Teaching Kids to Make Healthy Sexual Decisions

PORT DICKSON: AIDS/HIV is a disease many say is spread by silence.

However, on Saturday the voices of 36 children rang out loud and clear, bringing hope for an end to the stigma which still cloaks the disease.

Dec 1 marked World AIDS Day, as well as the culmination of the Dell Youth Speak Peer2Peer Educator Programme, a four-day workshop focused on teaching youth about the disease and equipping them with the skills to become facilitators.

The workshop brought together 12 boys and 24 girls between the ages of 12 and 16 from estate communities, who at first were embarrassed over the subject matter being discussed.

“It was my first time seeing a condom! I never spoke about sex and HIV with my friends before this. A lot of the girls, including me, covered our eyes during the first session. We were shy!” giggled Amreeta Kaur, 12.

Breaking down the children’s initial inhibitions while providing information to make healthy sexual decisions in a fun environment is what project facilitator Chris Ng aims to achieve.

“This programme is about making youth realise that they have a voice and should use it to empower themselves, their peers and community,” said Ng.

“The problem many face is how to make the issue of HIV/AIDS relevant to youth. This programme explains the technical aspects of the disease as well as allows them to tell their own stories which will resound with their peers.”

Ng, who has a Master’s degree in children’s theatre, evolved his eight-year running theatre programme into a more sustainable Peer2Peer education by allowing the children to take over the reins as facilitators.

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