Springfield Urban League educates black teenagers about AIDS

HEALTH | Jolonda Young

African Americans have reason to be concerned about the AIDS virus. While black Americans currently make up 14 percent of the nation’s population, they represent 65 percent of the newly reported AIDS cases. It is the leading cause of death for African- American women between the ages of 25 and 34, and the second leading cause of death for African-American males between the ages of 35 and 44.

Though it’s unclear how many African Americans living in Springfield have HIV, what is certain is that the city’s black residents are at a high risk of infection. That’s why the Springfield Urban League is working to curb the spread of the virus in the capital city.

One of the Urban League’s biggest health initiatives involves educating youths about AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, teaching them the importance of changing behaviors that may put them more at risk for the virus and training young people to become peer educators.

Last November the Urban League gathered a group of young students from the University of Illinois Springfield for its first SISTA Project (Sisters Informing Sisters on Topics about AIDS), a peer-led HIV prevention program geared towards young African- American women. (Several other workshops have subsequently been held with various other young adults in the Springfield area.) Along with educating participants about HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), the curriculum – made up of five, two-hour sessions – uses small group discussions, role playing, lectures and prevention videos to show participants how to use condoms effectively and consistently and to motivate participants to reduce their risks of contracting HIV or other STDs. The program also teaches young women how to identify and handle themselves in situations that may put them more at risk for contracting the virus and equips them with skills to effectively communicate with their partners.

A big part of the training is teaching women to think about themselves – and what they value – first. They are also trained to use the information they have about sex, HIV and STDs to determine if they should use condoms or remain abstinent. And, they are encouraged to think about various situations that they may find themselves in, and the trouble the situation may put them in. For example, being at a male’s house while under the influence of alcohol or drugs could result in poor decision making.

Among other things, the women were taught a 15-step approach to using condoms, which included discussing usage prior to engaging in sex; obtaining a condom; checking the expiration date; opening the package without damaging it; inspecting the device before using it; and inserting, removing and discarding it. They also discussed some of the societal and cultural factors that may reduce one’s ability to use condoms, such as gender roles and income barriers. “There are many assumptions when it comes to condom usage, particularly in terms of women having condoms and introducing using them,” says Anne Locke, director of the Springfield Urban League’s Minority Health Initiative. Women are often concerned that having condoms and requesting that their partners use them implies that they are promiscuous, Locke added. “But what we try to get the young people to see is that when they don’t step up, they in fact increase their risk of infection.”

Prior to attending the SISTA Project three months ago, 21-year-old Rashonda Williams says she was not aware of the high rate of HIV and STD infections among African Americans. “It’s just not something that is talked about much at home, or even on campus,” added Williams, who will be a senior majoring in social work at UIS in the fall. “Since SISTA, I’ve had the opportunity to pass the information on to others so that they can be more informed.” Though the participants spent a lot of time discussing sex and condoms, Williams says she also appreciated the fact that throughout the workshop, the curriculum also included abstinence as a choice.

continued on page 14