Memphis

Minority AIDS Initiative Project: Reach and Teach
Memphis City Schools was approved for the Minority AIDS Initiative Project supplemental HIV grant funding, “Targeting Youth at Highest Risk for HIV, Other STD and Teen Pregnancy.” Our project contracted with a local theater company to produce a play that is youth-centered.  It provided an opportunity for students completing the last of six training sessions as Peer Educators to utilize their newly acquired skills to provide content for the stage production. Eleven (11) of the 16 students trained participated in a focus group led by the theater company’s Executive/Artistic Director.  Another focus group was convened consisting of 16 Latino high school students who were not participants in peer training. This resulted in the script for four five-minute vignettes targeting African-American and Latino students written and produced by the theater company. Four students, including three Peer Educators had the opportunity to contribute as actors in the play, along with professional actors.
The play is to be performed in settings outside of the classroom on three occasions to coincide with national observances of AIDS awareness. The first staging was for World AIDS Day 2010 at a high school consisting of predominately African-American students. One of the vignettes was performed during a city-wide observance of World AIDS Day at the school in collaboration with the county health department before an audience of 11th and 12th grade students, representatives of government agencies and community based organizations. A performance including all four vignettes was held later for the 9th Grade Academy at the school. It was followed by a Town Hall discussion led by Peer Educators, providing another opportunity to educate their peers. The next performances are to be staged in observance of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day in February and National Latino AIDS Awareness Day in October 2011. High school students from several schools will attend those performances.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT
Susan Lee
adekpuitorsusan@mcsk12.net
http://www.mcsk12.net/