Amber E Oliver/USA/HQ/UNICEF 
12/15/2004 01:01 PM	To

cc

bcc

Subject
	
		
		
		
		
		
		
		
		ONLINE LESSON FOR LIFE
		
		With the end of week one discussion, came the beginning of week 2. It was 
time to put all the planning into action. It was brought up that one 
person’s plan of action can not be the same as another. The fact is that 
not every plan will work everywhere. It is just a matter of trial and 
error to see what works best for you.
		
		The use of Drama seems to be a popular choice to spread awareness. Drama 
production can be used to educate and entertain all ages which is a great 
tool when fighting this disease. Different types of drama were mentioned 
in the first week, such as plays, short stories, poems. 
		
		Another use that was brought into mention was school presentations. Where 
else can you get a large group of youths together in a learning 
environment? But in order to reach these youths you need to bring them 
something that they will like. Making presentations entertaining as well 
as up to date with today’s technology are very good ways to grab the 
attention of today’s youth. The idea of using a PowerPoint production in 
schools was brought up. This can be a great way to go about it. There is a 
lot of information out there on the internet and a PowerPoint is a great 
way to bring all this information alive.
		
		Another more creative way to put our ideas into action was through the use 
of sports. With the gathering of youth and adults alike, provides a great 
chance to spread awareness on HIV/AIDS awareness. By finding ways to 
spread the message in a creative way during these activities will allow 
for a large audience who you won’t have a hard time getting their 
attention.
		
		Not all ideas in the first week were thought of as being useful when 
educating youths. Lectures and facts are not always the best way to go 
about spreading awareness to youths. If you can get the attention of youth 
and make them interested in the fight against HIV/AIDS, then they will 
have more of an interest to go learn about the facts. Creating interest in 
the subject is just as important as throwing facts out. The youth are the 
leaders of tomorrow and it would be really nice if these leaders had an 
interest in HIV/AIDS awareness.
		
		One problem that was brought up when trying to do many of these actions 
was money. Everything that is done usually comes with some cost. As 
leaders we need to find ways to reduce these costs. We need to start 
pressuring governments now rather then later. Now is the time for change. 
Now is also the time for HIV/AIDS NGOs to step up and help the youth in 
anyway. When youth speak up they are seldom heard, but with more support 
we can make sure that they do get heard.
		
		Well that is it. I hope everyone enjoyed the two week discussion. I know 
myself and Justin had a great time hearing all of your ideas and would 
like to thank each and every one of you who took part. Also we would like 
to thank UNICEF for hosting this great event. Without your support none of 
this could happen. Thanks.
		
		I will leave you all with this powerful quote by one of our participants:
		
		“We will soon be called into power where we can initiate change and there 
will be hope and rejoicing as we finally begin to defeat the pandemic of 
HIV/AIDS. But the time is sooner than we think. We may be the leaders of 
tomorrow, but tomorrow will soon become today.” - Kels
		
		Ryan Clarke
		Youth Moderator