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Abstract
An evaluation of the Full Circle Project: The effects of a peer-driven theatre-based HIV prevention intervention on audience and actor/educator learning
J M MacIntosh
University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
Issues: High-risk sexual behaviour (HRSB) persists among Canadian youth and is reflected in rising incidence of HIV and other STIs among this group. Many youth are engaging in HRSB and a recent report on chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis infections in Canada indicated that rates have risen by more than one-third in the past three years, especially within the 15-19 age group.
Description: I will be evaluating ‘The Full Circle Project’; a community-based HIV prevention/sexual health initiative developed for grade 8 & 9 in-school youth. Guided by established HIV prevention theory and using interactive theatre, the peer-driven intervention will use youth culture as the framework for education concerning such urgent issues as abstinence, HIV/STD prevention and treatment, pregnancy prevention, decision-making, peer-pressure, negotiation for safer sex, and alternative safer sexual behaviours.
Lessons learned: Effectiveness of the program, written by youth, for youth, will be measured using naturalistic observations, written feedback, and content analysis of videotape-recorded interviews. It is hypothesized that: 1) This approach will engage the audience; 2) comfort level with, and likelihood of using prevention strategies will be increased in both the audiences and actor/educators; and, 3) This approach will greatly increase actor/educator levels of knowledge about HIV and sexual health issues. I will report the preliminary findings, describe highlights of the program from the perspective of the participants, and outline the strengths and weaknesses of using a peer-driven interactive theatre format for HIV prevention/sexuality education.
Recommendations: Based on the evaluation of learning outcomes, I will further describe which components the youth participants deem most meaningful, the steps necessary to conduct a more rigorous longitudinal study, and how 'Full Circle' could be modified to suit other youth populations.
The XIV International AIDS Conference
Abstract no.
F12170
Suggested Citation
" J M MacIntosh ,
An evaluation of the Full Circle Project: The effects of a peer-driven theatre-based HIV prevention intervention on audience and actor/educator learning
.
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The XIV International AIDS Conference:
Abstract no.
F12170"
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