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Life Skills Curriculum - HIV/Aids Awareness

What Are We Doing and Why?

April 2003 marked the initial implementation of the current PeacePlayers International-South Africa (PPI-SA) HIV/Aids Awareness Program. This HIV/Aids peer education program involves each of our 85 PPI-SA coaches mentoring their kids on the many important social and health issues they face every day. PPI-SA is using the sport of basketball as a tool to grab the attention of the youth involved in our program, and in turn provide them with valuable life skills information necessary to leading long and healthy lives. It is well documented that the global HIV/Aids epidemic has the most severe infection rates in South Africa, specifically where we are based in the KwaZulu Natal province. Thus, it is imperative that today’s youth have as much information as possible to prevent the continued spread of this deadly virus. Our learners need our help now, as this epidemic is showing no signs of improvement.

What is Unique About Our HIV/Aids Program

What makes the PPI-SA life skills program different from others is that our coaches have been given peer mentorship training, establishing strong relationships as role models/ peer mentors amongst their kids outside the classroom. The information from the manuals they are trained to present is done so through open discussion that encourages participation and interaction. Bonds of trust have been built, opening the lines of communication.

What is the Current Status

The HIV/Aids awareness curriculum has been presented since 2003 to over 1400 kids per year throughout the program from August to October. Initially, from April to July 2003, the curriculum was presented to over 500 children from downtown Durban and the Umlazi Township. We began this portion of the life skills program in 14 of the most desperate schools so as to maximize our resources. A great number of our learners from the Durban city schools also live in Umlazi. Since 2004, the HIV/Aids Awareness Program has been presented to 1400 children in all PPI-SA schools per year. Our coaches have been trained to present our HIV/Aids manual during their sessions, which take place for approximately 1-2 hours before practice, once per week. This manual was developed with the assistance of the Tanja Arntz from the Harvard School of Public Health and various organizations in the Durban area including the Planned Parenthood Association of South Africa (PPASA) and with the guidance and assessment of professor Steven Collings from the University of KwaZulu Natal. Coaches presenting the HIV/Aids program have attended yearly HIV/Aids awareness workshops prior to speaking with their learners. Following these workshops, they are given the PeacePlayers International HIV/Aids manual and trained to present it. In addition to weekly sessions with their coaches, our learners participate in monthly coaching clinics throughout the year, which include valuable HIV/Aids awareness workshops. Our coaches are getting through to the kids where other programs barely scratch the surface. We have seen significant gains in the information being internalized by our learners and great potential for positive effect on their future.

Program Goals

PeacePlayers International-South Africa hopes to positively change the lives of each child in our program. We hope these children take the important information learned in our HIV/Aids awareness program and use it to lead long and healthy lives. We also hope that this opens the lines of communication in a society where silence is the norm. In the future, we look forward to assessing what has taken place during the sessions to make necessary changes or improvements so as to provide our learners with the most effective life skills training. All of our coaches see the urgent importance of this taking place.

HIV/Aids Awareness Program Goals:

  • Continue to present the HIV/Aids awareness program in all PPI-SA schools, reaching over 1,400 learners each year. Through our partnership with the Harvard School of Public Health’s Centre for the Support of Peer Education, our coaches are given workshops on all issues pertaining to the epidemic and trained to present the PPI-SA HIV/Aids manual during their sessions. These sessions take place in an open environment for approximately 1-2 hours before practice, once per week. The HIV/Aids program covers the months of August, September, and October each year.
  • Our coaches in Durban have participated in full day Life Skills training workshops, including “train the trainer” facilitation exercises and other important skills hosted by the Leadership Centre at the University of KwaZulu Natal.
  • Coaches participate in 2 day HIV/Aids workshops combining the Harvard School of Public Health’s Centre for the Support of Peer Education and the PPI-SA Life Skills team training. The Harvard/PPI-SA workshops give all 85 PPI-SA coaches the necessary tools and background knowledge to pass on positive messages about the HIV/Aids epidemic. The training program also prepares our coaches to continue their role as peer mentors and serves as a chance to train our coaches on the current HIV/Aids manual. This training workshop also properly prepares our coaches to discuss HIV/Aids by using alternate means to make the process more interesting and engaging.
  • We will increase our presence with our coaches, within the schools and in dealing with our professional contacts. Each coach will have small group workshops every 2 weeks, with the assistance of the Harvard team, for additional training (more if need be depending on the coach) to continuously feel the support and assistance they need.

HIV/Aids Awareness Curriculum Partners:

Harvard University School of Public Health (Centre for the Support of Peer Education)

Dr. Charles Deutsch has provided valuable assistance and support throughout the development and implementation of the PPI-SA HIV/Aids program through his extensive professional experience in the fields of HIV/Aids research and youth education. Our relationship with Harvard School of Public Health now includes a formal partnership through the Centre for the Support of Peer Education. This relationship has created an opportunity to continuously train our staff as peer mentors and further developing their knowledge surrounding the HIV/Aids epidemic.

Northeastern University’s Center for Sport and Society

The Center for Sport and Society helped in the development of the original Life Skills curriculum. Contacts shared the Center’s proven educational methods for the mentorship program, which also included a leadership workshop in Durban in September 2003 with coaches and learners.

HIVAN (Centre for HIV/Aids Networking – University of KwaZulu Natal)

HIVAN supported PeacePlayers International during preparations for clinics and research for the initial HIV/Aids manuals. From 2003-2006 HIVAN researchers hosted full day HIV/Aids awareness workshops for our coaches in preparation for the curriculums.

Planned Parenthood Association of South Africa (PPASA)

PPASA provided thorough training clinics for our coaches for the initial HIV/Aids awareness curriculum. These clinics provided essential learning tools for our coaches to take with them as they prepared to begin their sessions.

University of KwaZulu Natal

Steven Collings, from the Psychology Department at the University of KwaZulu Natal, has a focus on race issues and conflict resolution/ crime & violence. He lent his expertise to the development and implementation of the initial PPI-SA life skills curriculum, specifically for HIV/Aids awareness, race issues & diversity, and drugs & alcohol awareness. He provided an assessment of our 2003 and 2004 HIV/Aids program by analyzing samples of our questionnaires. We had distributed and collected over 1000 HIV/AIDS questionnaires from our children from the first session and a follow up questionnaire from the final session of the HIV/Aids curriculum. We found several differences in what information these children had prior to our program compared to what they now have through these sessions. Steven Collings also completed an assessment of our Drugs/ Alcohol awareness program.

Focus on the Family

This local NGO has supported PeacePlayers International-South Africa during coaching clinics, and giving effective workshops for the learners and our coaches. Also they have attended our Life Skills retreats to Shongweni Dam by hosting HIV/Aids workshops for the learners.

Measuring Our Success

Dr. Steven Collings, Professor of Psychology at the University of KwaZulu Natal in Durban, completed an assessment of our HIV/Aids program in 2003 and 2004 through statistical analysis of samples of our questionnaires. In 2003 and 2004, we distributed and collected over 1000 HIV/Aids questionnaire’s each year that our learners completed prior to their first session and a follow up questionnaire during the final session of the HIV/Aids curriculum. When we handed them over to Dr. Collings, we had hoped to find significant differences in what information these children had prior to our program compared to what they now have through our efforts. Dr. Collings’ assessment of these questionnaires showed that we have made a positive impact on our learners. Dr. Collings has also helped to review session notes taken by our coach’s and those coordinators facilitating the sessions. Based on individual interviews with our coaches, we have found that they are getting through to their learners where other programs barely scratch the surface. We have seen significant gains in the information being internalized by our learners and great potential for positive effect on their future.