Background
AIDS is one of the greatest threats to development. Organisations in the Kicking AIDS Out network are united around their use of sport as a tool to actively enhance life skills development to prevent the spread of HIV, discourage stigmatisation and promote healthy lifestyles for people living with HIV and AIDS.
Kicking AIDS Out integrates HIV/AIDS education and life skills messages into sport and physical activity programs, with a view to engage youth in productive activity and integrates health promotion. Trained community based Kicking AIDS Out youth leaders are integrating the Kicking AIDS Out concept into movement games, sport and traditional activities to engage young people in lessons about life skills, leadership and communication. These Kicking AIDS Out leaders are making inroads in the fight against HIV and AIDS in many of the communities that these programs are operating.
Training Materials
There have been three editions of the Kicking AIDS Out Peer Leader and Leader Level 1 manual. The first manual, produced in 2004 by Marlene Fourie, was based on the first Kicking AIDS Out resource book which was entitled “Through Movement Games and Sports Activities” which was written by Oscar Mwaanga of the Edusport Organization in Zambia. The most recent manual which was edited in 2006 by Sverre Aarsand, in cooperation with a working group, is available to all implementing members of the Kicking AIDS Out Network as a training resource.
Recently a working group of Kicking AIDS Out Master Trainers has been formed to strengthen and retool the Kicking AIDS Out training curriculum and methodology to include a stronger sexual health foundation. The working group has been charged with integrating these concepts into the Kicking AIDS Out curriculum and training materials and providing the retooled training for other Kicking AIDS Out trainers. Kicking AIDS Out Leaders have the responsibility of initiating discussions around sensitive issues that arise when talking about sex, sexuality, HIV and AIDS. Provision of accurate sexual health and sexuality information has been identified by peers, leaders and health administrators as an area that needs further attention and development by the network. This gap results from lack of information, education and the inherent reluctance and discomfort associated with the topic – since sexual health is value laden. It has become apparent that effective teaching about HIV/AIDS must include having a sound grasp of sexual health in a much more direct and intentional fashion.
Peer Education
The Kicking AIDS Out philosophy and training curriculum is based on a peer education model that empowers youth coaches and peer educators with the skills to lead educational activities and to facilitate discussion surrounding HIV and AIDS.
These Kicking AIDS Out Leaders have the responsibility of initiating discussions around sensitive issues that arise when talking about sex, sexuality, HIV and AIDS. The Leaders work with the youth participants to effectively debrief and understand the subject matter that arises. It is a priority of the Network to bring Leaders together to share important learning and assist each other with overcoming challenges and developing new skills and curriculum. The Kicking AIDS Out curriculum and training aims to equip Peer Leaders with a deeper understanding of HIV/AIDS information, with increased confidence and competency, and with more developed facilitation skills.
Peer Leaders are trained to be able to facilitate discussions, answer questions and promote open dialogue about various issues affecting youth in their own grassroots organizations in their communities. Through strengthening the capacity of Peer Leaders, the members of the Kicking AIDS Out Network expand their effectiveness to deliver quality programming to address the HIV and AIDS pandemic. It is important to the Kicking AIDS Out Network to feedback lessons learnt from the membership into the development of the curriculum and enhance the curriculum based on the gaps identified by the membership.
The Kicking AIDS Out curriculum builds capacity in youth to help them become stronger leaders and mentors for their peers. It also teaches youth coaches to lead activities that integrate life skills and HIV and AIDS information into sport and physical activity. Youth who qualify can then become trainers and assume greater responsibility for supporting and mentoring other Peer Leaders in their organization.
The training for Kicking AIDS Out is a broad concept that integrates sport skills and life skills in physical activities at different levels of implementation. Depending on the focus of the individual organisation, Kicking AIDS Out activities can be sport specific or involve movement games in Physical Education. Drama, dance or poetry are also used by many members to spread a positive message about HIV/AIDS and other life skills areas.
The Training Pathway
The Kicking AIDS Out training pathway begins at the Peer Leader Level. These youth are taught basic HIV and AIDS knowledge and then the focus is on how to integrate a life skill or piece of HIV and AIDS information into a sport or specially designed Kicking AIDS Out activities.
Selected youth move along the training pathway to become a Leader Level 1. These youth then assume the responsibility for training Peer Leaders and supporting, mentoring and advising them as they work in their communities. A very important component is the introduction of more advanced facilitation skills. These youth have the responsibility of initiating discussions around sensitive issues that arise when talking about sex, sexuality, HIV and AIDS. They work with the Peer Leaders and the youth participants to sensitively and effectively debrief and understand the subject matter that arises.
More senior and competent trainers are given the opportunity to become a Leader Level 2. Their facilitation skills are enhanced so that they train the Leader Level 1s and so that they can support their development in practise. These Leader Level 2s often have a more strategic role in the management of Kicking AIDS Out activities and training plans at their member organisation. It is a priority of the Network to continue to bring Leaders at this level together to share important learning and assist each other with overcoming challenges and developing new skills.
Master Trainers are the most experienced trainers in the network who are actively participating in the continued development and enhancement of the Kicking AIDS Out objectives. They are trainers who are contributing to various working groups that are addressing issues such as curriculum development, monitoring and evaluation and marketing and research. Master Trainers are Leader Level 2 trainers who are often specialists in a unique field such as coaching, sport for development, sexual health and public relations.
