HIV/AIDS prevention workshopsfor adolescents and young people (Barcelona metropolitan area)

The HIV and STI prevention workshops project is aimed at adolescents, mainly students in the fourth year of ESO (compulsory secondary education).

In recent years, Catalonia has seen an increase in the number of STI cases reported to surveillance systems. STIs are a major health problem, with a growing impact since the end of the 20th century, and they mainly affect young people.

Unlike other epidemics of infectious origin, the HIV epidemic is related, on the one hand, to the type of risk behaviours and actions and, on the other, to the lack of information surrounding it. That is why prevention remains the main tool for preventing STIs, since its principal aim is to change and/or modify practices that carry a risk of infection.

We offer workshops with a specific educational and preventive purpose: to strengthen knowledge, attitudes, skills and behaviours for preventing HIV and other STIs, as well as to provide a space to talk about sexuality.

To achieve these objectives, we have staff specialised in psychology and sexuality in general, and in HIV in particular, which allows us to take a comprehensive approach to prevention work, provide up-to-date information, take into account the psychological aspects that hinder preventive behaviour and act as a referral source to other services in the network that may be useful for young people in preventing and addressing STI-related needs, among others.

Objectives

The general objective of the programme is to bring about an internal change in young people’s conception of sexuality and self-care, so that they themselves take responsibility for their sexuality and for looking after their health, through dynamic workshops that promote meaningful learning processes, provide them with clear, unbiased information and encourage reflection connected to their reality.

Some of our specific objectives are:

• Strengthen knowledge, attitudes, skills and behaviours useful for preventing HIV and other STIs in adolescence.
• Promote meaningful learning about communication and decision-making.
• Share strategies to support sexual health care and to foster pleasure and well-being.
• Promote a positive sexuality from a gender perspective that breaks with sexism and intolerance towards different sexual orientations and practices.
• Guide young people towards STI prevention services specific to their age group.
• Reduce attitudes related to the social stigma associated with HIV.
• Provide channels of communication with young people to discuss aspects of sexuality and clarify any questions that may arise.
• Work in a network with organisations specialised in HIV and STIs.
• Increase information on sexual health, prevention and sex education through printed materials and the distribution of prevention supplies (condoms and lubricants).