Effective AIDS education encompasses both scientific and social aspects of HIV and AIDS.

Effective AIDS education encompasses both scientific and social aspects of HIV and AIDS. Knowledge of the basic science of HIV and AIDS is important for understanding how the virus is passed on and how it affects the body, for example. But AIDS education that deals only with medical and biological facts, and not with the real-life situations that young people find themselves in, does not provide young people with adequate AIDS awareness.³⁰ Developing life skills and discussing matters such as relationships, sexuality and drug use, are fundamental to AIDS education. Knowing how HIV reproduces won’t help a young person to negotiate using a condom, for example.

What needs to be considered?

When planning an AIDS education lesson or curriculum, it is important to be aware of local guidelines, as many places have legislation that dictates what sex or AIDS education can or should be given. Local cultures also need to be taken into consideration, as views between cultures differ on issues that are a necessary part of AIDS education, for example human sexuality. Awareness of cultural and religious beliefs enables AIDS education to sensitively, yet effectively, deal with issues in a way that does not conflict with the values of young learners.

When educating a group of young people, the personal circumstances of students need to be taken into account. Some of the students may have been personally affected by HIV or, particularly in high prevalence areas, may themselves be infected with HIV.^{31 32} The sexuality of students and their families is something else that needs to be considered. AIDS education needs to include information about and for people of all sexualities.

The best place to start when planning AIDS education for young people is to talk to the young people themselves. Allowing learners to ask questions and encouraging their input will enable young people to express what they want from their AIDS education. Speaking to the class also ensures that educators are aware of the current knowledge of the students, so that AIDS education can be more effectively targeted towards areas of informational need.