PSHE Dispelling the myths
Gary Aubin, a secondary school drama teacher and volunteer with charity Body & Soul, takes a look at HIV stigma in UK classrooms and the need to help young people talk openly about the disease
or access to medicine. because the myths and facts about the disease are
so often discussed, it is easy to assume that young people know everything they need to about hIV and AIDs, and that the need for education around the topic is low. My experience is that the opposite is true. I was
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as surprised as many to read hIV charity body & soul’s latest research, commissioned as part of their Life in my shoes campaign. It found that although most young people are
aware of the basic facts about hIV transmission – for example, that the disease cannot be transmitted by sharing a cup or kissing – most would still not engage in such behaviour with someone they knew to be hIV positive. It was a stark reminder that education is about more than just learning facts, and that inciting real changes in behaviour is a far more challenging outcome. though young people often have an admirable
quality to learn a list of facts for homework or exam revision, can they be persuaded to change their opinions on what is or is not safe behaviour around people with hIV? Especially when hIV is so closely linked to sex and relationships, and that real behaviour change involves breaking down the stigma associated with the disease? When hIV is discussed in a classroom setting,
it can seem distant to many students. Consequently, making jokes about it does not seem inappropriate, or even insensitive. students in my classes would never joke about someone having cancer or a heart condition, or about someone’s race, yet it is not out of place to hear students joking about other students having AIDs or hIV, using the terms interchangeably. While this behaviour is not a daily occurrence,
it does suggest that a young person’s mindset is that hIV is something that couldn’t possibly affect them, or their immediate world of friends, family and acquaintances. the estimated 86,500 people in the UK with hIV
would suggest otherwise. While I find that students’ jokes and comments about hIV are not restricted to a particular race or creed – they are far too well schooled in tolerance for that – they certainly do use
Body & Soul
Body & Soul is a UK charity with 14 years of experience supporting children, teenagers and families affected by HIV. The charity runs a wide range of specialist psychological, social and health wellbeing services for members from a purpose-built centre in Islington, London. Every week, approximately 250 individuals access one of Body & Soul’s age specific programmes from a membership base of over 3,500. As such, the charity runs the largest support group in the UK for both adults and teenagers. In addition to service delivery, Body & Soul also campaigns to challenge HIV-related
stigma in society. The charity has just launched a new campaign; entitled Life in my Shoes. It is a youth-led, educational campaign to dispel common HIV myths and turn around
the negative attitudes towards young people affected by HIV. Central to this campaign will be a curriculum-linked resource designed to help teachers engage and teach young people about HIV in an innovative way. Body & Soul is currently looking for experienced secondary school teachers to help lead
the development of this resource. If you work with young people and/or are interested in using your skills to directly affect how young people think about an issue that affects more people than ever in the UK yet remains highly stigmatised then get in touch. Visit
www.lifeinmyshoes.org and
www.bodyandsoulcharity.org or you can email the youth campaign manager at
emily@bodyandsoulcharity.org
the disease as an insult, or as something that is dirty. “Urgh he’s got AIDs,” a student might joke. these comments are not steeped in hateful prejudice against those who are hIV-positive, but are indicative of the ignorance and negativity of teenagers towards people who are living with the disease. For all of these reasons, it was a pleasure
exploring hIV issues as a drama teacher with an A level theatre studies class recently. students explored not just the facts and myths around hIV, but developed their understanding of life for hIV- positive teenagers through role-play and forum theatre, looking at what it might be like for an hIV-positive young person to disclose their status to their peers. students were surprised to hear that most hIV-
positive teenagers have not disclosed their status to anyone at school – staff or students. they were able to empathise with feelings familiar to the hIV- positive young person – feelings of rejection, shame or isolation caused by the stigma around hIV. body & soul’s Life in my shoes educational
campaign can help open the discussion and give facts, and it can also encourage the empathy necessary to break down the stigma with hIV. the programme reinforces that hIV education
is not just about the facts, important though they are. In terms of stigma, understanding the damage of using the word “AIDs” as an insult is far more powerful than simply knowing that stigma is wrong. In terms of sexual behaviour, understanding
the difficulties that can be faced when negotiating condom use in a relationship is far more powerful than simply knowing that condoms prevent hIV. And in terms of transmission, understanding the isolation caused by people’s ignorance is far more important than the simple knowledge that sharing a cup cannot transmit hIV.
As a drama teacher I carry a natural bias towards
the power of acting to open discussion, to enact real dilemmas faced by those living with hIV, and to change people’s behaviour around a range of subjects. but as a teacher in a secondary school I know
that many subjects – or better still cross-curricular work – can also have the same effect, not just
loading students with facts about hIV and AIDs but looking at changing opinions, language and attitudes around a condition that is probably a lot closer to home than many of our students think.
SecEd
• Gary Aubin is a secondary school drama teacher and volunteer with Body & Soul, a national charity (see box below for more information).
SCHOOL NURSES FOR BETTER CHILD HEALTH
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A properly resourced school nursing service is required to help schools meet the government’s health and wellbeing objectives.
Research published in the British Journal of School Nursing (BJSN) shows that more school nurses are needed to meet these objectives and ensure school children receive the health care and support they deserve. Therefore
the BJSN has launched a campaign to increase the number of school nurses.
For more information on the campaign visit
http://moreschoolnurses.co.uk Support the campaign or send us your views at:
bjsn@markallengroup.com SecEd • May 5 2011
SCHOOL NURSES FOR BETTER CHILD HEALTH
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s both a teacher and volunteer in the UK and overseas, I have been hearing the messages involved in hIV education for many years, messages that typically focus on the need for prevention, early diagnosis, funds
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