WE
have all been there, seen it, felt it, the intense pressure
that a group can impose on individuals to think and act in
certain ways. Peer pressure is often negative — the
pressure to wear certain clothes, listen to certain music,
engage in certain sexual behaviour, do certain drugs, or adopt
certain beliefs. However, as millions of Red Cross and Red
Crescent youth volunteers will tell you, sometimes it is OK
to give in to pressure and follow your peers.
“It is a great feeling of satisfaction to know that
the youth in my community are changing their behaviour,”
says Ana File, 22, a Cook Islands Red Cross Society youth
volunteer who has been working to influence her peers for
seven years through an HIV/AIDS peer education prevention
programme.
“A few years ago, it was unheard of to distribute condoms,
and if you were seen holding one, it was only for a joke,”
she says. “Now, I am constantly asked for condoms and,
recently, 1,000 were distributed in just one night. Knowing
that we’re making local youth more aware makes all the
hard work worthwhile.”
The programme in Cook Islands is one of many examples of
successful peer pressure. Julie Hoare, senior HIV/AIDS prevention
officer at the International Federation, says many National
Societies run youth peer education programmes. They are probably
the most commonly used approach to HIV prevention in the International
Federation.
“Peer education can be used to reinforce school-based
curriculum programmes or to reach more vulnerable youth subgroups,”
she says.
“Young people are more easily influenced by their peers
than other age groups. They understand each other and speak
the same language. This can be channelled in a positive way
through peer education. It’s very important to involve
young people in programme planning and design, as well as
implementation.”
Shared success
Youth peer education draws on the credibility that young
people have with their peers. Research suggests that if people
believe the messenger is similar to them, they are more likely
to personalize messages and, with support, change their attitudes
and behaviours. Peer education works because educators identify
with their peers, communicate more easily and understand their
behaviour. Furthermore, behaviour change among marginalized
or vulnerable groups is more effective when done by their
peers.
Peers create a more comfortable environment for questions
and discussions. In Armenia, Red Cross youth peer educators
often receive requests from adults, such as parents, teachers
and priests, to join their sessions, but the answer is always
the same. One of the volunteers, Tatevik Ambardzymyan, 21,
firmly explains that adults can only attend the first, general
session of the Armenian Red Cross Society HIV/AIDS peer education
programme.
“Without the adults around, the teenagers are more
open, they ask questions and listen eagerly to the information
we provide them. And that’s what it’s all about,”
she says. “We just have to give the adults this information
later, since they find it so interesting,” she adds
with a smile.
Global reach
In the International Red Cross Red Crescent Movement, youth
peer education is employed in a variety of programmes. In
addition to HIV prevention and sexual health, it is used to
address stigma and discrimination, prevent substance abuse,
teach about land mines and road accidents, human trafficking
and violence, encourage healthy living and environmental protection,
and promote voluntary blood donation, to mention some examples.
The methodology works in many areas and is equally effective
in all parts of the world. Peer education avoids many issues
related to cultural differences, as the peer educators by
definition share the same background as the young people they
work with. They are effective and credible because they have
inside knowledge of their audience and use appropriate language
and terminology.
In Honduras, Red Cross youth volunteers are trying to reduce
the impact of juvenile violence through peer education programmes
that aim to rehabilitate young people most at risk including
drug addicts and street children, and reduce gang mentality.
In Bulgaria and in several central European countries, peer
education is the method of choice to combat and prevent human
trafficking, as youth volunteers work in schools to make young
people realize that it could happen to anyone. And in Lebanon,
many young people get their first chance to discuss sexual
health and prevention through the HIV prevention programme.
“I had some information from my fiancé, but
today was the first time I ever saw a condom and learned how
to use it,” says Itaf, a 22-year-old psychology student
who participated in a peer education session with the Lebanese
Red Cross youth section. “It’s not common to discuss
these issues in school or at home, and there’s a lot
of information we need to know. Sex is usually presented as
a scientific subject and nothing is taught about the practice,”
she explains.
Many youth programmes simultaneously employ several methods
to reach their goals. In the Save-a-Mate (SAM) youth programme
run by the Australian Red Cross, youth volunteers give first
aid and advice at events where young people consume drugs
or alcohol and they conduct peer education on the dangers
of substance abuse. The programme also conducts first-aid
training for young people in general and the staff of pubs,
clubs and venues in particular. Building the capacity to deal
with emergencies among staff in nightclubs and other venues
popular among youth, SAM saves lives that could be lost to
substance abuse. The awareness campaigns include posters and
displays in public places and venues. SAM volunteers reach
their peers and build a culture of empathy and caring.
Direct benefits
In addition to empowering their peers, the peer educators
also benefit directly from their work. They learn important
skills related to designing and delivering effective presentations
or workshops. More importantly, they learn to make decisions,
master information relevant to their own lives and are recognized
as leaders by their community, thus committing to responsible
behaviour.
Dmitry Strizhak, 18, a Kazakh Red Crescent Society youth
volunteer, says he has gained a lot from volunteering. He
has made a lot of friends and learned how easy it is to help
others. “Working for the Red Crescent I realized how
much we can do,” he says. “It can be a visit to
a lonely elderly neighbour or a meeting with mates to share
knowledge about HIV prevention. As soon as I joined the Red
Crescent I discovered that it’s not difficult to make
a difference for people. All that is required is good will.”
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Norwegian Red Cross volunteers spread safer
sex messages through Active Choice, a programme they run in
schools and youth clubs.
©NORWEGIAN RED CROSS
Volunteers in Australia’s Save-a-Mate
programme meet their peers at nightclubs, on beaches and at
other hangouts for young people.
©SAM REED / AUSTRALIAN RED CROSS
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Judge or teach?
Ukraine is facing a steady increase in drug use and HIV infections.
For decades students have been given lessons about these dangers
in school, in the belief that education alone can change behaviour.
Statistics prove this strategy wrong, says Oksana Shved, head
of the Ukrainian Red Cross Society’s information and
communications department.
“In Ukraine, injecting drug use remains a taboo theme,”
Shved says. “Ordinary people continue to live in an
atmosphere of passivity, refusing to notice those who are
in trouble.”
Stanislav, a former drug user and now a Ukrainian Red Cross
peer educator, can testify to this lack of understanding.
“There is a common opinion that drug addiction is a
disease caused by trouble and ill-being,” he says. “My
teachers, who always recognized me as a happy, promising and
active student, refused to believe that I was addicted to
drugs, until one day I packed my things and went to a rehabilitation
centre.”
The Ukrainian Red Cross’s peer education programme
complements classroom teaching, adding an interactive and
participatory element.
After completing his rehabilitation, Stanislav decided to
become involved in peer education.
For him, this was also part of his therapy. In addition to
peer education sessions with schoolchildren and students,
he acts in educational dramas. He is HIV-positive and openly
talks about his situation to help his peers. “Although
my diagnosis should be kept confidential, I come to the class
and reveal my face so AIDS does not enter their lives,”
he says.
“It is sad that many people judge HIV-positive people
as complete scoundrels, who were punished by fate for their
sins,” Stanislav continues. “Within my daily work
I want to prove that this is not true, that I am an active
member of Ukrainian society.”
In addition to peer education, the Ukrainian Red Cross Society
cares for drug users and people living with HIV/AIDS by offering
syringe exchanges and social support. |
