HIV / AIDS MINISTRIES NETWORK FOCUS PAPER # 28 A NETWORK OF UNITED METHODISTS AND OTHERS WHO CARE ABOUT THE GLOBAL HIV/AIDS PANDEMIC AND THOSE WHOSE LIVES HAVE BEEN TOUCHED ABOUT THIS ISSUE June 1995 Dear Network Members: This Focus Paper continues our attention to the issue of HIV/AIDS and teens. Youth continue to be one of the fastest growing segments of our population being exposed to HIV. Focus Paper 27 & 28 provide information useful in reaching out to young adults. This paper includes teaching and learning helps for doing HIV/AIDS education with teens. It includes methods and programs designed to address the issues of HIV in ways that are a appropriate to teens. In addition, discussion starters taken from the "AIDS Daily Summaries" of the Centers for Disease Control, video and printed material resources are included in this paper. Because many teens are frequent users of computers, we have included information on how teens can utilize their computers to gain accurate HIV information and talk with other teens about their concerns. HIV/AIDS Ministries Network Focus Papers are a publication of the Health and Welfare Ministries Program Department, General Board of Global Ministries, The United Methodist Church, Room 350, 475 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10115. Phone: 212-870-3909. FAX: 212-749-2641. INTERNET: aidsmin@gbgm-umc.org. Focus Papers, unless otherwise noted, may be quoted, reproduced and distributed with credit being given to Health and Welfare Ministries Program Department and the authors. Teaching/Learning Helps for Doing AIDS Education with Teens by Diana L. Hynson Does the following comment sound familiar? "The teens in my youth group are asking hard and pointed questions about HIV and AIDS, but their eyes glaze over when they think someone is 'preaching at them.' What can I do?" Perhaps you have asked this question yourself! You want to participate in creative and responsible education with teens, but you wonder, "How best can I do it?" You know that lecture is one acceptable teaching method, but, if overused, youth (and everyone else!) get bored and tune out. This Focus Paper suggests interactive teaching/learning methods to help you reach certain learning goals in AIDS education with teens. Many of the methods also are appropriate for adult education. The format is set up so that the learning goal is mentioned first and methods follow. Most of these techniques help set up a discussion. The methods can also be used to achieve learning goals other than the ones under which they are listed. GOALS AND METHODS This list of goals and methods is not exhaustive. Choose methods you think will be appropriate for your youth group, adapting and changing them as needed. In crafting a plan of AIDS education, you are limited only by your imagination! Note: Generally, younger youth benefit from more active teaching methods, while older teens and adults are more able to engage ideas through interactive exercises that do not require as much movement. Goal 1: To Examine Attitudes and Dispel Myths and Stereotypes * Bumper Stickers: Invite learners to report on actual bumper stickers, billboards, posters, graffiti, or newspaper, magazine, television ads they have seen about AIDS. Ask them to deal with myths, stereotypes, or attitudes about persons with HIV/AIDS or the infection itself revealed in these media. You might also invite the youth to make their own bumper sticker/poster. Discuss what the art and words say, what it says about a person who would display it for the public to see, what effect it has on others who read it, if it is factually accurate, and so on. Outrageous comments are ok, because you will debrief. * How Much of What You Know Is True: Invite students to write down or call out what they assume are facts about HIV/AIDS. (This could be done as a relay.) Compare assumptions with current information and allow anyone to challenge anyone else's assumptions. This can be coupled with hands-on research, rather than having all information provided. * How Many of You: Examine attitudes or stereotypes on two levels--overt and interior. Begin with the overt level. An example of a question which deals with the overt level is, "How many of you would play a contact sport with an HIV positive classmate?" Then move the question to the interior level of the overt question. An example of a question addressing an interior level of the question above would be "Are you fearful of infection through contact?" or " Does the attitude of school administrators and teachers support such interaction or not?" Ask for reasons for and feelings behind responses. * Role Reversal: Use a real story or a case study dealing with HIV/AIDS. Discuss it or act it out with characters assuming a role or value they would not typically take. For example, role play a scene in which a student and leader reverse roles in discussing the student's at-risk behavior. Debrief new insights, attitudes, feelings, values. * OK, Not OK and Opinion Polling/Surveys: Brainstorm and list values and behaviors that affect or are affected by HIV/AIDS (no discussion yet). Invite students to vote ok or not ok to each one. You can post opinion signs around the room and ask students to move to the sign that most clearly indicates their opinion. Note who agrees, disagrees, or isn't sure about the issues and use their responses to discuss their opinions. (When everyone or nearly everyone agrees, explore reasons. Unanimity of opinion can have many different reasons for agreement.) You can develop any questionnaire for an opinion poll or survey. * Trigger Words (meaning and intent): List or invite students to list, without comment, words or phrases that are often associated with HIV/AIDS. Be willing to stretch the limits of acceptable language, at least briefly. The point of this exercise is to assess the way words and phrases label, characterize, identify, and potentially wound the person to whom they are directed and the person who utters them. Examine the list and discuss which terms pull an internal trigger, which ones stereotype, which ones are vulgarisms, what was their intent, and so on. Discuss why persons use these words and what can be done to raise awareness and sensitivity in language and attitudes. Goal 2: To Learn About Means of HIV Transmission and Prevention * Mapping: Use poster paper or a long sheet of butcher paper to draw out a "map" of how HIV infection can travel. Brainstorm a variety of means and situations in which persons can transmit the infection and draw a map of the many courses it can take. Talk about the complexity of the map. Rather than make a flat map, you could use the various points in your study area to make a relief map, inviting persons to walk to a site and explain its significance in the route of the map. * Resource Persons: Invite health care professionals or other knowledgeable people to present information to the group. Leave time for a question and answer session. * Video: Show a video that would appeal to teens which reveals the facts about HIV/AIDS. (See Resources.) * Electronic Information Networks: If you have teens in your group who enjoy calling electronic information services (bulletin boards) or surfing the Internet, ask them to see what kinds of information they can find out about HIV/AIDS and report back to the group. Tell them how to call CAM, the Computerized AIDS Ministries bulletin board service sponsored by Health and Welfare Ministries of The United Methodist Church (see related article). The sysop of CAM and many of the participants on it will be glad to help teens with their questions. CAM also has a special forum for youth. * Quiz Game: Prepare questions and answers about HIV/AIDS. Assign two or more teams who will compete in a quiz game. Ask a question to one team, which may consult with all on the team and then put forth an agreed-upon answer. If the answer is wrong, the next team gets a chance. Determine the method of scoring. Another variation might be to make an anonymous survey of your congregation or a group of teens in your church, if you have a larger group. The survey would ask questions about facts about AIDS and attitudes related to AIDS ministry. Then set up the quiz game like "Family Feud," where participants are to figure out what the top answer(s) were to a question. After the top answer to the question is found out, then ask the whole group if they think it is the right answer to the question and why. In the case of AIDS facts, make sure they are given the right answer. In the case, of attitudes toward ministry, you may want to flag certain responses for later discussion. Goal 3: To Discuss Diverse Opinions * Buzz Session: Drop a very hot topic in the group and let the opinions fly. Sources for the "hot topic" may be from articles in the local newspaper or national magazines, something which has been on TV, or statements you have heard people make. Another source for "hot topics" are the AIDS Daily News Summaries published by the Centers for Disease Control. These are abstracts of top news and journal articles about AIDS from around the world. Some actual examples of articles in the box on the next page. Current summaries can be downloaded from Computerized AIDS Ministries. Debrief afterward. * TV Show: Create your own TV show, such as a take off on the Bundies or Roseanne's family. Create the characters to take opposing views on an issue and deal with them in the way that the TV characters might. Discuss the script and interaction afterward. * The World According to...: Invite each person to assume some measure, focus, or world view from which to examine an issue. For example, that measure could be the identity, value system, and beliefs of a famous character, real or fictional, or the perspective of a publication, such as Rolling Stone, Time, Sassy, YSB, Sports Illustrated. Ask students to discuss or act out an issue from their chosen perspective. Then examine changes in perception. Discuss the impact of a person's world view on that or other issues. * Fishbowl Discussion: Have a few students sit or stand in the center of the other students, who observe the action or discussion of the center group. At the conclusion of the fish bowl, participants and observers debrief what they did and saw. For example, provide a controversial issue, such as whether an HIV positive teen should participate in contact sports or activities, and allow a few persons to debate. Goal 4: To Learn About and Work with Cultural Diversity * Cultural Relativity: Each culture or social system values certain attitudes, beliefs, processes, and hierarchies. Take an issue related to HIV/AIDS, such as community support, and examine how that issue would look to a variety of cultures or social systems. Discuss discoveries and examine how new insights to another's way of thinking changes or enhances your own way of thinking. Inviting students to temporarily assume the values of another culture or system and think in those terms personalizes the learning more. * Be Ambassadors: The members of the group are ambassadors from a place that you describe and are going to another place that you describe. Create a scene that allows for creative tension and various values. Then ask the ambassadors to play their roles in dialogue with others from other origins. Have them keep in mind both their origins and their destinations. For example, upper class persons have an ambassadorial exchange or summit meeting with persons from high-risk urban areas about halting the transmission of HIV among teens. * Do You Have to... to...?: First brainstorm attitudes, values, stereotypes, and facts about how different races, cultures, or social systems address (or are addressed by) a particular issue, such as engaging in unprotected or protected sex. Then apply the "Have to" formula to examine the issue. Deal with issues that are open-ended, if possible. For example, "Do you have to be a wimp to use a condom or dental dam?" or "Do you have to prove you're daring to impress your date?" or "Do you have to have sex to keep your boyfriend?" Goal 5: To Think About Values and Making Choices * Case Study: Present open-ended anecdotes that lend themselves to a variety of decisions. Brainstorm options and ask your learners to identify all the choices. Discuss the pros, cons, and potential consequences of each choice. Cases can also be done actively as role plays. * Danger or Opportunity: At least two people invent a dialogue that suggests alternate dangers and opportunities in a situation. Other group members can help Person 1 with ideas. Person 2 alternates comments between "Oh, that's good" and "Oh, that's bad." For example: Person 1: "I'm really attracted to Bob." Person 2: "Oh, That's good." Person 1: "No, that's bad; he hasn't noticed me." Person 2 "Oh, that's bad." Person 1: "No, that's good, because I think Jim is going to ask me out." Person 2: "Oh, that's good." Person 1: "No, that's bad; I hear he's into some wild stuff." Person 2: "Oh, that's bad." And so on. Then examine the options. * Personal Stories: Ask the group if they have encountered the kind of choices or decisions you are discussing and invite them to talk about their own experience. Be sure to protect individual's privacy and feelings. Other creative ways to tell stories are to put them to rap or music lyrics or poetry. * Someday...: Dream of the future. Help students dream of the future--theirs or others'. Set the context for this idea by having students think about the present and past, then with or without a given set of circumstances (such as becoming infected with HIV), look to the future. Another variation is to imagine the future if certain events or conditions are not present. Goal 6: To Teach and Model Compassion * Come and See: Firsthand experience is usually more compelling and memorable. If a visit, for example, to an AIDS ministry or services site is not possible, use simulation games to recreate a similar exposure. Then debrief the activity. * Ideal Endings: Use news articles or other stories or experiences about ways and means persons have dealt with persons with HIV/AIDS. Reveal most of the details, but not the end of the story. Ask learners to make up their ideal ending and discuss them. You can also compare the ideal endings to the actual ending of the story and discuss findings. You can also act out, pantomime, or prepare a human frieze to illustrate the ending. Surprise endings, such as those directly opposite to all expectations, can be substituted for ideal endings. * Interpreting Pictures: Cut out pictures from the newspaper or magazines and mount them on construction paper. Ask learners to make up a story about the person, based on how he or she looks, what is happening, and so on. Several students can weave a continuous story about the same photo or each person can have his or her own. Imagine how Jesus Christ would model compassion for the person in the circumstances of the story. Students could also "become" that person in the picture and act out or tell their "own" story. * Worship: The Bible teaches us to give thanks in all circumstances, which means that any teaching or learning event can also be an occasion for worship. Bring prayer and faith commitment to the teaching context. Teens can offer sentence prayers, create litanies, read Scripture, write or state faith affirmations, offer confession, and commit themselves to some form of ministry. Goal 7: To Cultivate Empathy * Experience and Change Session: Provide opportunity for learners to directly experience or simulate an experience common in persons with HIV/AIDS, such as multiple losses (like "The HIV Loss Exercise" on page 63 of To the Point: AIDS, which is listed in the Resource section). After the exercise, talk about changes in perception, attitudes, assumptions, information. * I Care, but I Can't Help: Ask students to invent or to brainstorm all the reasons (or excuses) they have heard for why they or others cannot help someone affected by HIV/AIDS. Reasons can run from sublime to ridiculous; answers that are extreme and outrageous enough to become humorous are often the best discussion starters. Talk about how an honest assessment of those reasons influences your sense of empathy. You may wish to use this exercise along with the story of the Good Samaritan in Luke. * Create or Examine Rituals: Rituals, whether formal or informal, recognized or unconscious, are those actions that are usually done in the same setting most of the times that setting presents itself. We do not have to recognize or name the ritual as such. For example, if you usually go out to lunch or dinner for your birthday, that is a ritual. Examine the rituals in place in your community that foster hospitality or empathy for persons who need some form of community support. Are they sufficient? Are they known about by the persons who need to know? If such rituals are not in place, create your own. Goal 8: To Study the Bible and Do Theological Reflection * Scavenger Hunt: Challenge the group to use the Bible by having a directed search. Provide Bible study resources, such as concordances. Invite teens to team up and try to be the first to find passages or references to certain subjects. Clues could be left at various relevant places in the church to make the hunt more active. * Skits: Act out Bible stories, concepts, parables retold in modern terms, and so on. Afterward discuss what learnings, insights, changed ideas, students had. Choose stories you can link to concerns about AIDS, such as healings of people and showing love and compassion to those in need. * Tracing Ripples: Use Biblical laws or principles to examine the extent of their effect (trace the ripples) when taken seriously (then or now) or to examine the cultural impact (then or now). Using the laws regarding purity in Leviticus 13 and 14, for example, What does the law say literally (on the surface)?; for the one with a "leprous disease"? for the workload on your pastor? for the responsibility of your church community? After discussing this passage, you may also want to look at one about Jesus and people with leprosy. * Identify With Characters: Persons can often see themselves in Bible stories or other stories. Give them the opportunity to verbalize or to act out how they think they would feel or act in the situation that a story character faced. * Then and Now: Sometimes adults take for granted that teens know how something was used in the past without considering the youths' shorter span of years. Comparing how Grandma did things with how younger students do things can be quite illuminating. In Bible study, compare how life was in ancient days with the present. The significance of many Biblical stories is enhanced when teens realize the differences in time and mode of travel, terrain, climate, social customs, religious observances, family structure, importance of church or synagogue. For example, examine what it means that Jesus was willing to touch sick people or to heal on the Sabbath. TEENS, COMPUTERS, AND HIV/AIDS EDUCATION by Nancy A. Carter Note: If you are not "computer literate," you may not understand some of the more technical parts of this article, but teens who "surf the net" will understand. Just share this with them! Many teenagers and older children enjoy using computers, especially playing computer games. More and more are also discovering the "Information Super Highway," which includes the Internet; large information services such as America Online, CompuServe, Prodigy, and Delphi; and smaller electronic bulletin board systems (BBSs). Most of the young people on the super highway are boys, but, as more schools introduce both boys and girls to computers and modems, more girls will go online. Lately the media has carried scary information about sexual harassment, abuse, and pornography on the Internet. When children and teens are using online services, adults should monitor them, not so much to be nosey or interfere with their privacy, but just enough to make sure they are safe. Some of the guidelines for them would include not giving out their address (post office box numbers are usually OK) or phone numbers to people on line who are strangers and reporting to you and the operator of the electronic information system any notes sent to them which are obscene, make sexual advances, or harass. Let them know they can talk to you about any note they see which makes them feel uncomfortable, about which they have questions, and which they enjoyed or found interesting. At the dinner table or during informal conversations in youth groups, in addition to asking, "How was your day at school?," you might also ask "How was your day on the Internet?" Now you may not understand everything a teen tells you about her or his computer adventures, but keep the channels open. Health and Welfare Ministries, General Board of Global Ministries, The United Methodist Church makes available a free BBS called CAM--Computerized AIDS Ministries. On it, people can find loads of information about HIV/AIDS and AIDS ministry. CAM also has a special private Youth forum, where teens and a few adult staff and volunteers, can write to each other but not be seen by other adults. It also has a special Youth library, with files on teens and young adults and AIDS. In order to call CAM, a person needs: (1) a personal computer; (2) a modem for the computer, preferably a fast modem; (3) a telephone line into which the modem can be plugged; and (4) a communications (or terminal emulation) program, such as Procomm, Ripterm, Quick-Link, Telex, or PCAnywhere. When calling CAM, set the communications program for no parity, 8 bit word length, and 1 stop bit. CAM supports any common speed up to 14.4 bps. It has ASCII, ANSI, and RIP graphics. Soon it will also support an America- On- Line- type environment for those who download a special communications program called "The Client" from CAM. CAM primarily offers public forums, libraries of files, and electronic (private) mail (e-mail). It does not offer "live chat" or teleconferences. Call CAM directly by dialing 1-212-222-2135 or 1-800-542-5921. The first number has two lines (or nodes) and can usually be accessed immediately. The 800 number has only one node, which means it is often busy. Anyone calling the 800 line should be prepared for a number of "automatic redials" before connecting. Usually CAM's least busy times are early in the morning, during business hours, and up to midmorning on weekends (eastern time). Heaviest use is between 8:00 pm and 1:00 am eastern time. CAM "shuts down" for clean up and back up about 2:00 am and comes back online about 3:30 am each day. During both cleanup or if maintenance is being done to CAM, CAM's lines will return a busy signal. You can also reach CAM via major online services such as Compuserve, America on Line, and Prodigy by using their Internet services, FTP, Telnet, and World Wide Web. (Not all of the major services have all of these services.) To do this you must know CAM's domain name: hwbbs.gbgm-umc.org From some systems, if you are telneting, you may need to use CAM's IP address: 198.139.157.121 When you call CAM for the first time and it asks for your "user-id," type NEW for new user. CAM will ask you some questions, which are kept confidential, concerning your name, church or organization affiliation, address, age, etc. You will also then choose your user-id and a password. You may use your real name or a "handle" for your user-id. After you complete the questions, CAM will tell you that you have e-mail. Read it. It will also have rules for you to read. Write sysop e-mail about who you are, why you want to be on CAM, and agree to the rules. If you are 21 or under and want to be in the youth forum, ask sysop to give you this forum. After you have written such a note, usually you will be approved for full access to CAM within 48 hours. Even with partial access, you will be able to begin to learn about HIV/AIDS and ministry. You will be able to read in public forums such as AIDS101 and Ministry, for example. Also you will be able to read any files in the library ending with .txt or .doc or asc. by "listing" them online. Some libraries to check out that relate to this Focus paper are AIDS101, Daily, Educate, Focus, Stories, and Youth. After you are approved for full access, you will see more forums and libraries and you will be able to not only read forums but write in them. You will also be able to download any file to your computer in addition to reading files online. You may want to download camfiles.zip, a list of all of CAM's files as of the date posted. You also will want to go both to the bbshelp forum and library for helps on how to use CAM and where you can find the information you need. CAM is an exciting way to learn about HIV/AIDS and HIV/AIDS ministry. You may learn through reading and/or writing in the forums, through private mail, and/or downloading information from the library. Some people use all of these methods. Others use only one. You choose the ways that you want to use to participate on CAM. Call CAM today! AIDS DAILY SUMMARIES--DISCUSSION STARTER EXAMPLES The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National AIDS Clearinghouse makes available the following information as a public service only. Providing this information does not constitute endorsement by the CDC, the CDC Clearinghouse, or any other organization. Reproduction of this text is encouraged; however, copies may not be sold, and the CDC Clearinghouse should be cited as the source of this information. Copyright 1995, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD "Celebrities Have Abandoned the AIDS Ribbon" Baltimore Sun (04/04/95) P. 3D; Robinson, Gaile Many celebrities have stopped wearing the red ribbon that symbolizes AIDS awareness. For example, Jeremy Irons, the first celebrity to wear the ribbon at the 1992 Tony Awards in New York, no longer wears it. The AIDS ribbon was only a passing fashion trend for some people, says Michael Anketell, chairman of California Fashion Friends of AIDS Project Los Angeles. He has recently heard excuses including, "It doesn't match my gown" from past wearers. Others say the red ribbon has gotten lost among the other ribbons--pink for breast cancer and lavender for abused women. For those closest to the cause, however, the ribbon has become a painful reminder of a disease with no cure and no signs of abatement. "The ribbon just doesn't have the meaning it once had," adds Anketell. "Survey Finds Students at Risk for STDs" Washington Post (Health) (04/04/95) P. 7; Boodman, Sandra G. A recent survey of 1,000 female college students conducted by the American Social Health Association found that nearly one quarter of them has never had a pelvic exam. While 85 percent said they were sexually active, almost 50 percent said they did not use a form of contraception, such as a condom, which would protect them from sexually transmitted diseases, including AIDS. The survey also found that 25 percent of the women had been forced to have sex at least once. "Across the USA: Arkansas/North Carolina/Oregon" USA Today (04/06/95) P. 10A In Smackover, Ark., a school guidance counselor who upset parents by showing two AIDS-related videos to their children has been suspended without pay for the remainder of the school year. The school board ruled he was insubordinate. In other AIDS-related news, a professor at Campbell University in North Carolina will receive $325,000 and reinstatement to his job. The ruling comes two years after "John Doe" was dismissed because he has AIDS and was considered a risk to students. Finally, in Lake Oswego, Ore., a project designed to teach junior high school students how to buy and use condoms has received praise AIDS educators. The program, however, has been criticized by some parents. Participation in the program, which begins next fall, requires parental approval. "Rapper's AIDS Death May Teach Others" St. Louis Post-Dispatch (04/07/95) P. 15C; Freeman, Gregory AIDS is an issue that has largely been ignored by the rap community, in part because of homophobia and the "macho" image that rap portrays, writes Gregory Freeman in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Rapper Eazy E's death forces another community to look closely at the frightening prospect of AIDS. The death of tennis star Arthur Ashe, the HIV diagnosis of basketball great Magic Johnson, and the AIDS diagnosis of champion diver Greg Louganis have forced the sports world to confront the disease. The death of Eazy E, whose real name is Eric Wright, may have an impact on young people who did not feel as close to someone like Magic Johnson. Wright's death has triggered interest in AIDS among minority teenagers in St. Louis, said Erise Williams, executive director of Blacks Assisting Blacks Against AIDS. The death of Eric Wright should make it clear that AIDS is an equal opportunity killer, writes the author. Hopefully, it will make some people realize the danger of having multiple sex partners, something that too many rap groups glamorize, Freeman concludes. "From Dying Teens, Words to Live By" Boston Globe (04/06/95) P. 61; Koch, John "In Our Own Words: Teens and AIDS," a short documentary comprising the testimony of five HIV-infected young people, emphasizes that anyone--regardless of race, age, gender, or color--can get HIV. The five young people offer their stories to caution and teach other teenagers. "No sexual experience is worth having HIV for the rest of your life," says Kerry Carson, the host of the film. Carson, 22, died in January, five weeks after the documentary was completed. She contracted HIV from her second sexual partner at age 15. Two more of the five have also died from AIDS. They are Pedro Zamora, who was featured on MTV's "The Real World," and David Kamens, who spoke of the loneliness and lack of support he experienced. Jeanne Blake, the writer and producer of the film, feels the young people can reach their peers more effectively than adults, who are often inhibited by the anxiety and fear they feel around children when discussing AIDS, sex, and death. "Getting Hip to AIDS" Boston Globe (04/14/95) P. 11; Jackson, Derrick Z. In the United States, protecting a friend from AIDS is becoming a rite of friendship, writes columnist Derrick Z. Jackson in the Boston Globe. Young people speak openly about protecting themselves in a way they would not have three years ago, he notes. "I've gone on my bicycle over to a friend's house to give him a condom so he's protected," said one high school student who was interviewed after an advance screening of the video, "In Our Own Words: Teens and AIDS." Several teenagers said it was the best video they had ever seen about AIDS. "All the people in the film were our age...They were up-front about how they got AIDS," noted another student. Many AIDS activists had hoped that teens would pay more attention to the disease when basketball great Magic Johnson revealed he was HIV-positive. Most of the students, however, said there was no major upsurge in protected sex because Johnson was still the most valuable player in the NBA All-Star Game and played in the Olympics. "Girl, 13, Sentenced in an AIDS Hoax" New York Times (04/21/95) P. A16 The 13-year-old girl who called seven former hospital patients and told them they were HIV-positive has been sentenced to five years' probation and therapy. On Wednesday, Tammy Lynn Esckilsen pleaded guilty to taking confidential data from a computer and placing harassing telephone calls. The judge, however, said that all charges will be dropped if Esckilsen successfully completes probation. The girl's mother, an employee at University Medical Center, said she took her daughter to work because she could not find anyone to care for her. She did not want to leave her unsupervised because of her history of drug use, truancy, and shoplifting. Under the probation, Esckilsen must go to school, not leave a residential treatment center without permission, and abide by a 6 p.m. curfew when she returns home. Related Story: Philadelphia Inquirer (04/12) P. A17 RESOURCES by Nancy A. Carter Advocates for Youth. A Youth Leader's Guide to Building Cultural Competence. Washington, D.C.: Advocates for Youth, 1994. This training guide focuses on African-American and Hispanic cultural issues around HIV/AIDS education. Address: Advocates for Youth, 1025 Vermont Avenue, NW, Suite 200, Washington, D. C. 20005. Phone: 202-347-5700. Affirming Persons--Saving Lives. Affirming Persons-- Saving Lives is 1,000-page curriculum published by the United Church of Christ. It confronts the AIDS crisis in a context of "core Christian values: self-giving love, healthy self-esteem and respect for others." The curriculum has lesson plans for all ages with factual information appropriate for each age group. The package includes two videos: "Learning About AIDS" is a basic primer on HIV transmission and prevention; ". . . In the Day of Adversity" tells the stories of several people living with HIV or AIDS. Phone: United Church of Christ AIDS Ministry Office, 216-736-3271. Benson, Dennis. Creative Bible Studies: Matthew--Acts. Loveland, Co: Group Books, 1985. This book contains 401 experiences to help youth get inside the scriptures. Some of these, such as the experience described for Matthew 8:1-4, the healing of the man with leprosy, can be adapted to relate to HIV/AIDS. Youth are invited to put make-up on each others face or hand, if the face is too threatening, to simulate leprosy and then some questions and activities are suggested. One way this could be adapted is for them to simulate KS, Kaposi's sarcoma, the purple lesions some people with AIDS get on the bodies. This exercise can be a very powerful one, so adequate time for debriefing should be allowed. CDC National AIDS Clearinghouse. The CDC National AIDS Clearinghouse is the nation's reference, referral, and distribution service for HIV/AIDS-related information. The Clearinghouse collects, catalogs, processes, stocks, and distributes materials and information on HIV infection to organizations and people working in the field of HIV/AIDS. Spanish/English bilingual reference specialists are available. You can call them and ask them for ordering information or describe the kinds of resources you are interested in and they will help you. All calls are completely confidential. Address: CDC National AIDS Clearinghouse, P.O. Box 6003, Rockville, MD 20849-6003. Phone: 800-458-5231; Deaf Access/TDD: 800-243-7012 (Telephone hours: 9:00 am--7:00 pm, EST) Fax: 301-738-6616 Dane, Barbara O. And Carol Levine, editors. AIDS and the New Orphans. Westport, CT: Auburn Books, 1994. The focus of this book is on the United States. Articles specifically focused on teens are "Adolescents and Parental Death from AIDS" and "Programs for Children and Adolescents." Hein, Karen. AIDS: Trading Fears for Facts--A Guide for Teens. Fairfield, OH: Consumer Reports Books, 1993, Third Edition. For high school students. Gives basic factual information. How to Talk to Your Children About AIDS. New York: Siecus, updated 1993. Available in English or Spanish. This 15-page brochure provides parents with guidelines of discussing AIDS with children. Specific conversation guidelines are given for infants and toddlers, preschool children, young children, preteens, and teens. More than one half million copies of this brochure have been distributed since its first publication. Single copy, free; please send a self-addressed stamped business envelope; 2-49 copies, $1.00 each; with a graduated scale of prices up to multiples of 1,000 copies for $400 per thousand. Address: Sex Information and Education Council of the US, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036; Phone: 212-819-9770. Hynson, Diana and Carmen M. Gaud. To the Point: Confronting Youth Issues--AIDS. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1993. English and Spanish in the same book. This important resource offers practical ways to talk to teens and adults about AIDS in a biblical and theological context. It also contains leader's guides for using Magic Johnson's book (see below). Telephone: Cokesbury, 800-679-1789. Johnson, Earvin "Magic." What You Can Do to Avoid AIDS. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 1992. English or Spanish. Audio cassette (English only). Written especially for a teenage audience but also opens with a message to parents. Contains several personal stories from young people. The book To the Point above contains a leader's guide for using Magic Johnson's book with youth. Levine, Carol. Editor. A Death in the Family: Orphans of the HIV Epidemic. New York: United Hospital Fund of New York, 1993. This book gives an overview of the needs of children and adolescents who have become "AIDS orphans" in the United States. Included also are first-hand narratives from children, adolescents and other family members as they describe in their own words the issues they face. LeShan, Eda. Learning to Say Good-by When a Parent Dies. New York: McMillan Publishing Company, 1976. Written for older children in simple, direct language, this book discusses the questions, fears, and fantasies older children may have about a parent who has died. The book is also excellent for teachers or parents because it gives many insights into what the children may be experiencing. It can help parents to know how to work through their own or their children's grief. Making Connections: Facing AIDS. Geneva, Switzerland: World Council of Churches, 1994. Written and/or put together by young people for young people. The book contains information on "Theology Amidst AIDS" and "Making Connections/Stopping AIDS." It also contains a number of educational activities. Titles of Activities include: HIV/AIDS Crossword, Wordsearch, De- Find' Em, Pictures, Virus Attack, HIV Transmission Card Game, Risky Business Card Game, Sentence Stems, But Why Game, Relationships Runaround, Role Play, and Bible Study Ideas. Address: Youth Team, WCC, PO Box 2100, 1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland. Quackenbush, Marcia and Mary Nelson with Kay Clark, Editors. The AIDS Challenge: Prevention Education for Young People. Santa Cruz, CA: Network Publications, 1988. A collection of articles related to HIV education of children and adolescents in classroom and religious settings. PCI Catalogue of AIDS Educational Materials. This catalog lists HIV educational materials for children and teens available from PCI, including some of the books and videos listed in this bibliography. PCI sells T-Shirts, posters, buttons, displays, curriculum materials, books, and videos. Caution: some of the resources, such as Spread the Word, can be purchased for substantially less elsewhere (ECUFILM sells it for $24.95; PCI for $169.00!). Address: PCI Educational Publishing, 5221 McCullough Ave., San Antonio, TX 78212. Phone: 1-800-594-4263; 210-824-5949; FAX: 210-824-8055. Resource Pack on Sexual Health and AIDS Prevention. A colorful book promoting the exchange of information and educational experiences about the health and rights of "socially apart" or "disadvantaged" youth. Free to groups in developing countries; $10.00 in the United States. Address: AHRTAG, Farringdon Point, 29-35 Farringdon Road, London EC1M3JB, UK. Sanchez, Gail Jones. Let's Talk About Sex and Loving. Milpitas, CA: Empty Nest Press, 1994. Reviewed in Siecus Report (Feb.-March, 1995), this book is recommended by Erica C. Neuman as a resource for family sexuality education. It gives information to parents on how to talk to children about sex and also has material to read/be read by children of various age levels. She faults the book for tending to perpetuate gender stereotypes. Schaefer, Dan and Christine Lyons. How Do We Tell the Children?: Helping Children Cope When Someone Dies. 1986; rpt. New York: Newmarket Press, 1988. This book is a step-by-step guide to talking about death with children from age two through the teen years. It gives insights into what children think and understand, how they feel, and how adults can help them cope with those feelings. It also has a 16-page crisis guide that outlines the points in the book and contains sample "scripts" to help parents talk about life situations such as terminal illness, suicide, and AIDS. Shelp, Earl and Ronald H. Sunderland. AIDS and the Church: The Second Decade. Revised and Enlarged. Louisville, KY: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1992. One of the best-known basic resources on AIDS and the church. This book contains factual information about HIV/AIDS, an exploration of suffering, disease and healing in the Bible, perspectives on AIDS ministries and examples of ministry. Telephone: Cokesbury 800-679-1789. White, Ryan and Marie Cunningham. My Own Story (1991; rpt. New York: Penguin Books, 1992). The moving account of Ryan White, the United Methodist teenager who made the news when he insisted on going to school after he was diagnosed as HIV positive. The New York Times Book Review said the book is: "a powerful tale, of Ryan White's life and death, of the news' media's often losing struggle to cope with complex issues, of the growing power of celebrity, of a family's struggle to rise above a tragedy that is, after all, nearly beyond words" (May 12, 1991). This book is for ages 10 and up. This edition contains an afterward, telling about Ryan's death and his family's life after his death. Yarber, William L. STDS and HIV: A Guide for Today's Young Adults. Instructor's Guide. Reston, VA: American Alliance for Health, 1993. Address: American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, 1900 Association Drive, Reston, VA 22091. Phone: 1-800-321-0789. PAMPHLETS, BROCHURES AND POSTERS AIDS: A Covenant to Care. English or Spanish. A statement to let it be known your church welcomes people with HIV/AIDS. It is free except for postage and handling and can be ordered in two sizes: bulletin inserts (English #5072, Spanish #5074 Spanish) posters (English #5073, Spanish #5074). Address: The Service Center, General Board of Global Ministries, 7820 Reading Road, Caller No. 1800, Cincinnati, OH 45222-1800. SCRIPTOGRAPHIC BOOKLETS These are easy-to-read booklets with lots of illustrations. A Christian Response to AIDS. Order #46300. Lo que todos deben saber sobre el SIDA. Order #14308. Making Responsible Choices about Sex. Order #18788. What Everyone Should Know about AIDS. Order #14274. What Every Teenager Should Know about Peer Pressure. Order #18820. Address: All Scriptographic Booklets are available from Channing L. Bete Co., Inc., South Deerfield, MA 01373. Phone: 800-628-7733. Why We Care. Geneva, Switzerland: World Council of Churches and the Lutheran World Federation. A leaflet about AIDS and youth, available in English, German, Spanish, French, and Portuguese. Write to the Youth Team, see address in the description of Making Connections above. VIDEO CASSETTES ABOUT HIV/AIDS For films listed as available from ECUFILM, contact Ecufilm, 810 12th Ave. South, Nashville, TN 37203; Phone: 800-251-4091. AIDS Wise, No Lies. This 22-minute video designed for younger audiences presents a series of ten vignettes about young people of various backgrounds and cultures whose lives have been affected by AIDS. A study guide is available. Address: New Day Films, 121 West 27th Street, Suite 902, New York, NY 10001; Phone: 212-645-8210 Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt. Sale: About $20.00. A 79-minute color video, narrated by Dustin Hoffman, original music by Bobby McFerrin, that won the 1989 Academy Award for best feature documentary. The stories cover an Olympic athlete, an 11-year old suburban boy, and an inner-city married man. All profits raised through the sale of this video go to The NAMES Project. The video may also be available from an area AIDS education organization or for rental from your local video store. Address: The NAMES Project, 2362 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94114-9926; Phone: 415-863-5511. "I Have AIDS"--A Teenager's Story. Sale: $12.00, including a free teacher's guide. This award-winning 30-minute video is a 3-2-1 CONTACT Extra that was produced by Children's Television Workshop. It shows Ryan White talking with eight-twelve-year-olds about his feelings about having AIDS and giving information about AIDS. Address: The National AIDS Information Clearinghouse, P.O. Box 6003, Department G, Rockville, MD 20850; Phone: 800-458-5231. I'm Not Afraid of Me. Rental, $48.00; Sale $360. A 28 minute video which tells the true story of a young Native American women and daughter and AIDS. The promotional description says the video says they have"a heartwarming... realistic... optimistic... loving relationship and that the video dispels stigma and stereotypes. Address: Shenandoah Film Productions, 538 G. St., Arcata, CA 95521. Phone: 707-822-1030; FAX 707-822-5334. Philadelphia. Sale: About $30.00 This 1993 film, rated PG-13, earned a number of Academy Award nominations and Oscars for Tom Hanks, as best actor, and Bruce Springsteen for his song, "Streets of Philadelphia." Tom Hanks plays a gay lawyer who is diagnosed with AIDS and fired by his law firm. Denzel Washington plays the lawyer that helps him take legal action. This video is available for rental from most video stores and may also be purchased. Spread the Word. Rental $20, sale $24.95. ECUFILM A 27-minute video that gives AIDS information and is a discussion starter for adolescents and young adults. The book To the Point, available from Cokesbury contains a leader's guide for using this video with youth. Check your annual conference video library. Threads of Love: A Tapestry of Remembrance.** English or Spanish A moving ten-minute video produced by Health and Welfare Ministries, GBGM, UMC, about the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt, showing the quilt and individual panels made in remembrance of persons who have died from AIDS. Address: HIV/AIDS Ministries Network, Room 350, 475 Riverside Drive, New York, NY 10115. Phone: 212-870-3909; FAX: 212-749-2641; Internet: ccarnaha@gbgm-umc.org Unconditional Love. Rental: $18.00; Sale: $24.95. ECUFILM. A 30 minute video about the HIV/AIDS ministry of St. Paul's United Methodist Church in Rodundo Beach, CA. A major part of their ministry is a food pantry. Why We Care: About AIDS. Rental: $18.00; Sale: $29.95. ECUFILM Three vignettes in a 30 minute video which reveal forms of discrimination against those perceived to have HIV/AIDS. One vignette shows an inner city ministry in Baltimore. What You Should Know--Young People & AIDS. Video package. Sale: $195.00 from Channing L. Bete. Each package includes one videotape, one leader's guide, 50 Scriptographic booklets on which the video is based, and color poster. See address and phone number above for Channing L. Bete. Computerized AIDS Ministries (CAM) Is Now on the Internet! Now you can not only reach CAM by calling us directly via computer and modem at 212-222-2135 or 800-542-5921, you can reach us via the Internet. If you subscribe to an online service which offers telnet, FTP (File Transfer Protocol), and/or World Wide Web (WWW), you can connect with CAM with these methods. The domain name for CAM is hwbbs.gbgm-umc.org. (Do not type the period after "org.") Telnet: Telnet allows you to do most all of things you can do on CAM if you were to call directly and sign on. From some systems, you may have to type CAM's IP address 198.139.157.121 instead of its domain name. FTP: If you want to download files, FTP is the most reliable means of getting them. CAM allows FTP both by user ID and anonymous FTP. Those calling via anonymous FTP do not have access to all libraries but do have access to all key AIDS and religious libraries. WWW: CAM is just developing its World Wide Web pages. The WWW is a fast growing network of "home pages" where users can browse and read material, see photographs and even hear sound or see video clips. You can reach CAM's library from the WWW. Also on CAM's home pages you can read stories of people with AIDS and information on the Covenant to Care program. One part of CAM's pages which is under development are memorial pages for people who have died of HIV/AIDS. It will be an online "Quilt" which will include words, photos of loved ones and of their quilt panels. Internet E-mail: In addition, those who are full members of CAM can now both send and receive Internet e-mail. To ask more questions about CAM, you can send e-mail to ncarter@gbgm-umc.org. If you want to learn more about the HIV/AIDS Ministries Network, send e-mail to aidsmin@gbgm-umc.org. We can be reached via voice at: 212-870-3909.