Several months ago, the San Benito County Office of Education
and CMAP partnered up on an exciting project by and for youth.
Several months ago, the San Benito County Office of Education and CMAP partnered up on an exciting project by and for youth.
The SBCOE had a Peer Education program happening at a couple of schools in Hollister, where students were taught all about HIV and AIDS; from the risk factors of various behaviors, to refusal skills teens can use when feeling pressured, to the most common myths about the diseases. Teens would then go into the classroom and enlighten other teens about the disease. The idea of peer education is that young people are a lot more receptive to hearing the message from their peers, then authority figures.
The program had just about run its course when CMAP came into the picture. The SBCOE and CMAP paired up to create a video version of the training to be aired on community TV channels and also to be distributed to schools and libraries in San Benito County.
The video production would be ambitious, but certainly well worth it once complete. Actual peer educators and staff from the SBCOE program participated in producing the videos, as did volunteers and staff at CMAP. The final project is a thirty minute video, jam packed with statistics, valuable information, and supportive suggestions for teens.
Believe me, this producer learned a thing or two about the disease as well. I think the entire crew did. The program addresses the many ways HIV can be spread, and clears up the common myths about HIV and casual contact.
Confidential vs Anonymous testing is discussed, as well as the types of behaviors that can put you at risk, like breast feeding as an HIV positive mother, or sharing needles. I found the statistics particularly alarming. You don’t think of kids having HIV, let alone full blown AIDS; but unfortunately, the disease does not discriminate, and is alive and well in our own backyard.
The program goes over a lot of important information in detail. While it may not be the most comfortable thing for a parent or teen to listen to, knowledge is power. This information could save someone’s life.
CMAP is currently in production with the Spanish version of the project titled “HIV: Be in the Know,” which will also be distributed in San Benito County and will see airtime on the channels. To catch the English version, tune in to channel 20 on Monday at 9 p.m. Additional airtimes are listed on our website. Just go to www.mycmap.org and click on the remote control.
Special thanks to the San Benito County Office of Education, Tim Foley, Kellie Guerra, Sophia Lerios, David Quihuiz, Lupe Maldonado, Marta Sherwood, Adrian Valentine, and all of the peer educators who assisted in this project. You made it a success!
