Youth Initiative

The National. Catholic AIDS Network is collaborating with six Catholic dioceses to gather information about HIV/AIDS educational programs and resources currently being implemented in their Catholic school and Religious Education programs. This information will provide a basis for continued networking with Catholic educational leaders and organizations to assure that accurate and appropriate education is offered to Catholic youth. The Network is also working to develop an expanded resource for youth education as part of Many Threads, One Weave.

AIDS Youth
Press Release published by Catholic News Service, July 25, 2002

By Michelle Martin
Staff writer

A study of AIDS education within the Catholic Church found what HIV/AIDS advocates characterize as a "generation gap" between young people and their teachers and youth ministers. Young people want more practical information about how to avoid becoming infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, and guidance on making decisions about sexual activity. Educators focus on a more theoretical approach, wanting to talk about the Catholic faith tradition and what it says about the impact of AIDS on individuals and on human society, said Father Robert J. Vitillo, president of the board of directors of the National Catholic AIDS Network.

The study, which included 21 focus groups, was coordinated by the Center for Applied Research on the Apostolate at Georgetown University. It was released at the National Catholic AIDS Ministry Conference at Loyola University Chicago July 22. "Kids are saying we need information, and we need to be able to talk about it," Vitillo said. "These findings of this study help us go to youth ministers and offer them resources."

All focus groups said there is a need for educators to share basic scientific information, including how HIV is transmitted and how its transmission can be prevented. However, many participants said training and resources for HIV/AIDS education in a church-based setting are insufficient, that administrators don't support HIV/AIDS education and that church teachings can make it difficult to provide information on transmission and prevention. In addition, many participants said they or their peers are not comfortable discussing sexuality.

To be more effective, according to the study, educators must create a safe and supportive environment for HIV/AIDS education and use a range of teaching tools. Including values makes such education more effective, according to the study. The element that had the most impact on young people was personal interaction with people who had been affected by HIV/AIDS, because that helped dispel the feeling that "AIDS can't happen to me." The study did not specifically address HIV/AIDS education among Hispanics or African-Americans. That could be a topic for ongoing research, Vitillo said, as the rate of AIDS infection is increasing most rapidly among people of color.

 

Doing HIV/AIDS Education in a Catholic Context:
Issues and Challenges

Final report now available at the Center for Applied
Research in the Apostolate (CARA) website:

http://cara.georgetown.edu/pdfs/NCAN_Final_Report.pdf

 

 

 

 

 

 

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