Ethiopia
Youth "Movement" to combat HIV/AIDS through Life Skill Education
Activity Dates
2004-2007
Activity Summary
HCP has three youth HIV-related projects: Beacon Schools (BCS), Sports for Life (SFL) and the Youth Action Kit (YAK). YAK, SFL and BCS are participatory Life Skills Education programs. YAK targets in- and out-of-school youth 15-24 who are affiliated with youth clubs and Sunday schools, while SFL reaches in-school youth 13-15, and Beacon Schools focuses on primary school students 10-12.
These programs invite schools and youth clubs to complete a series of HIV education and life skills activities in order to become "champions." Through mass media and community-level activities, HCP has "branded" the concept of champion status, creating buzz and inspiring individuals, groups, and communities to participate in project activities and to adopt healthy behaviors. HCP expects that the use of this concept will help it to create vibrant, sustainable programs that can be taken to scale.
Implementation
YAK - YAK is designed for clubs of in- and out-of-school youth aged 15-24. The program was designed in collaboration with Family Health International's Ethiopian Youth Network, Pathfinder International, Save the Children USA, Catholic Relief Services, and the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. YAK employs life skills activities, community outreach, personal reflection, and role-playing to encourage health behavior patterns and changes.
SFL – SFL is a collection of activities for sports classes and teams of in-school youth aged 13-15. HCP works with the Ministry of Youth and Sport, Save the Children USA, and World Vision and with the Ministry of Education to identify schools for implementation and to train physical education teachers and coaches who carry the program in their schools. The program is an integral component of schools' Sport for All Program, allowing youth to explore issues including HIV/AIDS, reproductive health, and puberty through participation in sports and games. In SFL, participants learn to think critically, communicate effectively, make good decisions, and gain self-esteem through a curriculum that builds from life skills to basic biology to protecting oneself from HIV/AIDS and treating those affected by HIV/AIDS with compassion.
Beacon - BCS targets primary school students, grades 5-6. Designed at the request of PEPFAR, the program is a collaborative effort of the Basic Education Strategic Objectives II (BESO). Partners are Academy for Educational Development, Save the Children USA, Tigray Development Association, World Learning, and PACT-Ethiopia. BCS uses BESO's established networks of Parent Teacher Associations, Girls Advisory Committees, and Girls' Clubs as entry points into communities. The BCS curriculum was carefully designed to dovetail with primary school students' academic curricula. It provides youth with basic information on HIV, introducing the concept of abstinence and teaching them life skills such as communication, negotiation, decision making, and how to develop a value system.
All three programs encourage youth to use their talents–creative, athletic, and intellectual–to develop life skills and reduce their risk of HIV/AIDS. Because SFL and Beacon Schools target younger adolescents, many of whom have not yet become sexually active, they focus on promoting delayed sexual debut. YAK, catering to an older audience, also emphasizes secondary abstinence, partner reduction, mutual fidelity, and correct and consistent condom use.
All three programs are based upon the Champion Activity Cycle, in which young people strive to achieve "Champion" status by fulfilling defined requirements. This cycle is based on the premise that the combination of defined goals and healthy competition can motivate collective action, which can, in turn, reinforce individual-level behavior change. The cycle begins with setting clear goals for participants. Participants then work towards these goals, completing program activities. Once participants have reached the pre-set goals, they are awarded Champion status. This achievement is celebrated in the media and at community festivals, encouraging continued participation and generating interest in the program from new groups.
Materials and Tools
Audience
Partners
The YAK, SFL, and BCS programs were developed in conjunction with a wide variety of partner organizations, many of which have since adapted the programs for their own use. This implementation model has enabled HCP to achieve rapid scale up of all three programs. About 3,000 junior secondary schools, primary schools, youth clubs and Sunday schools affiliated with seven partner organizations (the Ethiopian Ministries of Youth, Sports, and Culture and Education, SAVE the Children US, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, Catholic Relief Services, World Vision, and the Ethiopian Youth Network) have already been trained in the YAK, SFL, and Beacon Schools approaches.
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Note about materials: Some of the materials and resources listed on each page are available in their full form, others are represented by image or citation only. For more information and resources, go to www.jhuccp.org
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