Table Of Content

the life skills program(cid:133)peer education(cid:133)empowering girls(cid:133)communication skills(cid:133)dec aking skills(cid:133) exchanging stories(cid:133)role models(cid:133)thinking skills(cid:133)relationship skills(cid:133)em anagement skills(cid:133)the life skills program(cid:133)peer education(cid:133)assertiveness(cid:133) building a idge(cid:133)the life skills program(cid:133)peer education(cid:133)empowering girls(cid:133)commmunication sk decision-making skills(cid:133)exchanging stories(cid:133)role models(cid:133)thinking skills(cid:133)relationship kills(cid:133)emotion management skills(cid:133)the life skills program(cid:133)peer LIFE SKILLS MANUAL Peace Corps L S M IFE KILLS ANUAL Peace Corps 2001 Information Collection and Exchange Publication No. M0063 LIFE SKILLS MANUAL Information Collection and Exchange This publication was produced by the Peace Corps Center for Field Assistance and Applied Research. It is distributed through the Information Collection and Exchange (ICE). For further information or additional copies, please contact ICE and refer to the ICE Catalog number that appears on the publication. Information about ICE publications and service is available through: Peace Corps Center for Field Assistance and Applied Research Information Collection and Exchange 1111 20th Street, N.W. (cid:150) Fifth Floor Washington, D.C. 20526 Add your experience to the ICE Resource Center. Send your materials to us so that we can share them with other development workers. Your technical insights serve as the basis for the generation of ICE manuals, reprints, and training materials. They also ensure that ICE is providing the most up(cid:150)to(cid:150)date, innovative problem(cid:150)solving techniques and information available to you and your fellow development workers. 2 PEACE CORPS CONTENTS C ONTENTS Acknowledgments................................................................................................................................5 Part I: The Life Skills Program(cid:150)Background and Introduction....................................................7 Welcome to the Life Skills Program!............................................................................................................9 Lessons Learned..........................................................................................................................................15 Sample Schedules .......................................................................................................................................22 Session 1: The Bridge Model: How Do We Build a Bridge From Information to Behavior Change?........27 Session 2: Identifying the Missing Life Skill................................................................................................36 Part II: Peer Education......................................................................................................................39 Peer Educators............................................................................................................................................41 Session 1: Dealing With Problems in Groups ..............................................................................................45 Session 2: Support for Responsible Behavior..............................................................................................49 Part III: Facing Facts about HIV/AIDS and STDs..........................................................................53 Facing Facts about HIV/AIDS and STDs..................................................................................................55 Session 1: Facts and Myths about HIV/AIDS............................................................................................57 Session 2: The Immune System ..................................................................................................................62 Session 3: How HIV is Transmitted............................................................................................................68 Session 4: The Relationship of STDs and HIV/AIDS ................................................................................73 Session 5: Women and HIV/AIDS .............................................................................................................77 Session 6: HIV Prevention..........................................................................................................................83 Session 7: Disease Progression and Positive Behaviors .............................................................................88 Session 8: Cure or Treatment?....................................................................................................................93 Session 9: HIV/AIDS and Human Rights...................................................................................................98 Session 10: HIV/AIDS and Behavior Change..........................................................................................104 Part IV: Communication Skills........................................................................................................109 Session 1: Communication Puzzle ..............................................................................................................111 Session 2: Assertiveness: Attack and Avoid ............................................................................................. 117 Session 3: Assertiveness: Passive, Assertive, Aggressive........................................................................121 Session 4: Assertiveness: Assertive Messages.........................................................................................127 Session 5: Assertiveness/Peer Pressure: Responding to Persuasion(cid:151)Part I...........................................132 Session 6: Assertiveness/Peer Pressure: Responding to Persuasion(cid:151)Part II .........................................137 Part V: Decision(cid:150)Making Skills .....................................................................................................143 Session 1: Steps in Making a Good Decision ............................................................................................145 Session 2: Just Between Us......................................................................................................................149 Session 3: Exchanging Stories(cid:151)Role Models ((cid:147)The Person I Admire(cid:148)) .................................................152 Session 4: Your Life Story.........................................................................................................................156 Session 5: Your Goals................................................................................................................................159 Session 6: Early Pregnancy.......................................................................................................................163 3 LIFE SKILLS MANUAL Session 7: Alcohol and Drug Use..............................................................................................................165 Session 8: Risk Behavior(cid:151)Testing the Waters.........................................................................................169 Session 9: Delaying Sex ............................................................................................................................174 Part VI: Relationship Skills ............................................................................................................181 Session 1: The Best Response Game........................................................................................................183 Session 2: Oh! Henry! and Managing Emotions Gallery Walk .................................................................187 Session 3: Peer Pressure Role Plays ........................................................................................................190 Session 4: What is Love?..........................................................................................................................193 Session 5: Self(cid:150)Esteem Building: Do We Have Self(cid:150)Esteem?.................................................................196 Session 6: Self(cid:150)Esteem Building: (cid:147)A Pat on the Back(cid:148)............................................................................199 Session 7: What are Gender Roles?(cid:151)Gender Cards Exercise ................................................................201 Session 8: Gender Picture Codes and Role Plays.....................................................................................205 Session 9: Gender and Culture: Ideal Images and Personal Destroyers................................................... 211 Session 10: Whose Rights and Who(cid:146)s Right: A Look at Bride Price........................................................214 Part VII: Bringing It All Together ..................................................................................................217 Forum Theater...........................................................................................................................................219 Appendices.......................................................................................................................................225 Appendix I: Warm(cid:150)Ups and Energizers....................................................................................................227 Appendix II: Quick Breaks!......................................................................................................................238 Appendix III: Assorted Ideas....................................................................................................................239 Appendix IV: Games and Session Ideas ...................................................................................................244 4 PEACE CORPS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS A CKNOWLEDGMENTS This Life Skills Manual was compiled and adapted from materials created by the following organizations: World Health Organization; United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO); Alice Welbourn and ACTIONAID; the Curriculum Development Unit, Ministry of Education, Zimbabwe; and UNICEF, Harare. We gratefully acknowledge the talent and skill of the authors of those materials. The Peace Corps also appreciates the work of Kathleen Callahan, who developed the Life Skills Manual, and Ruth Mota, African Health Specialist, the author of the (cid:147)Facing Facts about HIV/AIDS and STDs(cid:148) section. Additional thanks are due the development team: Judee Blohm and Lani Havens for editing, and Therese Wingate for illustrations and graphic design. Finally, we appreciate the ideas and photo- graphs shared by Volunteers, Counterparts, and staff throughout the world, espe- cially Peace Corps/Malawi and Tovwirane Centre, and the efforts of all those who participated in this process. 5 LIFE SKILLS MANUAL 6 PEACE CORPS I PART I: BACKGROUND AND INTRODUCTION t r a P P I: ART T L S P (cid:150) HE IFE KILLS ROGRAM B I ACKGROUND AND NTRODUCTION 7 LIFE SKILLS MANUAL 8 PEACE CORPS I PART I: BACKGROUND AND INTRODUCTION t r a P W ELCOME TO THE L S P ! IFE KILLS ROGRAM Are you a health worker struggling with the rising rates of Human Immuno(cid:150) Deficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS), Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs), unwanted pregnancy, or maternal mortality? Are you a teacher working daily with young people who face difficult decisions: determining a positive direction in life, potential unwanted pregnancy, or the issues of alcohol or drug use? Have you been providing health information for years and yet see no positive change in your community? Are you a parent, community volunteer, or concerned community leader fearful of the toll HIV/AIDS is taking on your area? Are you a young person ready to do something to help lead your friends into a brighter future? If you answered (cid:147)yes(cid:148) to any of the above questions, the Life Skills program might be for you. The Life Skills Concept The Life Skills program is a comprehensive behavior change approach that concentrates on the development of the skills needed for life such as communication, decision(cid:150)making, thinking, managing emotions, assertiveness, self(cid:150)esteem building, resisting peer pressure, and relationship skills. Ad- ditionally, it addresses the important related issues of empowering girls and guiding boys towards new values. The program moves beyond providing information. It addresses the development of the whole individual(cid:151)so that a person will have the skills to make use of all types of information, whether it be related to HIV/AIDS, STDs, reproductive health, safe moth- erhood, other health issues, and other communication and decision(cid:150)making situations. The Life Skills approach is completely interactive, using role plays, games, puzzles, group discussions, and a variety of other innovative teaching techniques to keep the participant wholly involved in the sessions. 9