Ten stations for team building and fun: MYSA improves awareness on Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health in Mathare

For the second time, student peer educators (PE) of 12 secondary schools from Mathare Slums took a break from their busy school schedule to participate in an “Educative Forum” at the Mathare Youth Sports Association (MYSA) grounds in Nairobi. The event, which took place on July 13, 2012, saw 192 peer educators of 12 AIDS school clubs participate in the fun filled day of activities. The PE were upon arrival divided into groups in order to fill 10 previously prepared stations designed to address certain educational topics so that the PE receive more knowledge on HIV and AIDS while learning how to build a team in a fun way. The stations further aimed to introduce more exercises to the PE that they can add to their repertoire and subsequently introduce to and conduct with their fellow students at school.

The following topics were addressed in the various stations:

• Station 1: Contraceptives: This is a JiC (Join-in-Circuit) Station, where the participants pass different types of contraceptives around while discussing advantages and disadvantages as well as availability and side effects.
• Station 2: Sport Drill: Some players have to dribble and shoot in order to make a goal while the rest of the players assist the goal keeper in preventing to receive a goal. After some time, the coach calls for a group discussion on HIV Prevention.
• Station 3: Condom Excuse: Colorful balloons are blown up and in each balloon a slip of paper is inserted which has a statement for an excuse NOT to wear a condom written on it. (I am too drunk to put on a condom; they are too tight.) The students need to pop these balloons with a dart and then come up with a counter excuse. (If you are too drunk it would be better for us to have sex when you are sober; let’s blow one up and see how big they are in fact.)
• Station 4: Moran: The students are divided into two groups and have to decide which role they want to take on, the one of the Moran warrior, the beautiful princess or the fierce lion. Depending on which role they chose and which role the other group chooses, one group will win as the warrior wins over the lion, the lion wins over the princess and the princess over the warrior. In a period of 20 minutes at least 15 rounds can be played. The losing group of each round will then have to answer a question on High, Low & No Risk of HIV Trans­mission (eating from the same plate with an HIV+ person, having unprotected sex with a sex worker).
• Station 5: Blind Fold: The group is divided into four sub-groups and placed at each corner of a rectangular playing field. In the middle of the field there are certain building materials laid out. Each group selects a team member to be blindfolded and sends him/her in the field to build a hut from the building material. The team can however only give their instructions orally by shouting to their team member. The group that manages to finish the hut first, wins. Subsequently, the group discusses what influence helped them and what not; this leads to a further discussion on Negative and Positive Peer Pressure.
• Station 6: Condom Memory: This game is played like a regular memory game only it uses condoms with different numbers on it instead of pictures. After the game, the group discusses the different steps when using and putting on a condom.
• Station 7: Police & Robbers: The robbers in this game build a line at the end of the playing field and will have to try to steal cones on the field that are protected by the police. The analogy of this will lead to a discussion on HIV Transmission.
• Station 8: Shark: This is a team building exercise. The group has to imagine, they are stranded on an island and in order to get to the main land and safety they have to cross the ocean by stepping from one boat to the next. However, there is a shark in the sea (one player is selected) that will capsize each boat that is empty. Therefore, the group has to work together in order to ensure that at least one foot is in one boat at all times and move across the ocean together in such way. Once the group has reached safety the analogy between the shark and exposure to HIV transmission is drawn. Subsequently, the group discusses the Advantages and Disadvantages of HC Testing.
• Station 9: Sack Race: The students are divided into two groups that need to race against each other with different stops in between and different disciplines (sack racing, racing with a potato on a spoon in the mouth, etc.) At each station True & False Questions are asked (If you take the birth control pill you will not get HIV; Healthy looking people do not have HIV.) and a correct or a wrong answer will determine whether the player is allowed to race back to her/his group or needs to accomplish one more station and thus losing valuable time for their group.
• Station 10: ASRH Circle: The group forms a very big circle and upon the facilitators instructions the players have to run in the middle, meet the players that stood opposite them and follow the instructions: Head to toe – meaning one players’ head has to meet the other players’ toe, knee to arm, back to back … Those players that make a mistake or are the slowest pair need to answer Questions on HIV and AIDS. (What is the difference between HIV and AIDS? Can you get HIV if you don’t have any STIs?) This can lead to a small discussion facilitated by the trainer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It took the whole morning for all participants to take turns and go round all stations. One female PE said: ‘I had so much fun and I can’t even say which one was my favourite station. However, I am very happy that I am now better equipped to negotiate for condoms; this is very helpful for me and my friends as we now don’t have to feel shy or embarrassed anymore.’

Mentally and physically exhausted (in a good way) from the games, the participants regained their strengths with a good meal and some refreshments in order to present some performances and show skits, which they previously had practiced in their clubs. In between the students had the chance to look at the Exhibition of a ‘Drawing Competition’ and discuss the topics, which ranged from orphan abuse to female circumcision, from sugar daddies, to rape, etc.

After the club performances, the winners of each school were announced and awarded with the following prizes: A notebook and pen for 3^rd prize, a GIZ cap for 2^nd prize and a Bayer Leverkusen Football Jersey for 1^st prize. The overall winner was Esther from Peak Secondary School with a very positive drawing of a beautiful woman, representing strength, knowledge and confidence: A self-portrait of a young woman that is confident to be able to live a happy and self-determined life in a healthy relationship because she has learned to trust and rely on her own capabilities.

Even though the award ceremony marked the end of the function (programme attached), the DJ kept on playing everyone’s favourite music that blasted loudly from the PA System. Because of that or simply because the students have had a good day and were not ready to have it come to an end just yet, the youngsters spontaneously organised an impromptu dancing competition and started to show off their favourite moves. They did what all young people all over the world do, sit together, chat, laugh, flirt a little, share a joke and just simply enjoy life – what more could one possibly expect from a youth empowering development intervention?