I spent yesterday studying for my Afrikaans midterm today, so I apologize for not getting around to posting. However, it was well worth it-- I think I did really well!
As stated before, we work with a community partner in HIV class and today was another visit day. We had a lot of fun today brainstorming our products to spread awareness with the youth center. Below is my reflection, enjoy! :)
We visited the youth outreach center for the second time today. Since we are already acquainted, our goal for the day was to work together with the employees to choose which product we should contribute in order to increase awareness of HIV in the outreach center. Prior to this morning's meeting, we divided ourselves into three smaller groups to brainstorm product ideas. The first group, my group, was to think of ideas of a game that the youth could play that would be interesting, educational, and, fun. We came up with the idea of a board game similar to Chutes N' Ladders and LIFE, in which the children would answer questions and make choices about scenarios involving HIV. The second group thought of ideas of something tangible the youth could keep and decided on making bracelets with the word "DARE" on them. This word represents the breaking of the stigmas surrounding HIV, and will be explained more later. The third and final group came up with a drama about HIV then turned it into a game in which the children would act out scenarios. After presenting our ideas to the employees and discussing the pros and cons, we decided that we will make a board game as well as the bracelets.
We think that it will be within our budget to make both the bracelets and the game, so the problem now is how to tie these concepts together. The bracelet group came up with a really great idea with the word "DARE." The message behind this word is that we want to break the stigmas associated with HIV. A lot of youth are too shy or embarrassed to talk about sex, and this leads to ignorance about safe sex and HIV. Yes, facilities provide free condoms but we will never know if the youth utilize them. Yes, we have told them to have safe sex but we will never know if they actually listen. And yes, there are clinics where you can receive free testing, but we will never be able to make anyone get tested, even if it is in his or her best interests. So, with the word "DARE" we want to show the youth that they should dare to break this miscommunication; they do not have to be afraid to ask their caretakers about safe sex, HIV, tests, and treatments. Miscommunication leads to ignorance, and ignorance seems to be the biggest fueling factor behind the continuous spread of the virus.
We will incorporate "DARE" into our game by using the same colors for the game blocks as the beads on the bracelets: blue, red, green, and yellow. The red blocks will go to the red cards, which will be DARE cards. These DARE cards will represent a benefit of breaking stigmas and miscommunication; for example, a DARE card may read "You asked for a condom and practiced safe sex-- Congratulations! Move ahead 3 spaces." We chose to do this so that the game will promote positive behavior instead of focusing on the negatives of HIV. The caretakers thought it would be a good idea for us to give the bracelets at the completion of the game for the youth living there, and we will provide extra bracelets for the drop-in lunchtime group.
While a board game and bracelets aren't going to reshape the way all of South Africa views HIV, we hope that our efforts will produce a ripple effect. The board game will teach the youth about HIV and since they will have fun, they will want to play it. Plus, there will be enough cards for each category that they could play multiple times and each time would be different. With the bracelets, the youth will have something to hold on to, that is theirs to own, even after they leave the center. It will remind them of the things they have been taught about HIV and hopefully encourage them to make smart decisions. Also, the single word on the bracelet will be a conversation starter and will help them tell others what they have learned. Our mission is to educate youth on HIV and to empower them to make informed and wise decisions on their own, and for them to spread this knowledge and empowerment to their peers, creating a ripple effect long after we have left Stellenbosch.
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