The NIA curriculum uses interactive exercises and activities, as well as movie and music video clips, to educate participants about HIV/AIDS and its effects on the black community. It also gets participants to examine their own sexual behaviors and beliefs; increase their motivation to reduce their risks of contacting the virus; develop skills needed to identify and manage situations that may put them at risk of becoming infected; and increase their intentions to use condoms.
The NIA program begins with facts and statistics about HIV and other STDs. Participants then watch a video featuring five African-American men who have the virus. The HIV-positive men detail how the virus has affected them, as well as their families. The purpose behind showing the video is to get the young men to think about their own sexual behaviors and motivate them to use condoms. Following the video, a post-discussion focuses on community responsibility and the protective role the men can play to lessen the impact that AIDS has on the community.
In getting the participants to challenge any negative attitudes they may have about sex, the participants view a number of movie clips. For example, a scene in the movie Boomerang shows a man preparing for a first date. The character wants to have sex with his date but he doesn’t want her to know. His plan is to pretend that he is not interested in sex in hopes that this will prompt her to initiate sex. Following the clip, participants discuss how the male is playing mind games as opposed to having an open and honest discussion about sex.
When dealing with their sexual risks and triggers, the men learned that lack of knowledge, perceived risks, their intentions, negative attitudes towards condom use, cultural and gender norms, low self-esteem, sexual arousal, substance use, self-efficacy and lack of communication with a partner are all negative behaviors that can lead to poor decision making.
During the NIA workshop, participants view a video of a heterosexual couple handling various condoms and discussing condom usage. Participants also examine their attitudes towards condom usage and identify safer-sex alternatives when condoms may not be available. For example, without a condom oral sex is safer than vaginal sex. Afterwards, they are shown a variety of condoms and they practice using them correctly.
NIA’s final component involves building sexual communication skills. During this segment, participants view a variety of movie scenes which depict “preludes of sexual encounters” that are used to provide situations and scenarios for the young men to generate verbal responses to risky situations. The men also discuss their individual plans for reducing their risks of becoming infected with the virus.
UIS students Tashawn Webber and Justin Rose recently attended a NIA workshop. While each maintain that that they had some knowledge of the virus, they also stated that they learned a great deal.
“Not only did NIA help me further my knowledge of HIV and STDs, it also taught me a lot about myself,” said 22-year-old Webber. He added that he received a great deal of information during a segment on facts and myths. “I didn’t know that you can get HIV from oral sex,” stated Webber.
continued on page 16
