A Meeting of the Minds: The Second Annual HIV/AIDS Best Practice Research Forum

On March 28, 2004, the day before the National Service-Learning Conference, NYLC convened a meeting of AIDS and faith-based organizations, researchers, and youths involved in HIV prevention for the Second Annual HIV/AIDS Best Practice Research Forum. The group of experts gathered in Orlando to explore the potential in integrating service-learning with prevention efforts, foster participants' investment in that integration, and inform the direction of NYLC's Y-RISE: The Service-Learning and HIV/AIDS Initiative.

The forum provided a venue for leaders to share experiences, engage in cross-cultural dialogues, and learn from an international group of peers. Over the course of the daylong event, they discussed what prevention strategies were most successful, and began the process of identifying best practices. The meeting also included presentations from major leaders in the field, including keynote speaker and public health researcher Douglas Kirby of ETR Associates, Lynda Bell of the Teen Outreach Program, Godfrey Walakira of Straight Talk Uganda, Jennifer Augustine from the D.C.-based Advocates for Youth, and Kate McCarthy from the national sexuality education nonprofit SIECUS.

The most memorable moments, however, came from the dozen young people participating in Infected, Affected, and Effecting Change, a youth panel on HIV and AIDS prevention. The young people, some of whom were HIV positive, spoke compellingly about the solid contributions youths are making in the fight against the pandemic. Of tremendous value, they also offered advice to the adults on ways to reach, enlist, and involve youths in the fight against AIDS.

It was an extremely fruitful day: Ideas were exchanged, providing participants with new approaches to apply to their work, and networks were built. It also provided the opportunity to review a draft of the Y-RISE white paper, the result of NYLC's inquiries into promising practices for linking service-learning and HIV/AIDS prevention. The group's expertise and diverse perspectives led to revisions that will better serve the field as it fights to stem the pandemic.

"The day was a promising start to our long-term effort to build a vibrant, youth-led community that successfully fights the spread of HIV and AIDS," says Wokie Weah, NYLC's Director of Model Programs and Strategic Initiatives. "As Douglas Kirby pointed out in his keynote speech, service-learning has already proven to be one of the most promising methods of preventing teen pregnancy. We believe its potential for fighting AIDS is just as strong."

Suggestions for successfully integrating AIDS prevention and service-learning from the youth and adult participants in the Second Annual HIV/AIDS Best Practice Research Forum.

• Keep it "real."
• Engage in cross-cultural dialogue.
• Think locally and globally.
• Do community-based work, and respect local culture in which you are working.
• Combine adventure programming, service-learning, and HIV/AIDS prevention.
• Involve parents, community members, and elders.
• Build trust between peers and between generations.
• Provide authentic opportunities for youths to serve, learn, and lead.
• Coordinate and collaborate with schools, community groups, and faith-based organizations.
• Establish clear learning goals.
• Use language and materials appropriate for the age and culture.
• Link comprehensive sexuality education to youth development.
• Fight stigmas and discriminatory laws.
• Don't reinvent the wheel. Capitalize on the best available programs, processes, and services.
• Keep a sense of humor.