When I take responsibility for my own body and myself I will be taking care of those I come into direct contact with

With the alarming growth of substance abuse among children (some of them as young as 8 years old in recent reports
on Tik addiction), the continuing growth of HIV in the age group 15 – 35 years, gangsterism, violence against women
and children, racism, xenophobia and the many social ills that make life difficult for our children, it is becoming more
and more important to examine the tools with which our youth can be equipped in order for them to protect themselves.

When one speaks to young people today, it is rare that anybody under the age of 10 is not able to recite the facts about
HIV or TIK to you parrot style. They know the facts. However, they seem unable to relate these to their personal lives
in order to protect themselves. There is the feeling of: “It cannot happen to me.” But there is also the reality that kids are
easily led astray by emotional and social ‘bullying’. The value of LIFE itself is underrated in a society that places its focus
on material/financial success or the lack thereof. We have all heard of the three C's: Clothes, Cars and Cell-phones, and
when one listens to young people this reality becomes even more frightening. There are scary stories of young girls selling
their bodies for cars and drugs; and the problems the Western Cape faces with gangsterism is familiar. It seems that the
overwhelming cry from Educators and Community Workers is: “There is no respect for themselves or others.”

Why is AIDS Education Important for Young People?
Young people are especially vulnerable to HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). They are also vulnerable
as regards drug use (and not just injected drugs). Even if they are not engaging in risk behaviours today, they may soon be
exposed to situations that put them at risk.

In many countries 60% of all new HIV infections are among 15-24 year-olds. Also the highest rates of STDs are usually
found in the age range 20-24 years, followed by 15-19 years.

Does education about AIDS make young people more sexually active?
It is commonly supposed that talking to young people about sex will make them do it. Such anxieties prevent many teachers,
youth workers and parents from talking about sexual matters. Alternatively, they may encourage an over-emphasis on the
negative aspects of sex - unwanted pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, AIDS - rather than positive aspects such as
intimacy, sexual love and pleasure. Likewise when drugs are talked about the emphasis is often on the damage they can
cause. Young people often see through this kind of unbalanced approach. In consequence, they may reject all that adults
have to say, seeking guidance and role models from peers and from the media.

Studies from different countries show that good quality sex education can actually decrease the likelihood that young
people will have sex, and increases condom use among those who are already sexually active.

What type of education works best in school?
It is widely recognised that the best approaches to sex and drug education in schools are broad based and have several
components. These include the provision of factual information about biology, sexual development, and sexual and drug-
related risks; a concern with personal relationships, feelings and values; an emphasis on the acquisition of relevant
negotiation skills (including but not restricted to how to say 'no'); and a consideration of wider social pressures and cultural
expectations.

Successful sex education programmes have several key qualities. These include the provision of information, exercises
to encourage an appraisal of values, and role play rehearsal to teach sexual negotiation skills. Programmes that aim to
reduce specific sexual risk-taking behaviours and which reinforce group norms against unprotected sex and discuss
social pressures to have unprotected sexual activity have been shown to be particularly successful. School curricula with
these qualities have been shown significantly to reduce the likelihood that students who have not had sex prior to their
exposure to the curriculum will have had unprotected sexual intercourse eighteen months later.

Cape Heart Community and Educational Theatre Company is proposing a Life Skills project that presupposes that
senior Primary School learners (Grades 6 and 7) are aware of the facts of the many dangers that might beset them.
They have, through the Life Skills curriculum, been taught the facts about HIV and substance abuse. They factually
know what peer pressure is and that they should respect themselves and others, but for some reason they do not
internalise and personalise this knowledge. What they need are the personal tools to be able to make the right
decisions to empower them to take responsibility for their own lives and their own bodies. When it comes to HIV
and substance abuse there is a need to start examining the underlying and unspoken issues, acknowledging that
teaching the “facts” is not enough.