Date: Fri 20-Sep-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDREA

Quick Words:

AIDS-video-NYCAAP

Full Text:

with cut and sidebar: Youth Tackle Job of Educating Peers Through AIDS Video

B Y A NDREA Z IMMERMANN

AIDS is one of life's toughest realities, and it is here in our town. That is

one of the reasons nine young people at Newtown Youth Services (NYS) have

spent the past seven months creating a video that will be considered as part

of the high school's AIDS curriculum.

"I don't think we're doing an adequate job of informing people about AIDS and

about contracting the HIV virus," said Dawn Williams, co-chair of Newtown

Youth Creating AIDS Awareness for Peers (NYCAAP). "A lot of people don't think

AIDS is a problem in Newtown. In fact, the reported cases in Newtown last year

were eight; this year that jumped to 30."

The video project was developed when NYS received an AIDS project grant from

the Connecticut Department of Public Health. The purpose of the grant is to

"allow high school-age participants to collaborate with adult advisors in the

conception, design, and implementation of a student-to-student AIDS awareness

project."

Although the video is being created with Newtown students in mind, its message

goes far beyond the borders of the community. It imparts information on how

the HIV virus is communicated, general precautions, prevention, and school

confidentiality, but it also focuses on tolerance of those infected. It is

presented in a way that allows students to view these issues as a real part of

their own decision making, social reality, and development, according to Jane

Todorski, NYCAAP project coordinator.

Flashback techniques are used in the video to review the illness and

interactions of a fictional teenage girl who died of AIDS. When diagnosed

positive, Alex, "an everyday high school girl," is shunned by other students,

cut from her field hockey team, and confronted by others' irrational fears and

her family's denial of possible causes of her infection. The story is

intended, in part, to address AIDS issues from a direct student-to-student

perspective, so student viewers will find issues, activities, and perhaps

settings in the video that are a familiar part of their daily experience.

The entire video was shot in Newtown. Dr Donald Evans, a family physician who

has attended many HIV positive patients during his career, permitted the group

to shoot the death scene in his Newtown office.

The young actors in the video production familiarized themselves with AIDS

information and with the story line. The NYCAAP members chose to use

improvisational narrative rather than a script because it allowed a

spontenaeity that made the story more life-like.

"I could react more - it wasn't fake," said Kelly Clark, co-chair of NYCAAP

who played the best friend of the girl who died. "It changed every time we did

it. If I had to memorize lines, it would have been boring!"

Kelly said she learned more about AIDS by participating in the video

production. She also had the satisfaction of feeling she was "making a

difference in the world" by working on a project that could help her peers.

"If they know a friend's in it, maybe they'll watch all of it and get

something out of it," she said. "I don't care if they make fun of us."

All but the newest member of NYCAAP are certified as Red Cross AIDS educators.

During the class they learned facts about AIDS, modes of transmission, stages

of the virus, and discussed ideas for educating people.

"I've had so many people ask me if I have AIDS. It is such an ignorant thing

to have to ask," said Dawn. "It's stupid to assume everyone has AIDS because

of their affiliation with an important project."

The video and accompanying manual will be completed by November 1. Greg Van

Antwerp from Charter Communication, assisted in the taping and is now helping

to edit the project. The company will broadcast the film sometime late fall.

Dimitri Rimsky of Savoy Video was improvisation coach and director for the

project.

Although guided by adults, the youth really made this project their own, said

Mrs Todorski. "I think it's much more effective than coming from a counselor

like me," she said. "They know what the issues are, they know how to talk to

their peers, and their knowledge level is high."

Marisa Burnham, a NYCAAP member, said she "knew as many of the facts as you

could know" about AIDS, but learned more about the emotional state of people

in that situation. Kristin Jeffe thought it was a "great experience,

interesting, and fun." Everyone involved, though, believes it is important to

get the word out.

"I will yell, scream, and holler to get the message out. I hand out condoms to

friends or people I don't even know," said Dawn. "There seems to be a lot of

risky behavior going on [with youth in Newtown]. It's hard to tell someone

effectively they have to be a little more careful. I had to take one of my

friends to have an AIDS test. But old habits die hard. I hope the video

production helps.

"This is just one project. I don't think we'll ever run out of ideas,"

continued Dawn. "And as long as we get funding, we'll work our butts off to

try to at least prevent one kid from having unprotected sex or [doing

intravenous] drugs."

Newtown Youth Creating AIDS Awareness for Peers is open to any high school

student who would like to help educate others and encourage tolerance of those

infected with the HIV virus. For more information about NYCAAP contact Newtown

Youth Services at 270-4335.