute copies of the Goals Worksheet to each participant. Ask that they
not fill them in at this point. We will review them together briefly.
Using a sample goal to guide you, go through each section of the worksheet, explain
the heading, and provide examples.
1. Identify your goals. Write one short–term and one long–term goal. Suggest
“Pass my exams” as an example of a short-term goal. What about a long-term
goal?
2. What are some of the good things that I will get if I reach my goal? In our
example, “I will be able to proceed to the next grade and may then have a chance
at a University scholarship.”
3. What stands between me and my goal? “If I do not like to study or do not
study enough, this could be an obstacle to passing my exams.” Similarly, “If I
am required to work too long in the fields (or at my job) that I do not have time
to study, this may keep me from reaching my goal.”
4. What do I need to learn or do? “I need to learn my math and English in order
to do well on the exam. I also need to register for the exam with the school.”
5. Who will encourage me? “I know that my mother and my teacher really want
me to do well, so I will ask them to check in with me to make sure I am study-
ing and achieving some success.”
6. What is my plan of action? “First, I will create a study schedule for myself.
Then I will register for the exam with the school. Then I will begin to study
three hours each day until the exam.”
7. Completion Date. When will I be finished with this goal? “The exams are being
held in three months, so I will be finished on _______.” (Write in the date of
the exams in this area.)

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Review the steps until it seems clear that the participants understand the use of the
Goals Worksheet.

II. Completing Our Goals Worksheet

(25 minutes)
Provide some quiet time for participants to reflect on an important short–term and
long–term goal. Encourage all participants to plan the achievement of those goals
using the worksheet. Check in with participants individually to ensure they under-
stand the exercise. Circulate through the group and assist as necessary.

Evaluation (5 minutes)
Invite the participants to share their goal plans with a partner. Later observation
of these plans and successful completion of the steps will help you to evaluate the
participants’ understanding of the session.

Part V

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Participant Handout
Page 1 of 1

What Are My Goals?—Goals Worksheet

Short–Term Goal Long–Term Goal

Benefits in Reaching My Goal Benefits in Reaching My Goal

What might stand in my way? What might stand in my way?

What do I need to learn or do? What do I need to learn or do?

Who will encourage me? Who will encourage me?

Plans of action—Steps I will take Plans of action—Steps I will take

Completion Date Completion Date

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Decision–Making Skills Sessions

Session 6:

Early Pregnancy

Overview
One of the most important things for young people to internalize is an understanding
of the consequences of their actions. As part of the motivation portion of your Life
Skills sessions, you may wish to spend some time discussing the consequences of
becoming pregnant when you are not yet ready. This session provides an introduc-
tion to that topic.

Time
1 hour, 30 minutes

Part V
Objectives
By the end of the session, participants will be able to:
1. List the consequences of early pregnancy to the mother of the baby.
2. List the consequences of early pregnancy to the father of the baby.
3. List the consequences of early pregnancy to the baby, to the family, and to the
community.

Materials
Flip chart or paper
Markers or pens
Flip charts:
1. What are the consequences of early pregnancy for the mother of the baby?
2. What are the consequences of early pregnancy for the father of the baby?
3. What are the consequences of early pregnancy for the baby?

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4. What are the consequences of early pregnancy to the families of the couple?
5. What are the consequences of early pregnancy to the community?

Delivery
Divide the participants into five groups. Distribute one flip chart to each group and
have them brainstorm answers to the question on their sheet.
Each group will then present its ideas to the larger group in turn. Process the ideas
with the entire group. You may wish to begin to discuss some of the causes of
early pregnancy, but that topic will be covered (or has been) covered at length in
the Bridge Model.

Variations
Where a Video Machine is Available
For those working in Africa: An excellent film that highlights many of the issues
involved in early pregnancy is called “Consequences,” filmed in Zimbabwe. Copies
are available in AIDS resource centers or by contacting the National AIDS Control
Programme, Ministry of Health, P.O. Box 8204, Causeway, Harare, Zimbabwe,
or Media for Development Trust, 19 Van Praagh, Milton Park, Harare, Zimbabwe
<MDS@samara.co.zw>.
The film adeptly summarizes the issues involved in early pregnancy from the per-
spectives of all parties involved. Allow the film to spark a good discussion about this
topic. You might find that the participants refer back to the film and its characters
throughout your sessions.
For those in other parts of the world: Explore any local videos that highlight the
consequences of unwanted pregnancy.

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Decision–Making Skills Sessions

Session 7:

Alcohol and Drug Use

Overview
One of the risk behaviors that many young people fall into is the use of alcohol
or drugs. This session will take a closer look at the causes and consequences of
alcohol and drug use.

Time
1 hour, 30 minutes

Objectives

Part V
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
1. List some of the reasons that young people use alcohol or drugs.
2. List some consequences of alcohol or drug use.
3. Identify some new facts about use of alcohol.

Materials
Props for the role play
Markers or chalk
Handout: The Role Play: Ricardo’s Story
Flip chart: Some Facts about Alcohol

Some Facts about Alcohol

• People are starting to drink alcohol at younger ages than ever before.
• Young people are also drinking more heavily.
• Many young people who are injured or killed in traffic accidents have
alcohol in their blood.

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• Because young people have a higher proportion of body water and lower
proportions of fat and muscle than adults, they tend to be more affected by
alcohol—and become dependent on alcohol—more quickly than adults.
• In many countries, young people who drink alcohol go on to try illegal
drugs.
• Alcohol can seriously damage the liver and cause many other health
complications.
• Alcohol actually destroys brain cells.
• Alcohol affects judgment. Under the influence, one may be tempted to
experiment with sex, which he or she might not do if sober.

Preparation
Prepare and rehearse the role play before the session with peer educators or volun-
teers from the group.

Delivery
I. Role Play (30 minutes)
Remind the participants of the risk behaviors that young people are likely to fall
into if they fail to “build the bridge” by learning and using good life skills. Some
of the risk behaviors are drinking alcohol or using drugs. Drinking and smoking
are dangerous activities in themselves. They are even more serious when we think
about the poor decisions we may make while under the influence of alcohol or
drugs—everything from starting a fight to having unprotected sex, which could lead
to unwanted pregnancy or infection with an STD such as HIV.
Ask the participants if there is any drinking or smoking going on in their schools or
communities. Are many young people currently drinking or smoking? Invite them to
consider some of the consequences of this behavior while watching the role play.
Have the volunteers perform the role play.

II. Reasons and Consequences (45 minutes)

Discuss the role play and some of the reasons that Maurice gave for his actions.
Does this sound like a common situation? What are some of the reasons that young
people in your school or community start drinking and smoking? Brainstorm a list
of ideas with the group and write these ideas on a flip chart or on the board.
Some possibilities may be:
• Boredom
• Loneliness

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• Poverty or feelings of hopelessness

• Worry
• Parents drinking
• Failure to do well in school
• Personal happiness (“It’s fun!”)
• Trying to forget problems
• Excuses (“Even doctors and teachers drink!”)
• Trying to act grown up
• Peer pressure
Next, brainstorm the possible consequences or effects of alcohol and drug use. Make
a list on the flip chart. These consequences might include:
• Poor decision–making
• Bad health
• Failure in school
• Trouble with the police
• Problems in the family
• Stealing

Part V
• Having sex
• Getting pregnant
• Getting an STD or HIV
Reveal the Some Facts about Alcohol flip chart and go through each point with the
group. Can the participants add any others?

Evaluation (15 minutes)

Go around the room and have each participant list a different cause and effect of
alcohol or drug use, citing especially any fact that was new to them. Try not to have
any duplicates, so you can assess participants’ understanding of the session.

Pages 165–168 adapted and reprinted with permission of UNICEF Harare from Think About It! An
AIDS Action Programme for Schools—Form 2, pp. 32–33. © UNICEF Harare 1995

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Participant Handout
Page 1 of 1

The Role Play: Ricardo’s Story

Ricardo, a 15–year–old boy, has been arrested for breaking into a house and stealing a television. He was drink-
ing and smoking with a gang of friends and they decided they needed more money for their alcohol and drugs.
They hatched a scheme to rob a house and sell the television to get more money for their drinks and drugs. The
police came after the boys, but they caught only Ricardo.
Have one character play a famous reporter on the radio. This character will interview Ricardo, the 15–year–old boy
arrested for housebreaking. The reporter should create a microphone out of some paper or other prop and interview
Ricardo about the story behind his arrest. Ricardo will answer the questions. Let the actors use their creativity and
their own knowledge of the reasons behind this behavior in their community to answer the questions:
• “Ricardo, you are such a young man and now you will probably go to jail. Why did you break into the
house in the first place?”
• “Why did you start drinking and smoking?”
• “How did the alcohol and drugs make you feel?”
• “Where did you buy the alcohol and drugs?”
• “Where did you get the money for it?” and so on.

Trainer Note: Change the name and circumstances of this story to reflect your local situation.

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Decision–Making Skills Sessions

Session 8:

Risk Behavior—Testing the Waters

Overview
In this session participants take a look at their most common way of behaving in a
situation and whether that behavior might lead to risk. Since this activity will focus
largely on risk for HIV infection, it may be useful to do it after you have done basic
sessions in “Part III: Facing Facts about HIV/AIDS and STDs” with the group.

Time
1 hour, 30 minutes, to 2 hours

Objectives

Part V
By the end of the session, participants will be able to:
1. Identify “no risk,” “low risk,” and “high risk” activities as they relate to HIV
transmission.
2. Identify their own levels of risk for HIV infection.

Materials
Flip chart or board
Markers or chalk
Signs: “Plunger,” “Wader,” “Tester,” “Delayer” (pictures make them more lively)
Flip chart: Activities

Activities
1. Using toilets in a public washroom
2. Touching or comforting someone living with HIV/AIDS
3. Having sex without a condom

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4. Dry kissing
5. Having sex using the same condom more than once
6. Swimming with an HIV–infected person
7. Sharing needles for drugs, ear piercing, or tattooing
8. Abstaining from sexual intercourse
9. Going to school with an HIV–infected person
10. Cutting the skin with a knife used by others
11. Being bitten by a mosquito
12. Giving blood
13. Having sex using a condom properly
14. Eating food prepared by an HIV–infected person
15. Body to body rubbing with clothes on
16. Having sex with a condom and the condom breaks
17. Back rub or massage
18. Riding on the bus with an HIV–infected person
19. Cleaning up spilled HIV–infected blood without wearing gloves
20. Wet (deep) kissing
21. Touching or comforting someone living with AIDS
22. Receiving a blood transfusion
23. Getting an injection at a private clinic that cleans its needles with water

Trainer note: Edit this flip chart so that there are only as many activities listed
as there are participants in the session. Remember to adapt the activities to
those common in your community.

Delivery
I. Testing the Waters (Up to 30 minutes)
Explain to participants that when trying to “build the bridge” to a positive,
healthy life, it is important to understand our own personal styles and our risky
behaviors. Only by assessing our own personal risk can we know how many
“planks” we will need to put in our bridge and which particular life skills we
will want to focus on for ourselves.

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Ask participants this question: “If you went to a lake, and you really wanted to get
cool in the water, what is the most likely way for you to get into the water?
Would you:
• Just run towards the lake and dive in? (Plunger)
• Walk in slowly, wetting your body bit by bit and getting used to the
temperature? (Wader)
• Dip your toes in the water, then decide if you will go in? (Tester)
• Stand on the beach looking at the view and surroundings, and consider
what you will do next? (Delayer)
(You might act out these actions as you are saying them, to help people laugh
a bit! Don’t use the description word, however.)
Point to the four different corners of the training area, repeating one action
described above for each. Ask participants to move to a corner depending on
the action that best describes their approach to getting into the water.
Once everyone in the group has moved to a corner, give each type of response
a title—plungers, waders, testers, and delayers. Have the group put their title on
the wall. Ask participants the good and bad things about each of these types of
behavior. Explore with the group how this exercise might translate into real life
situations. How does it relate to risk for pregnancy, STDs, or even HIV/AIDS?
Discuss this connection thoroughly.
Have the participants sit down. Now ask participants to consider whether the

Part V
type of behavior they chose is their most common way of behaving. Is this their
“style” of behavior? What implications might that style have in terms of being
at risk for pregnancy, STDs, and HIV/AIDS?

II. Assessing Risk (Approximately 1 hour)

In attempting to change our behavior, it is very important to be aware of our
own risky behavior and the reasons for these risk activities. We will now do a
personal exercise to help determine our levels of risk for HIV infection.
Post the flip chart, and give the participants a few moments to go through
the list and note on paper the activities that they are now engaged in and the
activities that they have done in the past. Urge them to be completely honest
when answering. Their answers will not be collected—they will be seen only
by themselves.
Next, explain to the group that some activities have no risk at all, others have
low risk, and still others are high risk activities. Review the ways that HIV/AIDS
is transmitted and go over your definitions for the levels of risk activity. Make
sure that everyone understands these levels of risk before proceeding:

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No Risk
No risk of getting HIV/AIDS—There is no receipt of blood, semen, vaginal
fluids, or maternal body fluids.

Low Risk
Low risk of getting HIV/AIDS—There is a slight possibility of exchange
of blood, semen, vaginal fluid, or maternal fluids.

High Risk
High risk of getting HIV/AIDS—There is a strong possibility of exchange
of blood, semen, vaginal fluid, or maternal fluids.

Trainer note: To assist in discussing these questions, you may wish to refer back to
How HIV is Transmitted (Session 3 in Part III) to review the ways in which HIV
is transmitted.

Next, assign a number to each of your participants (must be equal to the number
of activities). Just have them count off from one to the last number. When you say,
“Go!” all participants will come up to the flip chart or board and write the level of
risk next to the statement with their number. For example, if my number is “5,” I
would write “High Risk.” If my number is “17,” I would write “No Risk.” Remind
the participants that they are not to write anything personal, such as whether or not
they checked this risk behavior. They are simply writing whether the behavior is
No Risk, Low Risk, or High Risk.
After everyone has finished, go over each statement with the entire group. Reach
an agreement on the levels of risk, changing any of the answers that are incorrect.
There may be a great deal of debate on some of the activities. Use this exercise to
launch a full discussion of risk activities and the different levels of risk.

III. Assessing Our Own Risk (15 minutes)

Ask the participants to take a look at the statements that they noted on their own
lists that they currently do or have done in the past. Are any of them high risk activi-
ties? Are they currently engaging in high or low risk activities that might put them
in danger of HIV or STD infection? If they had to mark themselves on the scale
below (write it on the board), where would they be placed in terms of their level of
risk for HIV infection?
________________________________________________________________
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
No Risk Low Risk High Risk

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Trainer note: Because this issue may raise many fears for people, you may wish to:

1. Follow this session with a discussion of HIV testing possibilities in the area.
2. Suggest that anyone with further questions or concerns should feel free to talk
with you after the session or at any time.
3. If people do not feel comfortable talking with you about this matter, and if you
are working with peer educators, suggest that they speak with a peer educator
for more information about these issues.

Evaluation
You will be able to evaluate the group’s knowledge about HIV transmission based
on their responses to this exercise. Be sure to make note of any incorrect responses
for further reinforcement in another session.

Pages 169–173 adapted and reprinted with permission of the World Health Organization from School
Health Education to Prevent AIDS and STD: A Resource Package for Curriculum Planners—Students’
Activities, pp. 10–11. © WHO 1994
“Testing the Waters Activity” adapted and reprinted with permission of Alice Welbourn and ACTION-
AID from Stepping Stones: A Training Package on HIV/AIDS, Communication and Relationship Skills,
pp. 134–135. © Alice Welbourn and G & A Williams 1995

Part V

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Decision–Making Skills Sessions

Session 9:

Delaying Sex

Overview
When discussing peer pressure, assertiveness, and responding to persuasion, groups
frequently discuss ways to say “no” to sex. It is useful to spend some time discuss-
ing the reasons to delay sex. If they do not truly understand why to say “no,” the
process of behavior change has not really begun.

Time
2 hours

Objectives
By the end of the session, participants will be able to:
1. List reasons to delay sexual activity.
2. Identify strategies to help in delaying sex.

Materials
Flip charts or board
Markers or chalk
Handouts: The Role Play and Delaying Sex Scenario Cards (each numbered scenario
is a separate card)

Preparation
Prepare the role play with peer educators or volunteers before the session. Create
one scenario card for each group of about five in the class.

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Delivery
I. Delaying Sex Role Play (15 minutes)
Spend a few minutes introducing the idea of abstinence, or delaying sex (until after
marriage, until older, until more responsible, and so forth). Explain that we are now
going to watch a common situation between two young people. As they watch the
role play, the group should think about the reasons why these young people should
delay their sexual activity.
Have your volunteer actors perform the role play.

Trainer note: If your group has been doing too many role plays, you may wish to
provide a copy of the situation to participants, read it together, and discuss.

II. Reasons to Delay Sex (40 minutes)

After the role play ends, use leading questions to explore the situation with the group.
Make two lists: “Reasons for Saying Yes” and “Reasons for Saying No.” What are
some reasons to have sex in this situation? What are some reasons to delay sex in
this situation? Lists may look something like this:

Reasons for Saying Yes

• They should prove their love to each other

Part V
• The relationship might end otherwise
• Curiosity about sex
• “Everyone is having sex”
• It “feels right”
• One partner convinces the other that there will be no problems
• Both are comfortable with the decision

Reasons for Saying No

• Fear of pregnancy
• Fear of an STD
• Family expectations (not to have sex)
• Friendship (to allow it to grow)
• Other forms of affection possible
• Religious values (don’t approve of sex before marriage)
• Not ready (perhaps too young)
• Not with the right person

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Go through the “Reasons to Say Yes” list. What are the good reasons? Less convinc-
ing ones? What might be the consequences of each situation? What should Edward
and Maria do? What reasons might be the strongest or most important for them?
Now, focus your attention on the “Reasons to Say No” list and attempt to expand on
it with the group. List any additional reasons to delay sex that the group suggests.
Strive to come up with a working list that you and your group will agree on as good
reasons to delay sex. For example:

Top 10 Reasons to Delay Sex

• Fear of pregnancy — “No sex” is 100 percent effective in preventing preg-
nancy.
• Fear of STDs or HIV/AIDS — HIV and other STDs are transmitted through
sexual intercourse.
• Family expectations — Parents expect “no sex” until marriage.
• Fear of violence — In a sexual situation, there is the possibility of being
forced to have sexual intercourse.
• Friendship — Allow time for the friendship to develop.
• Drinking involved — Alcohol can lead to poor decisions (such as having
sex without condoms).
• Religious values — Values may preclude sex before or outside of mar-
riage.
• Not ready — You feel too young or just not ready.
• Waiting for the right person — You want the person to truly love you before
you have sex.
• Wait until marriage

III. Help for Delaying Sex (1 hour)

Once your group has come up with good reasons to delay sex, spend some time
discussing the fact that sometimes delaying sex can be difficult, especially if both
partners love each other and truly want to be more intimate and physical. It may be
helpful to come up with some strategies to make delaying sexual activity easier.
Split participants into three small groups of about five members (more if the group
is large). Give each group a different situation card. Ask the groups to read their
situation card and come up with some suggestions to help the two people to delay
sex. What are some ways for them to avoid sexual situations? What will make it
easier for them to delay sex?
After the groups have finished working on their suggestions, have each group present
the scenario and their list of ideas on how to delay sex to the larger group. Discuss
these strategies together and come up with a list that the whole group agrees on. (It
may be a good idea to post a copy of this list in the area where you usually meet.)

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Help for Delaying Sex (suggested items)

• Go to parties and other events with friends.
• Decide how far you want to “go” (your sexual limits) before being in a
pressure situation.
• Decide your alcohol or drug limits before a pressure situation arises or do
not use alcohol or drugs at all.
• Avoid falling for romantic words or arguments.
• Be clear about your limits. Do not give mixed messages or act sexy when
you don’t want sex.
• Pay attention to your feelings. When a situation is uncomfortable, leave.
• Get involved in activities (e.g., sports, clubs, hobbies, church).
• Avoid “hanging out” with people who might pressure you to have sex.
• Be honest from the beginning, by saying you do not want to have sex.
• Avoid going out with people you cannot trust.
• Avoid secluded places where you might not be able to get help.
• Do not accept rides from those you do not know or cannot trust.
• Do not accept presents and money from people you cannot trust.
• Avoid going to someone’s room when no one else is at home.

Part V
• Explore other ways of showing affection than sexual intercourse.
The final suggestion on this list may raise a number of questions or a great deal
of interest. If the group wants to talk about different ways to show affection other
than sex, take this opportunity to explore what the group believes to be other op-
tions. Spend time creating such a list and analyzing the suggestions for possible
risk activity. This may lead you to further discussions about alternatives to sex, as
well as risk behavior and the different levels of risk.

Evaluation (5 minutes)
As a wrap–up to the session, invite participants to name one strategy that they will
use to delay sexual activity.

Pages 174–179 adapted and reprinted with permission of the World Health Organization from School
Health Education to prevent AIDS and STD: A Resource Package for Curriculum Planners—Students’
Activities, pp. 30–35. © WHO 1994

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Participant Handout

The Role Play

Edward is 17 years old and helps his uncle in his shop. His parents are hard working and hold traditional
values. They believe that young people should not have sex before marriage. Edward is quite shy but would
like to have sex because most of his friends say that it is great.
Maria is 14 but appears and acts older. Her sister became pregnant when she was 15 and her parents were very
upset. Maria hasn’t known Edward very long. She has just finished three classes on AIDS and really does not
want to get HIV. She is afraid, however, that she might lose Edward if she refuses to have sex with him.

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Participant Cards
(each numbered scenario is a separate card)

Delaying Sex Scenario Cards

1. Ja’o and Miriama have been seeing each other for six months now. They have not had sex yet
but find it difficult to control their sexual feelings for each other. Miriama has promised herself
not to have sex until she is older, and so far Ja’o has respected that wish. Miriama has been
thinking about how much she likes Ja’o. One of their friends, who lives on his own, is going to
have a party, and they are invited. Ja’o says he will bring some beer and that maybe they could
stay all night. Miriama thinks about her promise to herself but also thinks it would be great fun
to be alone with Ja’o.

2. Manolo and Mariela are very serious about their relationship and would like to get married in a
few years. Mariela has invited Manolo over to her house for the afternoon. Manolo knows that
Mariela’s parents will not get back until evening. This could be a good time for sex for the first
time. Manolo has been learning about pregnancy, HIV/AIDS, and STDs, and he is not sure he
wants to have sex yet. However, he feels Mariela would like to have sex and will probably tease
him or tell her girlfriends if he doesn’t.

Part V
3. Eva met a young man, John, at school. She was attracted to him because he is good looking and
a good athlete. He said hello to her after school and gave her a small, beautiful present—for
future friendship, he said. He invited her to go for a walk to the river. Eva is attracted to him
but feels uncomfortable about the situation. However, she must give him an answer soon.

Trainer Note: Remember to change the names and adapt the situations to make them appropriate
to your community.

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Part VI:
Relationship Skills

Part VI

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Relationship Skills Sessions

Session 1:

The Best Response Game

Overview
Communicating effectively and thinking critically are important components to
managing a good relationship. The Best Response Game has proven an effective
tool to help participants practice thinking and communicating under a pressure
situation—very much like the pressure they may experience in a sexual encounter.
This game provides a lively forum to practice the skills young people will need to
delay sex.

Time
1 hour, 30 minutes

Objectives
By the end of this session, the participants will be able to:
1. Identify typical “lines” people use to pressure others for sex.
2. Strategize appropriate responses to those “lines.”

Part VI
3. List effective responses to common “pressure lines.”

Materials
Small slips of blank paper
A watch or clock with a second hand
Flip chart or board for scoring
Markers or chalk
List of “pressure lines” (for facilitator use only):
1. “Everybody is doing it.”
2. “If you truly love me, you will have sex with me.”

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3. “I know you want to—you’re just afraid.”

4. “Don’t you trust me? Do you think I have AIDS?”
5. “Girls need to have sex. If not, they develop rashes.”
6. “We had sex once before, so what’s the problem now?”
7. “But I have to have it!”
8. “If you don’t have sex with me, I won’t see you anymore.”
9. “Girls need to have sex. Boys give them vitamins (to make their breasts
grow).”
10. “If you don’t, someone else will!”
11. “Practice makes perfect.”
12. “You can’t get pregnant if you have sex only one time!”
13. “You don’t think I have a disease, do you?”
14. “But I love you. Don’t you love me?”
15. “Nothing will go wrong. Don’t worry.”
16. “But we’re going to be married anyway. Why not just this once?”
17. “Aren’t you curious?”

Preparation
Arrange the room into three or more areas for teams and judges to sit. (The
number of areas will depend on the size of the group. Try to keep teams at five
people or less.)

Delivery
I. The Best Response Game
(1 hour, 10 minutes)
Introduce the session by referring to the Bridge Model and to Lucy’s predicament.
Her boyfriend was able to convince her to have sex, even when she knew the risks.
Often young women and men are pressured into having sexual relations even when
they do not want to. Developing life skills such as good communication and ne-
gotiating, making appropriate decisions, thinking through the consequences, and
delivering assertive messages is important. These skills teach us how to get out of
such situations without giving in. This exercise is a way to practice these skills and
have fun at the same time.
Divide into small groups. Ask for a few volunteers to serve as the team of judges.
Ask the teams to create names for themselves and write the name of each team on
the scoreboard (flip chart or board).

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Spend a few moments referring to the Bridge Model flip chart and discussing the
idea of peer pressure, which is one of the most difficult issues for young people to
overcome. When peer pressure comes from a boyfriend or girlfriend in a relation-
ship, it can be even more difficult to resist.
Explain that you have collected a list of different “pressure lines” that a person
might try to use to get his or her partner to have sex.
Here is how the game works:
• Read one of the “pressure lines.”
• The teams have two minutes (or one minute if the teams are small) to come
up with the best response to the “pressure line.” What would you say to
refuse if someone used this line on you?
• The team should agree on the best response and write their idea on the small
slip of paper.
• You will time the groups and call out when the time is up.
• Collect the slips of paper and read them aloud to the whole group. Keep it
lively and fun! Give the slips of paper to the team of judges.
• The judges will have one minute (or 30 seconds) to choose the winner. The
judges should award two points to the winning team and zero points to the
other groups.
• Write the points on the scoreboard and then repeat the process with the next
pressure line.
• When the lines are exhausted or people are looking as though they have had
enough, tally up the scores and announce the winner. Give a small prize if
you want!

II. Processing the “Pressure Lines”

(15 minutes)

Part VI
Spend a few moments after the game to process the exercise. Draw from the group
some of the ways this game is helpful:
1. It helps young people hear the common “lines” people use when they want
to have sex. Often, young people may not recognize these as “lines”—they
may think they are the only ones to ever hear or use these ideas. Hearing these
“lines” in this game context may bring them to mind when the real situation
happens and makes it much clearer that they are common “lines” used often
to pressure.
2. The many different ideas mentioned by individuals on the team and by the
teams as a whole offer a variety of different responses that a person can use
when in an actual situation. Also, the process of exploring these responses
with a group can make a young person feel very supported when actually
saying “no” to sex.

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3. It is helpful to think about these “lines” before being in a pressured or passionate

situation, so that good answers will be ready without too much prior thought.
It can be fun and helpful for you to spend a few moments at the end of this session
brainstorming about other “pressure lines” that people in the group might have
heard. This brainstorming can help you also the next time you do the session. You
will have statements actually used in your community that will be familiar to the
young people listening to you.

Evaluation (5 minutes)
Quickly go around the room and ask each participant to state the response that he
or she would most likely use in a pressure situation.

Variations
Negotiating Condom Use
The same game can be adapted to a session on negotiating condom use. Create a
list of “lines” someone might use to keep from using a condom during sex. You can
think of many such lines. Here are some samples:
• “A condom would make it so awkward.”
• “It’s like eating a sweet in the wrapper.”
• “They spoil the mood.”
• “They don’t feel good.”
• “You think I have a disease.”
• “They have HIV in them.”
• “They make me feel dirty.”
• “You’re already using something to prevent pregnancy.”
• “I’d be too embarrassed to get them from the health center.”
• “It’s against my religion.”

The “Best Response Game” was modeled at the Peace Corps/Malawi workshop “Promoting Sexual
Health,” held in Lilongwe, Malawi, in July 1996.

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Relationship Skills Sessions

Session 2:

Oh! Henry! and

Managing Emotions Gallery Walk

Overview
An important component to resisting peer pressure, acting assertively, and making
healthy decisions is being able to control one’s emotions. This session provides an
overview on ways to control the consequences of one’s feelings.

Time
1 hour, 30 minutes

Objectives
By the end of the session, participants will be able to:
1. List a number of emotions that may have an influence on the development of
life skills.

Part VI
2. Identify strategies to effectively manage emotions.

Materials
Flip charts or board
Markers or pens
Tape
Flip charts—about eight with the following phrase written on them:
“How do you manage your __________.”

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Preparation
Clear the walls all around the room for hanging flip charts.

Delivery
I. Oh! Henry! (20 minutes)
Referring to the Bridge Model flip chart, facilitate a discussion on the link between
managing one’s feelings and avoiding risk behavior.
Introduce the idea of emotions with a quick exercise, “Oh! Henry!” Invite the par-
ticipants to stand in a circle. Remind the group that there are many ways that we
can communicate—even with our bodies and our tone of voice. Refer back to the
communication skills sessions to remind participants of this link of emotions and
communication. Explain that this activity will illustrate how different uses of our
voices and bodies can communicate many different things to people.
Show how you can say the phrase “Oh! Henry!” with many different emotions—with
anger, with joy, with fear, with laughter. Going around the circle, each participant
will say the phrase “Oh! Henry!” using different body language, tones of voice, and
facial expressions to communicate different emotions. This exercise can be very
lively. Have fun with it!
After everyone has participated once or twice, list on a flip chart or on the board
the different emotions that were expressed in the exercise. Some of the emotions
mentioned might be as follows:
sadness anger fear grief
anxiety joy love passion
pain confusion depression rage
jealousy annoyance misery regret
guilt disappointment happiness laughter

II. Managing Emotions Gallery Walk (1 hour)

Spend a few moments discussing how some of the emotions listed might translate
into risky behavior.
Some of these emotions, such as joy or happiness, may be better to express openly
than others. Which emotions does this culture teach us to control or manage? Place
a check next to those emotions that are considered culturally inappropriate to show
as adults. How can learning to manage emotions help to reduce risk behavior?
It is not easy to learn to “manage” extremely strong emotions such as anger, passion,
sexual feelings, or jealousy, but it is very important that we develop strategies to
do so. Many of us already have strategies that we use to manage our emotions. If

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you are feeling very angry and want to hit someone, what do you do to control this
feeling? If you are feeling sexual and want to be with someone, what can you do?
We will now take a few moments to share techniques for managing our emotions.
Fill in the blanks left on the flip charts with the emotions participants indicate need
to be “managed.” Then place them around the room (taped to the wall—or if that
is not possible—on tables or benches). You will have different flip charts all over
the room that read like these examples:
“How do you manage your anger?”
“How do you manage your grief?”
“How do you manage your sexual feelings or passion?”
Only use those emotions that the group chose as important to learn to manage.
For about 15 or 20 minutes, all participants should move throughout the room and
write on the flip charts what their strategies are for managing the emotions listed.
An example of one of the completed flip charts might be:

How Do I Manage My Anger?

• Count to 10.
• Walk away and come back to the situation later.
• Stop and analyze why I am really angry.
• Think about the situation from the perspective of the other person.
• Pray or meditate.
• Think of a funny story.
• Try to communicate and resolve the situation peacefully.
After all ideas have been exhausted, the participants should take a “gallery walk” of
the flip charts—walking to and reading each of them in turn, learning the perspec-

Part VI
tives offered on managing emotions. After the gallery walk, have all participants sit
down and process the exercise. What were some of the best ideas? Were any ideas
unrealistic? Do any of them take practice?

Evaluation (10 minutes)

At the end of the session, ask participants to stand and state the emotion that they
are most committed to learning to control, along with two to three strategies that
they will attempt to use to control those feelings.

The “Oh! Henry!” exercise was adapted and reprinted with permission of Alice Welbourn and AC-
TIONAID from Stepping Stones: A Training Package on HIV/AIDS, Communication and Relationship
Skills, pp. 118–119. © Alice Welbourn and G & A Williams 1995

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Relationship Skills Sessions

Session 3:

Peer Pressure Role Plays

Overview
The idea behind Peer Pressure Role Plays is to create situations that a young
person might actually face and allow the group to process the best way to handle
these situations. When creating your role play scenarios, it is best for you to explore
with your community the most common risk situations a young person might face
in your area. Develop the role plays from these situations.

Time
Approximately 2 hours (but can be longer or shorter depending on the size of the
group and the number of role plays chosen)

Objectives
By the end of the session, participants will be able to:
1. Describe common situations faced by young people.
2. List several strategies for dealing with peer pressure.
3. Identify the strategies they are most comfortable with.

Materials
Various props for the role plays such as empty bottles, radios with tape players,
cloth or clothes, and others.
Handout: Peer Pressure Scenarios (each numbered statement is a separate card)

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Delivery
I. Introduction (15 minutes)
Introduce the topic by referring to the Bridge Model (Session 1 in Part I), to the
Best Response Game (Session 1 in Part VI), or to the Responding to Persuasion
(Sessions 5 and 6 in Part IV) sessions. You may wish to highlight peer pressure as
one of the most powerful issues in the life of anyone, especially a young person. It
is important to think about and practice approaches to peer pressure when attempt-
ing to develop the skills necessary to lead a healthy, positive life.

II. Role Plays (1 hour, 30 minutes)

Divide the group into small groups and give each a role play card. The groups should
meet and talk about the peer pressure situation and come up with a realistic reac-
tion or response for the problem. The group should then create a role play showing
the situation and how the young person resists peer pressure. After each role play,
process the situation and responses with the entire group. Was it realistic? Would the
resistance demonstrated actually work in the situation? Is this a common situation
in our communities? And so on.

Trainer note: Emphasize that the solution should be realistic. Often, when adults
do this activity, the solutions seem to be easy—the character “just says no” or
preaches the right way to live and everyone accepts it. When young people do the
role play, it is seldom that simple. The reason peer pressure is so powerful is that
young people want to “fit in.” They care what other people their own age feel and
think about them. The exercise is most valuable if the small groups develop some
realistic strategies to help themselves out of these situations without making them
“lose face” or become ostracized by their friends. When doing this exercise with
young people in your community, note the strategies that they use, as these may be
the most effective ones available to them.

Part VI
Evaluation (15 minutes)
Before the end of the session, you may wish to go around the room and ask the
participants to state one specific strategy that they would be comfortable using.
This may help you to gauge how likely it is for participants to use these strategies
for their own situations.

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Participant Handout
(each numbered statement is a separate card)

Peer Pressure Scenarios

1. A boyfriend and his girlfriend are together. They have been dating for two years, and they plan to be
married in one month. Up to now, they have avoided having sex. But today, the boyfriend really starts
pressuring the girlfriend for sex. He says that, since they will be married soon, they should “practice.”
He also uses other lines to try to convince her. Perform a role play showing this situation and how the
girlfriend can respond to this peer pressure.

2. A group of secondary school students are at a dance. They are dancing and having a really good time
together. One of the students takes out some alcohol from under his or her jacket. He or she starts drink-
ing and tries to get the others to drink, too. He or she says that there is more to drink outside and tries to
pressure others to join him or her in drinking. Some of the students agree. Show how the other(s) could
handle this pressure situation.

3. Some friends are chatting outside. One of their friends comes up to them and joins them. After a few
minutes, this person takes out some marijuana and lights it up. He or she asks the others to join him or
her. They all resist for awhile, but then some of the group also smoke. One refuses to smoke. Now, the
group pressures this person to join them. Show what the person should do to resist this peer pressure.

4. A group of friends are hanging out near the market. They are talking about how bored they are. They
really wish they had something to do. One of them suggests that they go to the grocery store and steal
some chocolate. Some of the friends agree—excited to do something on this boring day! As the group
walks to the store, one of them is really afraid and does not want to participate in stealing from the store.
Create a role play showing what this person might do to resist the peer pressure.

5. A group of young men are talking about women at the secondary school. Most of them say they have
had sex, and they are teasing one about the fact that he has not. Create a role play showing how this boy
could handle this situation assertively.

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Relationship Skills Sessions

Session 4:

What is Love?

Overview
It can be helpful to spend some time in Life Skills sessions talking about the whole
idea of love and relationships. Questions like, “What is love?” and “What quali-
ties would I look for in a partner or husband or wife?” can help a young person to
visualize what they want, so they can avoid unhealthy relationships.

Time
1 hour, 30 minutes

Objectives
By the end of the session, participants will be able to:
1. Define the term “love.”
2. Describe the differences between love for a family member, a friend, or
a partner.
3. List the qualities they expect from family, friends, and a partner.

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4. List their own responsibilities in love relationships with family, friends,
and partners.

Materials
Paper and pens

Delivery
I. Introduction (10 minutes)
You might introduce the topic by referring to some of the sessions on goals, hopes,
and dreams. Many have the dream that they will find a good partner with which to
share their lives. We will be exploring these hopes in this session.

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Ask participants to give you a word or words that mean “love.” Is everyone agreed
upon these words or expressions? Do these words or expressions apply to the love
someone has for their partner alone, or can they be used to describe feelings between
brother and sister, and so forth? If other words or expressions are used to describe
relationships, other than for a partner alone, ask everyone to agree on those, also.

II. Love Between Friends or Family Members

(20 minutes)
Ask everyone to divide into pairs. (You may find that single–sex pairs will work
best for this exercise.)
Ask each pair to describe to each other three qualities that they show to a close
brother, or sister, or friend whom they particularly love; and then three qualities that
they expect from the same brother, sister, or friend who loves them.
Call everyone back to the larger group and ask participants to share their thoughts
and ideas. If there is general agreement, move on. If not, encourage participants to
discuss the different views further in the large group.

III. Love Between Partners [Husbands and

Wives or Boyfriends and Girlfriends]
(25 minutes)
Next, ask each pair to take turns describing to each other three qualities which they
would show to a partner whom they love; and three qualities which they expect
from a partner who loves them.
Again, call everyone back to the full circle. Ask them to share their ideas. If there
are some clear differences in the qualities of love described between partners and
those described for sisters, brothers, or friends, point these out to participants. Ask
them to define these differences more clearly. Encourage them to try to explain why
these differences exist.
In this culture, does love equal sex? Does love equal marriage? If love does not
equal marriage, what, at least, are the minimum levels of respect which they think
each member of the couple should show each other?

IV. Qualities I Want in a “Love” or “Romantic”

Relationship (25 minutes)
Lastly, have the pairs meet once again. This time, they should each list five quali-
ties that they would look for in a relationship. What would their ideal partner be
like? Encourage them to list exactly what they would most want in a boyfriend or
girlfriend or in a husband or wife.
In the larger group, ask the participants to share their ideas about the qualities of
an ideal relationship.

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It can be helpful at the end for you to ask:

1. Are any of the members of the group currently in a relationship? Do these
partners meet all of the qualities that you wish for in a relationship? (It is not
necessary for the group to actually answer these questions. This is just “food
for thought.”)
2. Is this the person you want to spend the rest of your life with? What will be the
consequences of that?
3. Would it be more helpful for you to wait a few years to make sure that you stay
with the type of person that you have described as having qualities you admire?
Encourage these young people to think about their relationships objectively. It is
easy for a teenager to get “starry–eyed” about a relationship, and act as if it is per-
fect. Use your questions to probe a bit deeper and at least leave the young people
with the idea that other options might be out there that would match what they want
better. It is safer to avoid early pregnancy, early sexual involvement, and so forth,
until they are quite sure and ready to make the decision that this person is the “only
one” and will meet their needs for a lifetime.

Trainer note: Sometimes, especially for girls, the very idea of having personal
needs, and certainly, of having these needs met, is a new concept. Spending this
entire session reinforcing that can be very powerful in terms of self–esteem. Make
it clear to the girls that they have options, too, that relationships are their choice
too, and so forth.

Evaluation (10 minutes)

Ask the participants to write on a sheet of paper that will be kept anonymous:
1. Are they seeing anyone in a relationship now?
2. If so, does the person they are seeing meet all of the qualities they are

Part VI
looking for?
3. Is this the person they want to be with for the rest of their life? If not, are they
protecting themselves to make sure that they will not be “trapped” into a situation
for the rest of their lives (early pregnancy, infection with HIV, and so forth)?

Pages 193–195 adapted and reprinted with permission of Alice Welbourn and ACTIONAID from
Stepping Stones: A Training Package on HIV/AIDS, Communication and Relationship Skills, pp.
56–61. © Alice Welbourn and G & A Williams 1995

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Relationship Skills Sessions

Session 5:

Self–Esteem Building: Do We Have

Self–Esteem?

Overview
Fundamental to the development and effective use of life skills is the concept that
young people have an understanding of their own worth. Building self–esteem is
an integral part of all life skills sessions, but it may be worthwhile to spend a few
sessions actually talking about “self worth,” “self–esteem,” or “self–image.”

Time
1 hour, 10 minutes

Objectives
By the end of the session, participants will be able to:
1. Define the term “self–esteem.”
2. Describe the link between self–esteem, assertive behavior, and good deci-
sion–making.
3. List qualities that they most admire about themselves.
4. List areas in which they would like to improve.

Materials
Flip charts or board
Markers or chalk
Paper and pens or pencils

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Delivery
I. What is Self–esteem? Where Does it Come
From? (30 minutes)
In Exchanging Stories (Session 3 in Part V) we looked at the type of person we
want to be. In working to develop ourselves into that “person we admire,” it can be
helpful for us to have an understanding about how we assess ourselves right now.
This session is a first step in understanding our feelings about ourselves.
Brainstorm a meaning for the term, “self–esteem.” What does it mean? List the
answers on the flip chart or board. Possible answers might include:
• How you see yourself
• Believing that you are worth a lot
• Personal strength, and so on
Next, refer to the Bridge Model and to the situation with Lucy. Did Lucy have
self–esteem? Why or why not? Would self–esteem have helped her make a different
decision regarding her boyfriend? Spend some time drawing out the link between
self–esteem and good decision–making, communication, and thinking skills.
Ask the participants where they think self–esteem comes from. Discuss the
possible sources of self–esteem and jot them down on the flip chart or board.
Ideas might include:
• How your parents raise you or treat you
• Belief in God (He can’t make poor materials, and so on)
• Image of girls or boys in the community
• Treatment by brothers, sisters, other family members
• Personal reflection on our lives, and so on

Part VI
II. Who Am I? (20 minutes)
Take a moment to begin to look at your own image. What are the most important
parts of you? How do you see yourself?
Invite participants to write 10 sentences that start with the words, “I am…”
Examples might be “I am an intelligent young woman.” Or “I am a really good
friend to others.” Emphasize that this exercise will not be collected but is for their
personal use only.
Next, suggest that participants put a check mark next to the things they like about
themselves. Put a question mark next to the things you want to change.

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In looking at their own lists, would participants say that they have good self–es-
teem, or that maybe they need to work on developing their self image a bit more?
(Participants do not need to actually answer this question.)

Evaluation (5 minutes)
You might suggest a homework or journal assignment of some kind to evaluate the
understanding of the concepts in this session. For example, you might ask partici-
pants to write a short essay on their own self–esteem, and include ideas regarding
where that self–image might have come from. Before making such an assignment,
get permission from the participants to read their essays or journal entries, if you
wish to collect and review them.

Pages 196–198 adapted and reprinted with permission of UNICEF Harare from Think About It! An
AIDS Action Programme for Schools—Form 3, pp. 20–21. © UNICEF Harare 1995

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Relationship Skills Sessions

Session 6:

Self–Esteem Building:
“A Pat on the Back”

Overview
This is a short, fun, “feel good” activity to raise self–esteem and build team spirit.
It is conducted most successfully with a group that has been together for awhile
and know each other well. You might use it during the self–esteem sessions or at
any time for a “pick–me–up” and a group bonding experience.

Time
30 to 45 minutes

Objectives
By the end of the session, participants will be able to:
1. Identify the strengths of others in the group.

Part VI
2. List qualities others admire in them.

Materials
One sheet of paper (cardboard works best) for each person
One marker or pen for each person
Tape
Pins, clothespins, or paper clips

Delivery (30 to 45 minutes)

Give one sheet of paper, a pen, and something to attach the paper (tape, pin, paper
clip, clothespin) to each participant.

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Talk a little bit about the group. Explain that we have all made an impression on
each other in one way or another. We all have some positive things that we would
like to say to each other, but sometimes we forget to tell each other the good things.
This exercise gives us an opportunity to share with each other the impressions we
have of each other and have some fun at the same time.

Trainer note: It is important to stress that we are focusing on positive things and
good things to avoid having anyone writing negative things on the cards.

Instruct the participants to write their names on an upper corner of their papers and
to make some symbol that represents them in the center. They could trace their
hand, draw a star, heart, or sun—anything that represents them. Next, they should
attach their papers to their backs.
Think about the different people in the room. What positive words would you use
to describe each person? What happy message would you like to give to different
people in the room? Tell the participants that when you say, “Go!” they should move
around and write one (or two) word(s) on each other’s papers.
When most seem to have finished, say, “Stop!” and let the participants remove their
papers from their backs. There should be a great deal of joy and laughter as people
see the positive feelings others have for them!
You can make this session longer and more powerful by having the participants stand
up, one by one, and read out what their cards say about them. For example, “My name
is ________, and I am beautiful, powerful, smart, dynamic, strong, a true leader.”
This can be a powerful reinforcement to self–esteem, as the participants actually
“own” the statements by reading them aloud and sharing them with the group.

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Relationship Skills Sessions

Session 7­:

What are Gender Roles?

—Gender Cards Exercise

Overview
This is a good exercise to use as an introduction to the topic of gender. It helps
clarify the meaning of the term “gender roles” and also provides a forum to begin
to discuss issues of gender in the community and culture.

Time
1 hour, 30 minutes, to 2 hours

Objectives
By the end of the session, participants will be able to:
1. Define the term “gender roles.”
2. Describe the difference between “sex” and “gender roles.”

Part VI
3. List some of the gender roles expected of men and women in this community.
4. Describe challenges to current gender roles and ways that they might be chang-
ing in this community.

Materials
Flip chart or board
Markers or chalk
Tape
Large cards: “Female” and “Male”
Small Gender Cards (one word or phrase per card): at least one card per participant

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Suggested Descriptive Words for Gender Cards

leadership decision–making pregnancy serving others
education authority money fetching water
building a house power work chopping firewood
intelligence cooking pregnancy raising children
family decisions love violence powerless or helpless
weak sports beauty driving a vehicle
stealing active in church doctor sweeping
wants sex religion control digging graves
asks for sex strength nurse caring for the sick

Trainer Note: It is imperative that you only use descriptive words that make
sense in your local community. Be sure to adapt the above list to local language
and culture.

Preparation
Put tape on the back of each card.
Clear a space along the wall for the exercise. Form any chairs in a semi–circle
around the blank wall.

Delivery
I. Gender Roles (up to 1 hour)
The way you approach this exercise will vary depending on participants. Some will
be quite aware of the difference between “gender roles” and “sex.” Others will not
understand the word “gender” at all. In many communities, the phrase “gender is-
sues” is tossed around whenever the idea of female empowerment is discussed, but
many do not understand the concept.
Sometimes it is helpful to begin by explaining that you are about to do an exercise
to discuss the idea of the term “gender roles” and how someone’s gender roles
are different from his or her sex. Ask one of the participants to tell you his or her
“sex.” “Male” or “Female” should be the answer. Now see if the person can tell
you some of his or her gender roles. Spend only a moment or two on this and then
move into the exercise.
Tape the cards “Female” and “Male” to the blank wall, about three feet apart.
Explain to the group that you are going to hand out one card for each participant.
They should not look at their cards, but keep them face down or pressed against

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them. When you say, “Go!” all participants should read their cards and immediately
put the card on the wall where it belongs. Give no further instructions. Remember
to emphasize that all of the people should respond quickly and place their cards on
the wall the minute you say, “Go!”
Trainer note: Speed is a very important concern in this exercise. You want to get
the person’s first reaction—before they have a chance to think about what you
might want them to say. They should react with their natural feelings, and they
should do it fast!

When all the cards have been placed and the participants have returned to their
seats, ask the group to take a look at where the cards have been placed. It may look
something like this:
Female Male
housework marriage strength
pregnancy sexual intercourse makes decisions
raising children religion education
serving guests leadership
Trainer note: Depending on the group, you will have very different responses here.
In some communities, you might find that very traditional roles are assigned to
each, and that no one thinks to put any of the ideas in the middle. Other groups may
have been exposed to these ideas before and will have a more balanced idea with
many in the middle. Some groups will want to “outsmart” you and put traditional
female roles under the male category. You should really be prepared to “think on
your feet” during this exercise. Where the words are placed will tell you a great
deal about your participants’ thinking on gender issues. This will help you gauge
how to approach the gender discussion that follows.

Ask the group if everyone agrees on the placement of the cards. Allow the exercise
to spark debate among the participants regarding how the culture views certain

Part VI
activities in terms of gender. You may wish to move card–by–card through the
exercise, asking the opinions of all participants and possibly moving a card if the
entire group agrees to do so.
The discussion about gender can take a great deal of time and be very controversial if
people are willing to open up and share how they feel about their culture’s approach
to gender. Allow the discussion to be as free as possible—guiding it only to keep
people from becoming disrespectful or violating any of the group’s ground rules.

II. “Gender Roles” versus “Sex”

(up to 1 hour)
When the discussion has reached an appropriate stage, take all of the cards (except
“Female” and “Male”) off of the wall. Tell the group that they are going to do the
same exercise again, but this time they should place the card under the type of
person who is physically able or biologically capable of whatever is written on

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the card. Make sure that the participants understand that you are now talking about
natural, physical capabilities. Is a man, a woman, or both able to do, or be, what
is written on the card?
Hand out one card to each person and again say, “Go!” The group should tape the
cards to the wall again. This time, they may look something like this:
Female Male
pregnancy marriage strength
education
leadership
Again, process the placement of the cards. What is the difference from the first time?
Do any cards still need to be moved?
Based on the exercise, ask the group to process the ideas of “sex” and “gender roles.”
What is the difference between these two ideas? Ask one woman what her “sex”
is. She should say “female” to which you could reply, “Right! Your sex is whether
you are a male or a female. It is the biological, physical fact of being born a boy or
a girl.” Write the definition of “sex” on the board or flip chart.
Now, ask the group what “gender roles” mean. If no one can tell you, refer to the first
exercise and where the people placed the roles. What made the people place certain
roles under “Male” and other roles under “Female?” Assist the group in making a
definition of “gender”—something like “the roles of a person based on their sex”
or “what society or a culture expects from you based on whether you are male or
female.” You want them to realize that gender is determined by culture—it is how
the community wants you to behave and think based on whether you are a man or
a woman. For example, a girl from one country and a girl from another country
have the same sex, but their gender roles are probably different because they were
raised in different cultures.
Discuss briefly how gender impacts our life skills. Do girls communicate differently
than boys in this country? Are girls able to make decisions as much as boys? How
are relationships different for boys and girls? Consequences? Until the next time
that the group meets, participants should think about these issues and their possible
effects on life skills.

Evaluation
Careful attention to the discussion will give you some idea about the understanding
of the differences between “sex” and “gender roles.” Changes in attitudes about
these issues may not happen at this point, as this may be the beginning of the thought
process around these issues.
This session was adapted from a “gender cards” session modeled at the Peace Corps/Malawi workshop
“Promoting Sexual Health,” held in Lilongwe, Malawi, in July 1996.

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Relationship Skills Sessions

Session 8:

Gender Picture Codes and Role Plays

Overview
This session will help the group delve deeper into the issues of gender roles cur-
rently at work in their culture. It is a good follow–up to Gender Cards (Session 7
in Part VI). By directing attention to everyday situations often taken for granted,
participants are challenged to make some meaning out of these roles, including the
possible benefits or consequences of them.

Time
2 hours or more, depending on the size of the group

Objectives
By the end of the session, participants will be able to:
1. Describe some of the gender roles at work in their community.
2. Describe some of the consequences of these gender roles, especially in terms
of the decision–making power of women and girls.

Part VI
3. Identify possible alternatives to traditional gender roles.

Materials
Various props for role plays
Handout: Gender Picture Codes
Tape

Preparation
The examples provided at the end of this session are merely intended to clarify the
types of picture codes that might be useful. You should create picture codes ap-
propriate to your local area before conducting this session.

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Work with your counterparts or colleagues to develop picture codes appropriate

to your community. The information you collected during your needs assessment
should be helpful in pinpointing the major gender issues at work in the area.
Choose the number of role plays you will use depending on the number of partici-
pants and the time allotted.
We have found it is useful to add at least one “positive” gender situation when do-
ing this session, rather than dwelling solely on negative situations. It can be very
powerful to see a more balanced gender reality in practice in the role play. One
way to accomplish this is to have role plays done twice, the second time with more
balanced gender roles.

Delivery
I. Role Plays (1 hour, 45 minutes)
Remind the group of some of the issues regarding gender that were raised both in the
Bridge Model and the last session on “gender cards.” Now that we have discussed
some of the key “gender roles” in our community, we can begin to look at some of
the consequences of these gender roles in our everyday lives.
Split the participants into mixed groups with both males and females. Give each
group one of the Gender Picture Codes. The groups should:
1. Look at the picture. Identify the gender issues at work in the picture. Discuss
the situation in the picture. What are the differences in the roles of men and
women in the scenes? What might be some of the consequences of these roles?
What is positive about them? For whom? Negative? For whom?
2. Develop a role play based on the situation depicted in the picture. Act out
exactly what is appearing in the picture. The group should basically bring the
image to life. (They should not offer solutions, but merely show exactly what
is happening in the picture.)
3. Each group should perform its role play for the entire group. After each role play,
lead a discussion on the gender issues portrayed in the role play. Hold up the
picture code for the entire group to see after the role play has been processed.
Deal with any issues not covered by the drama.
4. If desired, have groups replay their role play showing more balanced
gender roles.
It might be a good idea to see the more “balanced” role plays last so you can sum-
marize by discussing the benefits of the situation now that both genders are sharing
equally in responsibilities and respect.

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Evaluation (15 minutes)

This session often brings up powerful feelings for participants because deeply held
beliefs are being discussed and critiqued. This may be a good opportunity to solicit
a written reaction to the session from the participants so that you can see how the
ideas have been generally received by the group. This request can be as simple as
asking participants to respond to one question, such as “What did you think of the
ideas discussed in today’s session?” or “How do you feel about critically evaluat-
ing these cultural issues with the group?” or something along those lines. Or, it
can be more contextual, such as “State one aspect of culture that probably needs
to change for people to live healthier lives, and state one aspect of culture that we
should definitely keep. Explain.”
When reading the responses, it might help to keep in mind that people may be writ-
ing their strong feelings, and that this is only the beginning of a longer process of
challenging ideas and critically thinking about culture.

The “Gender Picture Code” session was modeled at the Peace Corps/Malawi workshop “Promoting
Sexual Health,” held in Lilongwe, Malawi, in July 1996.

Part VI

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Participant Handout
Page 1 of 3

Gender Picture Codes—Example

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Participant Handout
Page 2 of 3

Gender Picture Codes—Example

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Participant Handout
Page 3 of 3

Gender Picture Codes—Example

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Relationship Skills Sessions

Session 9:

Gender and Culture:

Ideal Images and Personal Destroyers

Overview
Another good gender exercise, this session helps to explore cultural perceptions
of the ideal man and the ideal woman, and how these ideal images may put pres-
sure on people to live up to unrealistic or unwanted roles.

Time
1 hour, 30 minutes

Objectives
By the end of the session, participants will be able to:
1. List the “ideal images” the society has for those of their own age and gen-
der.

Part VI
2. Identify the ways in which those stereotypes can be limiting or used to pres-
sure a person into behaving a certain way.

Materials
Flip charts or paper
Markers or pens

Preparation
Before this session, ask participants to bring some examples of short songs, short
stories, or proverbs that pertain to the issue of gender roles.

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Delivery
I. Introduction (20 minutes)
Refer back to previous sessions regarding life skills and gender roles and explain
to the participants that we are about to explore how different people in our society
are expected to behave.
Ask participants to share some examples of their short songs, short stories, or prov-
erbs. Ask five or six people to tell them or sing them to the rest of the group. See if
you can make some links between the content of the stories, songs, and proverbs
and the images of what men and women are expected to be in this culture.

II. Ideal Images (20 minutes)

After a few general examples, ask participants to break into groups and to focus
particularly on the ideal image in their society for their own age and gender. Your
groups should be same–sex and same–age groups. Note that from now on, the dis-
cussion will focus only on their own age and gender.
• If you are working with young women, ask them to describe what a young
woman is expected to say and do or not say and not do.
• If you are working with older men, ask them to describe what an older man is
expected to say and do or not say and not do, and so on.
After about 10 minutes of small group discussion, ask the participants to re–form
into the large circle and share with the whole group their ideas on the perfect young
woman, older man, and so on.

III. Realistic Images (20 minutes)

Next, ask the participants to go back into their small groups and discuss how easy
they find it to live up to the expectations that their society has for them.
After about 10 minutes, ask the groups to re–form a large circle and share with
the whole group what their real experiences are as they try to live up to society’s
expectations for them.

IV. Personal Destroyers (20 minutes)

The idea of this exercise is to help people appreciate that we all have ideal images of
how we are supposed to behave and that there is always a gap between our images
and reality. We all find our images hard to live up to at times. It can often be reassur-
ing to realize this and to appreciate that we all have times when we feel like this.
Sometimes, ideal images can actually be personal destroyers. For instance, if people
believe that “a woman’s place is in the home,” this can be used as an excuse to
take girls out of school early. Similarly, the belief that “real men drink 10 bottles
of beer a night” can result in a man drinking far more than he feels happy with, or

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than is good for him. Encourage participants to think about this and to make their
own comments about the way some of the examples they have already mentioned
can be personal destroyers for them.

Trainer note: Please emphasize to your group that this exercise is not intended to
remind them of how they should behave! Instead, it is intended to help us recognize
how difficult and limiting some of the labels which our societies put on us are for
us to live up to. If your group finds it a bit hard to think of examples to begin with,
below are some suggestions. Do not impose these ideas on your group; they should
come up with their own descriptions of their lives. But you could say that in other
communities, people have described differences between their ideal and their real
lives in this way, and ask the group to relate this to how they are living in their own
community.

Young Men
Image: head of family, breadwinners, deserves respect
Reality: many responsibilities, too many mouths to feed, limited income

Young Women
Image: polite, submissive, hard–working, undemanding, obeys father or hus-
band, many children.
Reality: too many children, no money to spend, no personal freedom, abused

Trainer note: Again, talk only about the experiences of the peer group you are
working with. For example, if you are working with younger women, talk only about
what it is like to be a younger woman in this community.

Evaluation (10 minutes)

Part VI
Ask the participants to state one ideal image that they would personally want to
continue to strive for, and one personal destroyer that is unhealthy and that they
would wish to avoid.

Pages 211–213 adapted and reprinted with permission of Alice Welbourn and ACTIONAID from Step-
ping Stones: A Training Package on HIV/AIDS, Communication and Relationship Skills, pp. 46–47.
© Alice Welbourn and G & A Williams 1995

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Relationship Skills Sessions

Session 10:

Whose Rights and Who’s Right:

A Look at Bride Price

Overview
A cultural issue that can have a strong impact on the lives of some women and their
ability to use life skills is the practice of paying bride price. In some patriarchal
areas, the families of a man pay a price (in cows, for example) for the right to marry
a woman. Sometimes, this payment allows a husband to exercise absolute control
over his wife, giving her little power to make decisions for herself, even to the detri-
ment of her health. This session offers an interesting and controversial exercise to
examine the issue of bride price.
Bride price is certainly not an issue in every community. If bride price does not exist
in your area, be sure to omit this session from your life skills program.

Time
1 hour, 30 minutes to 2 hours

Objectives
By the end of the session, participants will be able to:
1. Identify many different perspectives on bride price.
2. Identify some of the problems or consequences of the bride price system.

Materials
Various props for role plays
Handout: The Drama

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Preparation
Prepare the drama beforehand with nine participants as actors. Encourage them
to be as creative and realistic as possible. They should use everything they know
about how their community feels about bride price in playing their roles. Arrange
the room into a court scene before the session begins.

Delivery
I. The Drama (30 to 45 minutes)
Begin by introducing the concept of bride price and its potential impact on life skills,
such as the ability of a wife to make decisions and communicate assertively. Explain
that the entire group is about to serve as judges in a court case. They should listen to
all of the arguments carefully because they are the judges in the Community Court,
and they will be polled for their judgments at the end of the testimonies.
Present the drama.

II. The Debate (50 minutes)

After the drama is finished, have the three members who served as court officials poll
the group to decide on the judgment. They can do it any way they like—by taking a
vote on slips of paper or just by raising hands. The majority wins. After getting this
judgment, the court officials should announce the judgment to the group.
After the judgment has been announced, have all of those who supported the judgment
sit on one side of the room. All of those opposing it should sit on the other side. Fa-
cilitate a debate between the two sides to discuss this important and timely issue.

Evaluation (10 minutes)

Part VI
After the debate is finished, you may wish to poll the group again to see if anyone’s
opinions have changed based on the ideas put forward in the debate.

This session was modeled at the Peace Corps/Malawi workshop “Promoting Sexual Health” held in
Lilongwe, Malawi, in July 1996.

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Participant Handout
Page 1 of 1

The Drama
A 30–year–old married woman with two children has approached the Community Court in her area for
permission to divorce her husband to whom she has been married for six years. The grounds for the divorce
are that her husband is a woman–chaser who has multiple sexual partners. Ever since she has discovered the
kind of man she married, she has refused to have sex with him. He, in turn, has begun to hit her and abuse
her in other ways, because, as he argues, he has paid bride price for her; therefore, she has no right to deny
him anything. She is his property!

Roles:
You will need three members of the community court. One of them will listen to the case. The others will
serve as bailiffs or moderators. The other people taking part in the case are:
The Wife, who argues that she has a right to look after her own health and that is why she wants to divorce
her husband. She is afraid that if she has sex with him she will catch an incurable disease.
The Husband, who argues that because he paid bride price for his wife she has no right to refuse to have
sex with him. Whatever he does away from home is not his wife’s business.
The Wife’s Mother, who supports her daughter’s stand.
The Wife’s Eldest Brother, who refuses to take his sister back. He wants her to remain married to her husband
because he does not wish to give back the cows.
The Wife’s Other Brother, who is against her divorce and who argues that a good wife is one who knows
her place in the home and who does not argue with her husband.
The Husband’s Father, who argues that his son should allow the divorce to go through because his wife is
“troublesome and unruly.”
The whole group will act as members of the community who are attending the Community Court. The three
court officials will allow each of the actors to speak. From the evidence they hear and the arguments put
forward, the whole group will make their final judgment.

Trainer Note: Encourage the actors to choose names for their characters.

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Part VII:
Bringing It All Together

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Bringing It All Together Session

Forum Theater

Overview
The technique called Forum Theater is one of the most useful methods to use in
teaching life skills. It is an effective and powerful way to practice and evaluate
all of the life skills you presented earlier—communication, decision–making, and
relationship skills.

Time
2 hours (less or more depending on the number of situations you choose to do)

Objectives
By the end of the session, participants will be able to:
1. Identify strategies for managing emotions and communicating assertively.
2. Demonstrate effective thinking, decision–making, communication, and relation-
ship skills.

Materials
Assorted props for role plays
Handouts: Forum Theater Scenarios

Preparation
Select the situations you will use. Samples are offered here, but create other situa-
tions as needed depending on what your goals are for specific sessions.
Part VII

Before the session, prepare selected participants to perform the role plays. You may
want to watch them rehearse the situations once to make sure the ideas are coming
through clearly.

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Delivery
I. Introduction (5–10 minutes)
Introduce the session by summarizing the many different life skills that you have
learned and reviewed as a group. Refer to the Bridge Model and to specific ses-
sions on good communication, decision–making skills, relationship skills, and so
on. Explain that the Forum Theater technique is a way to “bring it all together”—a
way to review, reinforce, and practice the many skills you have learned.

II. The First Role Play (20–30 minutes)

Explain that a role play will be performed. They should watch and think about
the problems raised in the situation. Which life skills are missing or are not being
used well? Which emotions are out of control? How can the interaction among the
characters be improved?
After the role play, briefly process the scenario with the group. Discuss the life
skills that were missing or compromised. Discuss any out–of–control emotions. You
may wish to introduce the idea of critical points. These are “points of no return,”
beyond which the situation changes completely. Examples of critical points might
include someone throwing a punch, someone saying something very offensive, and
so forth. Ask the group to identify any critical points in the role play just watched.
What were they?

III. The Interactive Role Play (20–30 minutes)

Explain that the role play will be repeated as it was the first time—only this time,
every member of the audience will have a chance to improve the situation. Whenever
a character in the role play is using bad judgment, communicating poorly, allowing
an emotion to get the better of him or her, or a life skill is not being used—members
of the audience are invited to clap. (Demonstrate by clapping twice quickly.) When
the actors hear a clap, they will freeze. The person who clapped should then stand up
and replace one of the characters. The new person should simply tell the appropriate
actor to sit down and begin to act in the role play. The new person should improve
the situation as best as he or she can—using better communication or an alternative
behavior. If another critical point comes in the role play, another member of the
audience should clap, replace someone, and replay or continue the scene. This can
go on and on and on. Many different people can step in for one character. Gender
does not matter—a man can step in for a woman or a woman for a man.
The technique continues until every member of the audience is completely satisfied
that the new role play represents a better response to the situation, making maximum
use of positive life skills. Be sure to spend some time processing the various ap-
proaches to settling the situation so that participants can explore the many strategies
that can be used to resolve unhealthy moments.

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You can continue with this technique for many different scenarios.

Trainer note: This technique is most fun when all members of the audience partici-
pate actively. So encourage everyone not to be shy, but to join in the action! One
way to encourage audience participation and to keep the session moving smoothly,
is to have the entire group count down “5-4-3-2-1-ACTION!” whenever someone
has stepped in to replace one of the actors.

Evaluation
Forum Theater is an effective way to evaluate to what extent participants have
internalized the skills that we have worked on in other sessions. Observing the
responses to these situations and the strategies used by different participants will
provide you with important information. You will see the progress that has been
made and indicate some new directions for learning that might be pursued.

Variations
In Other Life Skills Sessions
You can use this technique effectively with any of the other role play scenarios in
this book and for any of the topics—from communication to decision–making to
relationship skills.

Forum Theater was modeled at the Peace Corps/Malawi workshop “Promoting Sexual Health,” held
in Lilongwe, Malawi, in July 1996.

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Participant Handout
Page 1 of 2

Forum Theater Scenarios

Scenario Number 1: The Jealous Girlfriend

Characters: Lorna, a student and Austin’s girlfriend

Austin, a student and Lorna’s boyfriend
Angela, a student and female classmate of both
In the first scene, Lorna and Austin meet and make it clear to the audience that they are boyfriend and girl-
friend. They are at school—perhaps just leaving a class—and they are expressing their love for each other.
Make it light and funny! The two finally agree to meet somewhere later, and Lorna rushes off to help her
mother.
But Lorna doesn’t really go very far. She walks away from the main action, but the audience should be
able to see her—she is able to see all of the action about to take place, but she cannot hear what Austin and
Angela will say.
With Lorna in the distance looking on, Angela walks up and has a perfectly innocent conversation with
Austin. They talk about something completely safe—a teacher, or a test, or a football match, the food in
the dining hall—anything innocent and casual for two schoolmates to discuss. In the background, Lorna is
looking angry and jealous. Finally, Angela brushes aside something on Austin’s face—innocently enough:
she sees something on his face, brushes it off, and then says goodbye and walks off. This touching has Lorna
really upset.
Lorna rushes back up to Austin in an absolute rage. She is screaming at him, accusing him of having another
girlfriend, refusing to let him speak or explain. Finally, Austin gets angry too and screams back at Lorna.
They storm away from each other in anger.
Next, Lorna spots Angela in the distance. She angrily confronts Angela, threatening her and accusing her of
stealing her boyfriend. At first, Angela just acts confused and surprised, but as Lorna gets more and more
offensive, Angela finally starts to fight back verbally.
Stop the role play when the girls are about to fight physically.

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Participant Handout
Page 2 of 2

Forum Theater Scenarios

Scenario Number 2: The Controlling Parents

Characters: The father

The mother
Their 16–year–old son
The father and mother speak to each other roughly, and they treat their son very cruelly as well. They try
to control his every movement—they tell him how to dress, when to eat, who to be friends with, when to
sit—they are always ordering him about. Nothing he ever does is good enough for them, and they are always
criticizing him. Through it all, he tries to be a good son—he acts as respectfully as he can and perseveres
no matter what they say to him.
One day, the son is very excited as he comes to his parents. He is the star player on the football team, and his
team is about to go to the championship match. After he tells his parents how excited he is to help lead his
team to victory, his father and mother tell him that he cannot go to the match. They are having guests, and
they expect him to serve those guests. They forbid him to attend the match. This is the final blow—the son
goes crazy—yelling, throwing things, reacting violently—he almost comes to blows with his own father!
Stop the role play after the son has this explosion of temper.

Trainer Note: Remind your actors to choose appropriate names for their characters.

“The Controlling Parents” role play was adapted and reprinted with permission of UNICEF Harare from Think About It! An AIDS
Action Programme for Schools, Form 3, p. 9. © UNICEF Harare 1995

Part VII

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Appendices

Appendices

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Appendix I:

Warm–Ups and Energizers

We have found it very effective to use warm–ups and energizers throughout the
program to keep the sessions lively and fun. Warm–ups serve two basic purposes:
1. They can serve as a metaphorical introduction to the topic of the session. You
can choose a warm–up that evokes some of the issues you will be exploring in
the day’s session. The general categories noted to the right of titles will help to
guide you if you are looking for a specific topic.
2. They can simply be lively exercises to bring the energy back into the group
when they are feeling tired or too serious.
There are fun warm-ups, games, and energizers in every culture, so spend some
time adding local favorites to the ones listed below, and do not use those that do not
seem appropriate for your community. After the first few sessions, consider having
peer educators or other participants lead the warm–ups and come up with creative
new ones on their own!

Rhythm Clap ……………………………… Introduction

Start off a rhythmic clap by clapping your hands, slapping your thighs, snapping
your fingers, etc., in time to an introductory statement, such as “My name” —clap,
clap—“is Kathy”—snap, snap—“I live”—clap, clap—“in Mzimba”—slap, slap.”
Go around the circle in this way until all participants have introduced themselves.

“Everybody With…” …………………… Introduction

Form a circle of chairs—one less chair than the number of participants. (If there
are 18 participants, you need 17 chairs.) Appoint a volunteer who stands in the
center of the circle of chairs. That person calls out, “Everybody with … ” For ex-
ample, “Everybody with black shoes” or “Everybody who ate bread this morning”
or “Everybody who has a pencil.” Then everyone who fits the description stands
up and switches chairs as quickly as possible. They cannot stand up and sit back
down in the same chair, and they cannot sit in the chair next to them. They should
stand and run to a chair across the room. The volunteer tries to sit, too. Whoever
is left standing should be the next to call out “Everybody with …” This is a great
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first warm–up and “get to know you” game! (A variation of this game is called
“Fruit Salad.” Assign everyone the name of a fruit—mangoes, papaya, apples.
Call out the names of the fruits to make people switch places. When you call
“Fruit Salad!,” everyone has to switch places.)
“Fruit Salad” variation reprinted with permission of Alice Welbourn and ACTIONAID from
Stepping Stones: A Training Package on HIV/AIDS, Communication and Relationship Skills, p.
58. © Alice Welbourn and G & A Williams 1995

Life Boat ………………………………Team–Building

Have all participants move around a specific area. Tell them to imagine they are
floating in a great sea. They need to form life boats to survive. One facilitator
will call out a number—“6!” Participants must form strong groups of six to keep
from drowning in the “sea.” If the group is formed with less or more than six,
the whole group “drowns” and must stand to the side while the game continues.
The one or two people remaining when everyone else is out are the winners.

The Longest Line ………………… Team–Building,

Using Available Resources and Talents
Take participants outside where they can have a large area to work. Split them
into two teams (or more if the group is large). Explain that they are to create
a long line on the ground or floor, using whatever they currently have on their
bodies. They are not permitted to get additional things, but whatever they
have—tissue, watches, clothing, shoes—can be used to make the line longer
and longer. Their goal is to have a longer line than the other teams. (If people
are really creative, they will use everything possible and then lie down on the
ground themselves to make the line longer!) The team with the longest line is
the winner. After the warm–up, discuss how the exercise relates to team–build-
ing or to real life.

One–Legged Peer Educator …… Team–Building

Ask for one volunteer. That volunteer is the “One–Legged Peer Educator” or
the “One–Legged AIDS Educator.” He or she cannot do all the work alone to
educate people on behavior change; so, he or she must build a team of educators
to help. The volunteer hops on one foot and tries to catch the others. The group
is running away from him or her within the boundary that you have set. When
the “One–Legged Educator” touches someone, that person must join arms and
also hop on one foot to try to catch the others. Continue until all are caught by
the team. Once a team gets started, nothing can stop it!

The Falling Blanket ……………… Team–Building

You will need a large blanket for this warm–up. Split the group into two teams.
Two people must hold the blanket tightly—one on each side. Have each team
gather on opposite sides of the blanket. The team should make sure they cannot
be seen by the team on the other side of the blanket. Each team should place
one team member in front of the group—the person should be crouching just

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behind the blanket. The two people holding the blanket should make sure that
there is one person on each side of the blanket before counting, “1–2–3!” and
dropping the blanket. The two people should stand up and try to call out the
name of the person opposite them quickly! Whoever correctly identifies the
person on the other side of the blanket “wins.” The loser has to cross over the
blanket and join the other team. Continue until one team is filled with people
and the other team is empty.

Spider Web ………… Leadership, Commitment,

Teamwork
Participants stand close to each other in small circles—about five or six people.
The participants take the hands of the people in the circle. They cannot take
the hand of the person next to them, and they must be sure to have the hands
of two different people. They then try to untangle themselves—to return to a
continuous circle again without letting go of anyone’s hands. After all groups
have successfully untangled, process the exercise. Did any leaders direct the
rest of the group? What was the process? Did anyone give up? Why? What
made the group finally succeed?

Sitting on Knees ……………… Teamwork, Trust,

Cooperation
Ask everyone to stand closely in a circle, you included. Then everyone should
turn to his or her right, so that each person in the circle is facing the back of
someone else. Ask all to put both hands on the shoulders of the person in front
of them. Explain that you are going to call out, “1, 2, 3, SIT!”, and that ev-
eryone should call it out slowly with you. On the word “sit” everyone should
carefully sit down on the lap of the person behind him or her, still holding on
to the shoulders of the person in front of them.
This exercise really works, is fun, and creates a good feeling among everyone.
But take care that everyone is able physically to do the exercise. If your group
is really brave, you can all try to shuffle around in the circle together while
holding on to one another’s shoulders. Afterwards, ask participants how they
felt doing this. Did they think they were going to be able to do it? How does this
relate to real life experience? (Note: Use your judgment on whether it would
be appropriate for your group to do this exercise—sitting on each other’s laps
would not be advisable for some groups.)
Reprinted with permission of Alice Welbourn and ACTIONAID from Stepping Stones: A Train-
ing Package on HIV/AIDS, Communication and Relationship Skills, p. 63. © Alice Welbourn
and G & A Williams 1995

String Spider Web …………… Teamwork, Support

You will need a ball of string to do this exercise. Ask everyone to sit or stand in
a circle. Produce a big ball of string. Hold on to the end of the string, then roll
Appendices

or toss it across to someone sitting or standing opposite you, saying something

positive about him or her as you send it. Keep holding on to your end, tightly.

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Ask the recipient to hold on to the string so that it makes a taut line between you.
Then ask him or her to send the ball back across the circle to someone else, say-
ing something positive about him or her as he or she rolls or tosses it. Everyone
continues with this procedure, until the circle is full of taut lines criss–crossing
the circle. Each person should be holding tightly to a bit of string. The ball of
string should finally be sent back to you so that you hold the beginning and the
end of the string. Next ask everyone to look at how the string connects you all,
like a spider’s web. You are all dependent on one another to keep this web firm
and supportive. If anyone were to take his or her hand away from the web, that
part of it would collapse. Ask people to suggest how this spider’s web exercise
relates to our real lives.
Reprinted with permission of Alice Welbourn and ACTIONAID from Stepping Stones: A Training
Package on HIV/AIDS, Communication and Relationship Skills, pp. 102–103. © Alice Welbourn
and G & A Williams 1995

Trust Circles ………… Teamwork, Trust, Support

Ask all participants to stand together in a small, tight circle in the middle of the
room. (If you have many participants, make small circles of about six people
each.) Each participant in turn should stand in the middle of the circle and then
close his or her eyes or put on a blindfold. He or she then falls backwards, side-
ways, or forward—keeping eyes closed—and will be caught in the safety of the
arms of the other participants. Each participant needs to have a few turns at this
before someone else goes in the middle of the circle. It can feel quite scary at first
but should be perfectly safe provided the group works together. At the end of the
exercise ask participants what such an exercise teaches us about each other.
Reprinted with permission of Alice Welbourn and ACTIONAID from Stepping Stones: A Training
Package on HIV/AIDS, Communication and Relationship Skills, pp. 184–185. © Alice Welbourn
and G & A Williams 1995

Cross the Circle ……… Trust, Cooperation, Risk

Ask participants to form a big circle, facing inward. Each participant identifies
someone standing opposite him or her. When you say, “Go!,” each participant must
close his or her eyes, walk across the circle and stand in the place of the person
opposite him or her. All participants do this at the same time, and they must not
peek! People get very confused but sort themselves out eventually. Afterwards, ask
participants how they felt doing this with their eyes shut. How does the exercise
relate to real life experiences?

Human Wall ………………… Teamwork, Strength

Use this one with young people only—it is a bit rough for older folks! Form two
teams. One team should make a “human wall” —a wall of people that cannot be
broken. When the facilitator calls, “Go!”, the other team will rush the wall and try
to break through. Then switch sides and let the other team form a “human wall.”

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Tugs of War and Peace …………………… Teamwork

You will need a length of strong rope for this exercise. Divide the group into two
teams. Ask these two teams to stand up and hold opposite ends of a long strong rope.
Mark a line across the middle of your training area, over which each team must try
to pull the other. When you say, “1, 2, 3, Go!” the teams should start pulling against
each other. Let them go on until one team has ended up falling over the dividing
line. Next, ask everyone to sit in a circle. Now tie the same strong rope in a large
circle and hand it to the participants so that they are sitting around the edge of it.
Ask all the participants to pull together on the rope so that they can all stand up.
Ask participants to explain what this exercise means to them. The idea is to show
how, instead of people pulling on opposite ends as in a tug of war, where only one
team wins—we can approach situations in a win–win way so that everyone benefits
and feels good about the result. True, the tug of war might feel more fun for the
victors—but how do the losers feel?
Reprinted with permission of Alice Welbourn and ACTIONAID from Stepping Stones: A Training
Package on HIV/AIDS, Communication and Relationship Skills, pp. 150–151. © Alice Welbourn and
G & A Williams 1995

The Straight Line …………… Trust, Team Support

Provide a blindfold or scarf. Invite a volunteer to come forward and walk slowly
in a straight line across the meeting area. Put the blindfold on him or her and turn
him or her around several times before he or she sets off in a straight line across the
meeting area—to reach an agreed point on the opposite side. Instruct the rest of the
group to keep completely silent, giving no encouragement or guidance at all. They
should also not touch him or her. When the blindfolded person reaches the other
side, ask him or her to take off the blindfold. Compare how close he or she is to
where he or she intended to reach. Ask him or her how he or she felt about having
no comments from the others. Ask him or her to replace the blindfold and repeat the
exercise, this time with the verbal encouragement of the others. They should still
not touch him or her. Then finally, you can ask the volunteer to repeat the exercise
with the participants using their hands to guide the blindfolded person and talking
to him or her. Process the differences in how it felt during each stage. Emphasize
how safe someone can feel with the support and guidance of others. This is a great
exercise to use when discussing issues of People Living with HIV/AIDS.
Reprinted with permission of Alice Welbourn and ACTIONAID from Stepping Stones: A Training
Package on HIV/AIDS, Communication and Relationship Skills, pp. 33–34. © Alice Welbourn and
G & A Williams 1995

The Yert Circle……Team–Building, Trust, Support

There must be an even number of participants. Assign a name to each, alternating
names—such as, “Milk, Water, Milk, Water.” Everyone should link arms all the
way up to the elbow. When you say, “Milk,” all of the “Milks” should lean into the
circle, while all the “Waters” should lean out. Notice how this tension keeps the
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group supported. Switch now, saying, “Water.” All “Waters” lean into the circle,
while all “Milks” lean out. You can continue doing this smoothly, to show how
change and tension can still be very positive for the team.

Who’s the Leader? … Leadership or Thinking Skills

Ask the group to stand in a circle. Ask for one volunteer and send that person out of
the room. The people in the circle should secretly choose a person to be the “leader.”
The “leader” should start an action such as clapping hands, dancing, or stomping
feet. The action should change every 15 seconds or so. The other members of the
circle should follow the leader’s movements, without looking directly at the leader
and giving him or her away. The volunteer is brought back into the room while
these actions are taking place. The volunteer has three chances to guess who the
“leader” is.

Follow the Leader … Leadership or Peer Pressure

Ask participants to stand in a circle. The leader stands inside the circle, starts to run
on the inside of the circle, and calls out, “Follow! Follow! Follow! “ to which the
group replies “Follow! Follow! Follow!” as they run on the outside of the circle.
The leader repeats, “Follow! Follow! Follow!” The group repeats, “Follow! Follow!
Follow!” Leader: “Follow the leader.” Group: “Follow the leader.” Now the leader
starts to do some other action such as dancing, jumping, sitting, or singing, and says,
“I dance! I dance! I dance!” (or “I jump! I jump! I jump!) The group responds by
mimicking everything the leader does. The leader continues with “Follow! Follow!
Follow!” and the entire process until everyone is exhausted.

Mother–Child Trust Call …… Communication, Trust

Ask the participants to divide into pairs. The pairs should select one person to be
the “mother” and one to be the “child.” Each pair should also choose an animal.
The “mother” should make the sound that the animal makes so the child will know
the mother’s voice. Now separate the groups—all mothers on one side of the room
and all children on the other side. Children must close their eyes. Mothers will make
the animal sound while moving about the room. With their eyes closed, the children
must try to find and touch their mothers.

Body Language ……………… Communication Skills

Divide group into pairs. Each pair should think of a discussion that one of them has
had with their spouse, a friend, or anyone that developed into an argument. The pair
should first establish the two characters and their relationship. They should then
re–enact the argument between them in mime, only using their bodies and faces, with
no words. Give the pair a few minutes to work on this. Then ask everyone to return
to the larger group. Pick out two pairs whose scenes looked particularly clear. Ask
the first pair to re–enact its scene in the middle of the circle. Ask members of the
audience to tell the story the pair is acting out. Point out how easy it can be for us to
know what is going on in general through what we do with our bodies. Repeat with
the second pair. Point out other types of body language between people, such as eye

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contact, distance between people, and positions. Finish by suggesting that participants
think, over the next few days and weeks, about the ways they use their own bodies to
say things to one another. Encourage them to think how they might use their bodies
differently in different contexts to convey different messages to people.
Reprinted with permission of Alice Welbourn and ACTIONAID from Stepping Stones: A Training
Package on HIV/AIDS, Communication and Relationship Skills, p. 38. © Alice Welbourn and G & A
Williams 1995

Pass the Picture ………… Communication Skills or

Perceptions
This is another good warm–up to illustrate different people’s perceptions of what they
hear. Ask for five volunteers to leave the training area for a few minutes. Bring out a
piece of flip chart paper (or plain paper) and ask the remaining people to agree on a
picture, and two or three people to draw it. The picture could include, for example,
a house, animals, a tree, and so forth. They should not make it too complicated.
Then hide the picture and ask someone to call the five volunteers back to the group.
One volunteer is then shown the picture for about a minute. This volunteer must
then describe the picture in words to the second volunteer, who in turn describes it
to the third volunteer, and so on. When the fifth volunteer has heard a description
of the picture, he or she should be handed a new piece of paper and some markers
or pencils. He or she should then try to draw the picture as he or she understands it
to look from the description. He or she should receive no help from the rest of the
group! When he or she is finished, compare it with the original picture. There should
be some interesting differences. Thank the five volunteers. Point out that it is often
much harder than we suppose for us all to understand things in the same way.
Reprinted with permission of Alice Welbourn and ACTIONAID from Stepping Stones: A Training
Package on HIV/AIDS, Communication and Relationship Skills, pp. 66–67. © Alice Welbourn and
G & A Williams 1995

Rumors, Telephone ………………… Communication

Ask everyone to stand in a circle or a line. Think of a phrase to whisper beforehand,
such as, “How many people like to work in the garden?” or “I wish I could walk
to the river.” or any other line. Whisper this line quietly to the person to your right.
This person whispers it to the person to his or her right and so on all the way around
the circle. Each person should only whisper what he or she heard, and he or she is
not allowed to ask for the phrase to be repeated. Finally, when the phrase has been
whispered all around the circle, the person to your left should be the final one to
receive it. Ask him or her to say it out loud. Then announce to the group what you
originally said. The original phrase is usually very different from the final product!
Discuss how this relates to communication skills.

Listening Pairs ……………… Communication Skills

Divide participants into pairs. One should describe to the other an event in his or her
life which made him or her feel very happy. The listener should say nothing but just
concentrate hard on hearing what is being said. After a couple of minutes, you ask
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the listeners to stop listening. At this stage, the speaker should continue to describe

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his or her happy experience, but the listener should stop listening completely. He
or she could yawn, look elsewhere, turn around, or whistle. The important thing is
that he or she should no longer listen although the speaker will continue telling the
story. After a couple of minutes, yell “Stop!” At this stage, the speaker and listener
should change roles and do the exercise again. Ask participants how they felt as
speakers telling their story to a willing, interested listener compared with telling it
to a bad listener. Process the exercise.
Reprinted with permission of Alice Welbourn and ACTIONAID from Stepping Stones: A Training
Package on HIV/AIDS, Communication and Relationship Skills, p. 37. © Alice Welbourn and G & A
Williams 1995

Folding Paper Game ……… Communication Skills

or Perceptions
You will need sheets of paper for this game, one for each participant. Ask every
participant to close his or her eyes. Make them promise to keep their eyes shut!
Hand each participant a sheet of paper. Then ask participants to do the following:
Fold their paper in half. Tear off the bottom right–hand corner of the paper. Then
fold the paper in half again. Next tear off the lower left–hand corner. Remind them
not to peek! Now ask them to open their eyes and unfold their pieces of paper, dis-
playing them to the other participants. They should be torn in many different ways.
Ask participants what this exercise can show us. One point is to show everyone
how even simple instructions can mean very different things to different people. We
often think we are saying something clearly to someone, only to discover later that
what we meant, and what they understood, are quite different. Everyone followed
the instructions correctly, but the results were different. (This can also be a great
introduction to a condom demonstration.)
Reprinted with permission of Alice Welbourn and ACTIONAID from Stepping Stones: A Training
Package on HIV/AIDS, Communication and Relationship Skills, pp. 90–91. © Alice Welbourn and
G & A Williams 1995

Fixed Positions ……..…… Different Perspectives

on Life
This exercise encourages participants to realize that our perspectives on things
are based on who we are and our own personal experiences. Ask participants to
stand in a circle. Ask one volunteer to stand in the middle. Ask him or her to stand
still, facing the same way through the questions and answers which are to follow.
Explain to all participants that you are going to ask some questions. Ask everyone
to answer at all times according to what they can actually see from their own posi-
tion, not what they know is there. Ask someone standing in front of the volunteer:
“How many eyes has he or she got?” Ask someone standing behind the volunteer
the same question. Ask someone standing directly to the side of the volunteer the
same question. Then place someone else in the middle. Choose another part of the
body, such as the arms. Go through the same questions with three different people.
Finally, ask one participant to walk around the whole circle, looking at the volun-
teer and perceiving him or her from all angles. Ask the walker to give a running

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commentary on what he or she is seeing and how his or her vision of the volunteer
changes. After everyone sits down, ask participants to consider how our perspective
on a situation shapes our understanding of it. How can we give ourselves a more
complete picture more of the time? In what way can we relate this exercise to our
everyday experience?
Reprinted with permission of Alice Welbourn and ACTIONAID from Stepping Stones: A Training
Package on HIV/AIDS, Communication and Relationship Skills, p. 45. © Alice Welbourn and G & A
Williams 1995

Shout, Whisper, Sing! ……………… Communication

Ask participants to stand in a circle. Explain that you are going to call out someone’s
name as you cross the circle towards that person. He or she should then move from
his or her position in the circle to the place where you were standing. Then, that
person should call out someone else’s name who should then move, and so on.
When your name gets called again, continue with the game, but this time, whisper
the name of the person you choose next and ask everyone else to whisper too when
it is their turn. Finally, when your name is called again, say that this time the name
of the next person must be sung out. Continue until everyone has had a chance.
Reprinted with permission of Alice Welbourn and ACTIONAID from Stepping Stones: A Training
Package on HIV/AIDS, Communication and Relationship Skills, p. 128. © Alice Welbourn and G & A
Williams 1995

I’m Going on a Trip ……… Support, Just Plain Fun!

Ask the participants to stand in a circle. Start by saying, “I’m going on a trip and
I’m taking a hug.” Hug the person to your right. He or she then has to say, “I’m
going on a trip and I’m taking a hug and a pat on the back.” He or she then has
to give the next person a hug and a pat on the back. Go on around the circle until
everyone has had a turn with each person repeating what was said and done before
and adding one new action to the list. If someone forgets the sequence, encourage
the others to help him or her do it right. (If you are working with a group in which
touching is not a good idea, do the same exercise as a simple memory game, such
as, “I’m going on a trip and I’m taking an orange.” “I’m going on a trip and I’m
taking an orange and a chair.” “I’m going on a trip and I’m taking an orange, a
chair, and an audiotape.”)
Reprinted with permission of Alice Welbourn and ACTIONAID from Stepping Stones: A Training
Package on HIV/AIDS, Communication and Relationship Skills, p. 178. © Alice Welbourn and G & A
Williams 1995

Hand Push ………………………… Conflict Resolution,

Relationship Skills, Assertiveness
Ask participants to form two lines, facing each other. Each participant touches palms
with the participant facing him or her in the other line. Call one line “Line One” and
the other “Line Two.” Ask all the participants in Line One to start pushing against
the person in Line Two, using only their palms. People in Line Two can respond
in any way they like. After 30 seconds or so, ask everyone to stop and to change
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roles. This time Line Two members should push against Line One members, and
Line One members can respond as they choose. After another 30 seconds or so, ask
everyone to sit down in a big circle. Ask people how they felt doing this exercise.
Did they respond by pushing back or by giving in, or what? How does this relate
to their real life experiences of conflict?
Reprinted with permission of Alice Welbourn and ACTIONAID from Stepping Stones: A Training
Package on HIV/AIDS, Communication and Relationship Skills, p. 134. © Alice Welbourn and G & A
Williams 1995

Meat! Meat! Meat! …………………… Just Plain Fun!

Ask participants to stand in a circle. One person calls out, “Meat! Meat! Meat!” The
group responds “Meat!” Again the volunteer says “Meat! Meat! Meat!” and the group
says “Meat!” The volunteer then lists types of meat that can be eaten, such as “chicken”
or “goat.” If it can be eaten, the group must jump and say “Meat!” If it cannot be
eaten the group must stay still. Whoever fails to jump on a “Meat!” or jumps when
the animal cannot be eaten must move to the center and call the next round.

Fire on the Mountain ………………… Just Plain Fun!

Ask participants to stand in two circles—a small one inside a larger one. Every per-
son in the inner circle should have one person behind him or her. There must be an
equal number of participants. You stand in the center of the circles. The outer circle
should then start running around the outside of the inner circle while you say, “Fire
on the mountain!” They respond, “Fire!” You say, “Fire on the mountain.” They
say, “Fire!” You continue on and on until you say “Put it out!” and jump in front of
one of the members of the inner circle. Each of the participants from the outer circle
then also tries to get in front of a member of the inner circle. One person will be left
without a place, and that person moves to the center and begins the game again.

Banana–Banana–Coconut ………… Just Plain Fun!

Ask participants to sit or stand in a circle. One volunteer walks behind the chairs
and touches the participants on the head while saying, “Banana,” “Banana,” “Ba-
nana,” on and on and on. When the volunteer finally touches someone and says,
“Coconut!”, that person must chase the volunteer around the circle. The volunteer
tries to get into the empty spot before being caught. Whoever is left standing outside
the circle leads the next round.

Musical Chairs ………………………… Just Plain Fun!

You will need a radio or some tapes for this warm–up. Place a set of chairs in a line.
Put another set of chairs directly behind those with their backs touching the first set
of chairs. There should be one less chair than participants. The participants must
dance around and around the chairs. When the music stops, they must quickly sit.
Whoever is left standing is out. Remove one chair and start again. Whoever is left at
the end is the winner. (This game is great fun if you vary the types of music on the
tapes, and have everyone dance appropriately to each type of music as it plays.)

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Water—Land—Sky …………………… Just Plain Fun!

Take chalk and draw three long lines down the center of the room. Mark “Water” on
the first line, “Land” on the middle line, and “Sky” on the third line. All participants
should stand on the Water line. The caller cries out Water, Land, or Sky repeatedly,
and the participants are supposed to hop from one line to the other. Any participant
who fails to hop, hops to the wrong line, falls, or wavers, is out. The participant
who remains in the game the longest wins.

Keep On! ………………………………… Just Plain Fun!

Ask participants to form a circle. One volunteer is chosen to go outside the room.
The circle of participants chooses a small item to hide from the volunteer. The entire
group starts to sing, “Keep On! Keep On! Keep On! Keep On!” (to the tune of Auld
Lang Syne or another tune well known to the group). The volunteer comes back into
the room and starts to move around. If he or she is very far from the hidden thing,
the singing gets louder. If he or she is very close to the hidden thing, the singing gets
slower and softer. Continue singing until the volunteer finds the hidden object.

Hand–in–Hand …… Closing or Evaluation Exercise

Everyone stands in a tight circle. Ask the first person to your left to put his or her
right outstretched arm into the middle of the circle and say what he or she has found
difficult about the session, and then add something he or she has found good about
the session. Ask him or her to use these phrases: “I didn’t like it when …”, followed
by, “I did like it when …”. Ask the person to your left to repeat this, placing his
or her hand on top of the hand already in the middle, and also saying one difficult
and one good thing about the session. Continue around until all of the participants
have their right hands placed in a tower on top of one another in the circle. Finish
by saying that this tower of hands can represent our strength together as a group.
Reprinted with permission of Alice Welbourn and ACTIONAID from Stepping Stones: A Training
Package on HIV/AIDS, Communication and Relationship Skills, pp. 40–41. ©Alice Welbourn and
G & A Williams 1995

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Life Skills Manual

Appendix II:

Quick Breaks!
Fun Bag
Cut up small papers and write different words, actions, people on the papers. Fold
up the papers and put the names of different participants on the front of the folded
paper. Put all the papers in a bag or box. Whenever the group gets bored or needs a
break, someone can shout, “Fun Bag!” and draw a paper out of the bag. The paper
should be handed to the person whose name appears on the front. That person will
stand in front of the room and act out what is written on the paper without speaking.
The other participants should guess what the person is trying to be. You can choose
great Fun Bag words, actions, and so on to match the particular type of training you
are doing. (For example, if your session is on HIV/AIDS or safer sex, you can use
ideas like “putting on a condom,” or “sugar daddies.”) Remember to add relevant
local ideas or dances to add to the fun bag.

Sample Fun Bag Ideas

The following are some ideas you can try:

drunk man pregnant woman driver
bus operator smoking marijuana kissing
headmaster preacher proposing to a girl

C–O–C–O–N–U–T
This is a quick stretch for the group after everyone has been sitting for a long time.
Have everyone stand up and spread out. The facilitator leads the group by using his
or her body to spell the word “COCONUT.” The group should continue stretching
and spelling—faster and faster.

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Appendix III:

Assorted Ideas

Here’s an assorted jumble of ideas and techniques to use

with your groups:

Name Your Personality

To add a little fun to your initial introductions, have participants say their names and
then “name their personalities” by using a descriptive word that starts with the same
first letter as their names. For example, Helen means “happy” or “healthy,” Mary
means “merry” or “merciful,” John means “joker” or “jolly.” This can also give you
a chance to tell a bit about each of the people speaking, such as which participants
are especially outgoing and might be able to act in the role plays.

Title Throw–Away
This is an especially effective technique when your group consists of people from
a variety of different levels in a hierarchy or community. (For example, if you are
training headmasters/principals and teachers, or if you are training a group of various
community leaders.) The idea is for everyone to approach the training or program
from the same level. As people come into the room to begin the training, give them
name tags (small sheets of paper) and ask them to write their names and titles on the
name tags. When everyone is seated and ready to do the introductions, make sure
you begin by stressing your own name and title. Then have everyone go around the
room and give their names and titles. After all have introduced themselves, talk a bit
about the importance of feeling comfortable to speak freely, with no reservations, in
a training such as this one. Explain that often participants feel uncomfortable truly
expressing their opinions because their boss might be in the room, or because some
participants might feel others are more educated than they, and so forth. Stress that
it is crucial to the success of the program for everyone to let go of their confining
titles and positions in society. They must approach the ideas and discussion as the
whole, entire human beings that they are—churchgoers, fathers, mothers, workers,
volunteers, women, men, daughters, sons—rather than from just one angle given
to us by our titles in life. After making this speech, explain that we are now go-
ing to free ourselves from the confines of our positions and make ourselves more
comfortable to speak our opinions. Rather dramatically tear up your own name tag
and re–introduce yourself using just the name you want everyone to call you. Go
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Life Skills Manual

around the room with a trash can as participants, one–by–one, tear up their name
tags and tell the other participants the name they would like to be called. Collect the
torn name tags in the trash can. Reissue new sheets of paper to serve as name tags
if you like, but this time people should write just what they want to be called.

Journals
One cannot emphasize too strongly the importance of using journals or diaries when
implementing this program. Writing daily thoughts and ideas in a journal helps young
people (and adults) develop thinking skills, manage emotions better, get to know
themselves more deeply and clearly, and rely on their own counsel or advice more.
Urge your group to start writing in a journal every day. You can provide simple
exercise books or you can make journals with your group—be creative! You may
want to start out by assigning specific questions or topics to address in the journals,
but after awhile, participants will get the idea and start to use them everyday for
their own feelings. Emphasize that a journal is private!

Camp Fires
It is a beautiful tradition in many places to gather family and friends together over
a camp fire—to share stories, ideas, dances, songs, and to pass along wisdom. If
appropriate, consider adding this lively and moving tradition to your program.
Gathering together at night at a campfire can be a fun and powerful experience for
your group. In addition, young people often feel more free to ask specific, sometimes
uncomfortable questions in this atmosphere.

Candle–Lighting Ceremonies
An unusual and therefore interesting activity to add a very formal air to your program
is a candle–lighting ceremony. You can use such an event to start your program,
during key moments in the program (such as awards ceremonies, milestones, etc.),
or as your program is coming to an end. Here is one example of a candle–lighting
ceremony at the beginning of a program. Gather all participants together in a circle.
Give each one a candle. While holding a candle, explain that during this program
we are going to learn about ourselves, and we are also going to learn from each
other. Each of us has something special to share with the group, and we should
feel free to teach and learn from everyone in the group. Show the members the
following statement (previously written on a flip chart or board): “A candle loses
nothing by lighting another candle.” Discuss as a group the meaning of the quote.
Turn off the lights. You will light your own candle while summarizing the meaning
of the statement. Then, turn and pass your candle flame to the person next to you,
that person will turn and pass the flame to the next person, and so forth around the
room. Continue to point out how the room becomes illuminated (brighter) by this
sharing, but that no one has lost anything by contributing his or her flames to their
friends. When all candles are lit, ask if anyone has anything more to say. Close with
an appropriate speech or prayer; then, blow out all the candles.

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Question Boxes or Bulletin Boards

Sometimes participants may feel uncomfortable asking certain questions. Maybe
they fear they will sound stupid, or maybe the question is too intimate and personal.
Often the question people most fear to ask is one that has a great impact on their
lives, and often it is a question shared by other members of the group. An effective
way to provide a forum for these important issues is to create a Question Box or
Bulletin Board. Simply create a small box where people can deposit their questions.
Daily or weekly, take the questions out and respond to the questions on a sheet of
paper. Hang the question and its answer on the bulletin board for everyone to read.
Or, if appropriate, address the question and answers with the group.

Invisible Theater
The technique called Invisible Theater is a very effective and exciting way to spark
a lively debate within a session. It works best on topics that most people have the
same opinion about. For example, if most people in the room believe in gender
equality, your Invisible Theater will be against gender equality. Basically, what you
will do is secretly arrange the Invisible Theater with one of the participants before
the session. Instruct the person to take the exact opposite position from everyone
else once the discussion is underway. The person should continue to disagree using
very strong arguments that will clearly upset and frustrate everyone in the group.
This forces the group to justify their points further—even if they thought their points
were perfectly clear before. After a lively discussion and debate, it is best for you
to “unveil” your Invisible Theater and make it clear that the person was only acting
the part and does not really believe what he or she was arguing.

Debates
Debates are staged, formal presentations of the arguments from two different sides
of a controversial issue. When using debating as a technique, it is most effective
if you:
• Choose a very controversial topic or one that the participants might feel very
strongly about.
• Have two or three people speak for each point of view. If possible, insist that
participants take the opposite side of the argument from the one they believe
themselves; this forces them to think about the topic deeply and analyze it from
all sides in order to build an effective argument. Also, it helps them to see things
from another person’s perspective.
• Provide debate topics a week or so earlier than the actual debate and have par-
ticipants do some research and collect some facts for making their arguments.
• Seat participants as debating teams, facing each other or the audience. Have one
person at a time speak for a set amount of time, such as three minutes. Make
Appendices

sure the participants present and defend in turns (one side and then the other)
so that everyone is forced to think and participate.

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• Have judges (such as teachers or health workers) listen to the arguments and
choose a winning team. Award small prizes.
• After the debate, critique the arguments used and suggest strategies for better
debating next time.
(See suggested topics below.)

Question of the Day

Before every session, write a controversial question or statement on a board or flip
chart paper in the back of the room. At free moments before, after, or during the
session, participants should go to the back of the room and write their positions or
opinions on the topic on the board or flip chart. You will then post these ideas during
the next session or at the end of the session for everyone to read and review.
(See suggested topics below.)

Debates and Question of the Day—Some

Suggested Topics
1. Condoms should be freely available in schools.
2. Times have changed—sex before marriage is part of modern life.
3. If a woman performs 67 percent of the world’s working hours, why does she
receive only 10 percent of the world’s income?
4. Who should be responsible for preventing early pregnancy, STDs, and HIV/
AIDS? Why?
5. “We should not use condoms because they are against our culture.” Do you
agree or disagree? Why?
6. A husband says to his wife, “Why should I use a condom? Are you a prostitute?”
What are your comments?
7. Bride price should be abolished.
8. Men make better presidents because they are natural leaders.
9. HIV–positive people should be required by law to tell their sexual partners they
are infected.
10. It is fine for a boy to experiment with sex before marriage, but if a girl experi-
ments, she is a prostitute.
11. The community should take some action to prevent HIV/AIDS.
12. Women should eat well and rest often when they are pregnant.
13. If a woman is educated, the health of her children greatly improves.

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14. Only men have the right to decide when to have sex with their wives.
15. Pursuing an education is the best way for women to be independent.
16. Having more than one sexual partner gives you a fuller life.
17. Alcohol abuse leads to risky sexual behavior.
18. Using a condom will prevent you from experiencing real sexual feeling.
19. Drug use should be legalized.
20. Girls who have become pregnant should be allowed to continue their educa-
tions.

“Invisible Theater” and “Question of the Day” techniques were presented at the Peace Corps/Malawi
workshop “Promoting Sexual Health,” held in Lilongwe, Malawi, in July 1996.

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Appendix IV:

Games and Session Ideas

The Loss Exercise

The Loss Exercise provides a powerful framework for discussing empathy for those
experiencing grief or loss, especially those infected or affected by HIV/AIDS.
Before introducing the topic, spend a few moments reviewing some of the issues
that you have covered up to this point. Explain that we are about to do an exercise
to help us to look at HIV/AIDS from a very personal perspective.
Ask participants to completely clear their desks of everything except a sheet of
paper and a pen or pencil. Tell them to number 1 to 5 on their papers. Explain that
you are going to read five statements, and they will respond to those statements on
their papers. It is very important to emphasize that no one else in the room will see
their papers—they will not be collected. They will not be used at any later time—the
papers are their own personal property.
Do this exercise slowly and seriously. Participants should feel the full impact of this
discussion. One by one, read off the statements and tell the participants to write their
responses on their papers. Reinforce that it will not be shared with others.
1. Write down the name of the personal possession that you love the most. Maybe
it is your house, or a special item your grandmother gave you, or a book, or
anything else. What one thing that you own means the most to you? Write that
thing on #1.
2. Write down the part of your body that you are most proud of. Perhaps you re-
ally love your eyes, or you are very proud of your hair, or you enjoy your ears
the most because they help you listen to music, or you love your voice because
it helps you to sing. Write down the one part of your body that you are most
proud of on #2.
3. Write down the name of the activity you most enjoy doing. Maybe it is going
to a religious event, or playing football, or dancing, or any other activity. What
do you most enjoy doing in the whole world? Write that activity on #3.
4. Write down one secret or very confidential thing about yourself that no one
else in the world or only one other person knows about. Every one of us has
some secret or very private thing that he or she does not want others to know
about. Write that personal, private piece of information down on #4. (Remind
the group that no one will see this sheet but themselves.)
5. Lastly, write down the name of the person whose love and support means the

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most to you in the world.

After everyone has finished, explain that you will now go through the list again. As
you go through each statement, they should imagine that they are living through
what you are saying.
1. Imagine that something terrible happens that causes you to lose the material
possession that you love most. Either a theft occurs or a loss of some kind that
takes this thing away from you completely. You will never again see the thing
listed on #1. Take your pen or pencil and cross out #1 now.
2. Imagine that an accident or other unfortunate occurrence causes you to lose the
part of your body that you are proudest of. This part of your body is gone, and
you will never have it again as long as you live. Cross out #2 now with your
pen or pencil.
3. Imagine that this same accident or unfortunate occurrence makes it impossible
for you to do your favorite activity ever again. You will never again, in your
entire life, be able to do the activity you wrote on #3. Cross out #3 with your
pen or pencil now.
4. Imagine that because of all of the above situations, your secret has been ex-
posed. Everyone now knows what you wrote on #4. It has become public
knowledge—everyone in the school, town, church, mosque, and community
knows about what you wrote on #4. Circle #4 with your pen or pencil now.
5. Lastly, because of all of these changes (losing your possession, losing your
body part, not being able to do your favorite activity, and everyone knowing
your secret), the person that you love most in the world leaves you forever. You
will never again see this person that you love and who is your most important
source of support. Cross out #5 with your pen or pencil now.
Allow a few silent moments for the participants to truly feel what you have just
said. People are usually a bit upset and uncomfortable at this point. Give them some
time to think about this.
Now, ask participants to describe in one word or phrase the emotions they are feel-
ing. Write the words on a blank board or flip chart. Keep brainstorming until all
of the possible ideas are exhausted. Your list may include: sadness, grief, feeling
like killing myself, hopeless, alone, miserable, depressed, angry, blaming others,
no reason to continue.
Ask participants to take a look at the list that you have created. Ask them to imag-
ine how these feelings might relate to testing positive for HIV/AIDS. Discuss the
links between this exercise and testing positive. Remind the group that they have
placed themselves in the position of a person living with HIV/AIDS and allowed
themselves to experience the very powerful emotions that such a person might be
living with every day. Discuss what this might mean for the support that they could
give to people living with AIDS. How can they help someone in this situation? How
would they feel if they or someone they love were involved in this situation?
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The True or False Game (or Agree

or Disagree)
The True or False Game is a technique that can be used for just about any topic.
It is a helpful technique when covering a topic for the first time because it will help
you to get an idea of the level of knowledge people currently possess about the
topic. It is also a great way to develop thinking skills, as people will tend to debate
heavily to support their position. With a new group, it will also give you a sense of
who the unspoken “leaders” or the confident people are, as others may watch them
for clues regarding the truth of the statement. Here is how the game is played:
1. Print the word “True” in large letters on a sheet of paper. Hang the paper on
one wall.
2. Print the word “False” in large letters on a separate sheet. Hang the paper on
the opposite wall.
3. Clear an open area between the two signs.
4. Ask participants to gather in the center of an open area. The facilitator reads a
statement, and the participants run to whichever sign they think is correct. If
they think the statement is true, they run to “True,” if they think it is false, they
run to “False.” If they are undecided, or think it can be both true and false, they
should remain in the middle.
5. Ask the participants, in turn, to explain or defend why they are at the side
they chose. It is good to ask for explanations from one side, then the other,
as groups will tend to begin a debate about the correct answer. Only after ev-
eryone who wants to has spoken should the facilitator give the correct answer
and additional information.
6. Emphasize good communication skills and conflict resolution by suggesting
that each side “reflect back” the points of the opposing side before stating their
own opinions.
7. Everyone comes back to the center and the game begins again with
another question.

Sample Statements—Facts about HIV/AIDS Sessions

Below you will find a list of suggested statements for use during Facts about HIV/
AIDS sessions. For answers and explanations to these statements, refer to Facing
Facts about HIV/AIDS and STDs (Part III).
1. Someone with a sexually transmitted disease has a higher risk of becoming
HIV infected.
2. The condom has small holes in it which HIV can pass through.

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3. HIV can be spread by mosquitoes.

4. A baby born to an HIV positive mother will also get HIV.
5. You can tell that someone has HIV by looking at them.
6. It is safer to wear two condoms instead of just one.
7. By having more sex, you can ejaculate more sperms and HIV will get out of
the body.
8. Married women are less likely to catch HIV/AIDS than unmarried women.
9. If a man uses condoms for more than two years, he can become infertile.
10. A person with TB who also has weight loss is infected with HIV.
11. If a person looks healthy, then he or she does not have AIDS.
12. You may get HIV by drinking from the same glass that a person with AIDS has
used.
13. Petroleum jelly is a good lubricant to use with a condom.
14. It is safe to have sex just once without a condom.
15. You may get HIV by eating food prepared by someone who has HIV or
AIDS.
16. A person can have a negative test for HIV and still have HIV.
17. You can get HIV from a dog bite.
18. Only men can receive free condoms.
19. HIV is the virus that causes AIDS.
20. There is a new drug in America that can cure AIDS.
This game can be adapted to just about any topic. You might use the Agree or Dis-
agree version if you are using the technique for values clarification. Below are a
few suggested statements for values clarification. Remember that these are opinion
questions and, as such, have no “right” answer.
1. A woman who is HIV positive should not breastfeed her child.
2. If a person is HIV positive, he or she should never have sex.
3. AIDS is a disease that came from America.
4. People with AIDS should be encouraged to do as much as they can
for themselves.
5. Condoms are against our culture; so we should not use them.
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HIV/AIDS: The Epidemic Game

The Epidemic Game is sometimes called The Transmission Game or The Bean
Game. (It can be done with beans of different colors.)
In this version, we will use cards. Suppose there are 12 people playing the game.
Make 12 small cards: Three will have a red “X” on the card; four will have a “C”
on the card; the other five will have black spots.
Every participant should receive one card. They are not to look at their cards. They
should keep their cards folded in their hands. Tell the participants that they should
move around the room and greet three people. They should simply greet them and
remember who they greeted. They should not look at anyone’s card.
After the greetings, ask everyone to sit down. Now, everyone should look at his or
her card. On a flip chart, put a red X. Ask everyone who has a red X to stand. Inform
the group that these people have HIV. Ask the group to take a good look at the people
standing. Anyone who greeted the people should also stand up. These people are
also infected. Now, tell everyone to take a good look at everyone standing. Anyone
who has greeted those standing must stand up. All those standing are infected with
HIV. Continue with this a few times until just about everyone is standing.
Put a “C” on the flip chart. Ask if anyone has this symbol on his or her card. Tell
these people that they can sit down. Tell the group that these people have used a
condom. They are not infected. Everyone can now sit down.
Ask the group what we learn from this game. Put their answers on the flip chart.
Possible answers will be:
• HIV can be transmitted very quickly and easily.
• You cannot tell if someone has HIV.
• Using a condom can reduce your risk of HIV.
• Having contact with one person is the same as having contact with all the
partners of that person.
Ask the people with the red “X” how they felt to discover they were HIV posi-
tive. Ask the people with the “C” how it felt not be infected at all and to sit down.
Note: It is important to emphasize that this is a representative exercise. People
cannot transmit HIV by simply greeting each other. They would have had to have
sex (or other contact with bodily fluid). Also, be careful that this exercise does not
set a tone of “blaming the victim.”
Lastly, ask the group how they could have avoided infection in this game. Possible
answers will be:
• They could have refused to play (Abstinence).
• They could have insisted on seeing their partners’ cards (Testing).

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• They could have only greeted one partner (Risk Reduction—

Being Faithful).
• Remind the group that if they choose “Risk Reduction—Being Faithful,”
they must first ensure that the person is HIV negative, by “checking the
card.” (Testing).

Variations—Condoms, Condoms,
Condoms!
While teaching about condoms is an important part of any behavior change program,
it is essential to include condoms as part of an overall program about decision–mak-
ing, negotiation skills, and relationship skills. Therefore, you may wish to work with
your group for some time before progressing to any sessions about condoms. There
are a few ideas in different parts of this manual regarding negotiating condom use,
and all of the assertiveness, peer pressure, and persuasion sessions can be adapted
with condoms in mind. In addition, here are a few suggestions for games to play to
familiarize your group with condoms and condom use.

Condom Time Bomb

This exercise is a great introduction to condoms. The game helps people get com-
fortable with touching condoms in a non–threatening environment. Also, the nature
of the game helps to illustrate the strength of condoms.
You will need: Five to 10 condoms, slips of paper with one question about con-
doms written on each slip, and some music (tape player, radio, etc.).
Before the session, write one question on a slip of paper; fold the paper very
small and put it inside one of the condoms; blow up the condom and tie it like a
balloon. Do this for however many condoms you would like in the game.
Have your participants stand in a circle. Hand one of the “balloons” to a participant.
Explain that you will play some music. Participants should pass the “balloon” around
the circle any way they like—handing it to the person next to them, batting it into
the air to the next person, dancing with it, and so on. When the music stops (when
you turn it off), whoever is holding the condom balloon must break it, take out the
question, and answer it. After discussing the correct answer, start the music and the
entire process again. When the participants find it difficult to break the condom,
make sure you point out how strong it is!

Some suggested questions for the Condom Time Bomb:

1. Are condoms 100 percent effective?
2. How many times should you use one condom?
3. How should a condom look before it is put on?
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Condom Demonstrations
An essential part of any session about condom use is a step–by–step condom dem-
onstration. See HIV Prevention (Session 6 in Part III) for an example.

Condom Races
This is a fun way for participants to practice what they have learned about using
condoms. Here are two ways to do the “races.”
1. Form teams. Each team gets one demonstration model and a bunch of con-
doms. The teams stand in line, and when you say, “Go!”, each team must go
one–by–one up to the model, correctly put the condom on it, come back to their
team mates and tag the next person who also goes up and repeats the process.
When all members of one team have correctly put condoms on the models, that
team wins.
2. Another variation is to write all of the steps for putting on a condom on indi-
vidual cards. Mix up each set of cards so that they are no longer in order, and
give one set of cards to each team. When you say “Go!” the teams have to race
each other to see which team will put the steps in order the fastest. The team
that gets all the steps in the correct order first wins the races.

Dealing with Difficult Questions

It is helpful to spend some time during a Training of Trainers exploring the many
difficult or uncomfortable situations that may arise when discussing HIV/AIDS and
other issues. You might simply lead the group in brainstorming the types of difficult
questions that they might encounter. For example:
Hostile questions “Why do you always have to talk about sex?”
Questions that have “Where did AIDS come from?”
no answer
When you don’t know “What is the exact formula used to project
the answer HIV/AIDS epidemiological statistics?”
Personal questions “Do you use condoms?”
Controversial questions “My pastor says condoms have holes in them—are
you saying he’s lying?”
Questions that get you “When will we go to lunch?”
off the topic
After listing these possibilities, work with the group to discover the best ways to
handle such situations. Examples might include:
• Repeat the question to give yourself time to think and to ensure that
you understand.

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• Open the question up to the entire group.

• To diffuse hostile or controversial questions, turn your body away from the
person and address the question to the entire group.
• Admit that you do not know the answer, offer to research it for the group,
and be sure to follow up with the correct answer.
To conclude the session, you might invite participants to come to the front of the
room and role play as facilitators. Invite other participants to ask difficult questions.
Elicit feedback about how the question was handled, other possibilities, and so on.
If participants cannot think of difficult questions, have a few ready on slips of paper
for them to read out.

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