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Project ARK
Prevention Education & Outreach Program Description
Health Education for Youth (HEY)
Project ARK has a comprehensive educational, support and resource program for youth and young adults living with, at-risk for and/or affected by HIV. The education and outreach programs, which are facilitated and implemented by a trained and experienced staff of youth/young adults, are as follows:
Educational Presentations
Basic HIV 101 lectures to groups (i.e. school classrooms or assemblies, youth groups/organizations, churches). Topics include:
- What is HIV
- What is AIDS
- How do we get infected
- How we don't get infected
- How can we prevent/protect ourselves from becoming infected
Skills Building Activities/Workshops
Individual or small group lessons on strategies to prevent HIV/STD infection. These lessons/activities are as follows:
- Individual risk reduction counseling: Participants sit down with a peer counselor to discuss their level of risk (i.e. any sexual activities, drug use) and how they can reduce that level of risk (see below activities). HIV testing is available during these counseling sessions
- Correct condom use: Participants learn how to select/access condoms, how to store condoms (keep them from becoming defected) and how to properly apply condoms and other latex barriers (i.e. male and female condoms, oral condoms, dental damns)
- Problem solving and decision-making: Participants will learn the steps to solving problems and making decisions when faced with the choice to have sex or use drugs
- No/safer sex negotiation: Participants will practice and learn (i.e. role play) how to talk to their partners about their decision to either not have sex or to protect each other during sex; and then convince the partner to respect that decision
- Refusal Skills: Participants will learn and practice the steps of refusing offers/request to have sex or use drugs (i.e. sticking to their decision to not have sex/use protection when negotiation is not working)
- Fact Games: Participants will learn the facts about HIV/STD through interactive game playing. Some games include:
ALL OF THE ABOVE ACTIVITIES ARE PRESENTED IN AN AGE APPROPRIATE AND CULTURALLY SENSITIVE MANNER. STAFF WILL MAKE ALL EFFORTS TO TAILOR ITS INFORMATIONAL CONTENT TO THE REQUESTS OF THE CONTACT PERSON/ORGANIZATION/ SCHOOL REQUESTING OUR SERVICES.
Tuesday Night Crew (TNC)
A support group for gay, bisexual and questioning African American youth. The same skills building activities listed above are also implemented during these group sessions. In addition, there are discussions/activities geared to address the specific psychosocial needs and development of a gay, bisexual and questioning young men and women. Project ARK stresses the importance of confidentiality among group participants and enforces a strong group confidentiality policy.
TNC meets each Tuesday 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM @ Project ARK. Contact an MSM Prevention Specialist for more details.
Guardian
A support group for gay, bisexual and questioning youth/young adults. The same skills building activities listed above are also implemented during these group sessions. In addition, there are discussions/activities geared to address the specific psychosocial needs and development of a gay, bisexual and questioning young men and women. Project ARK stresses the importance of confidentiality among group participants and enforces a strong group confidentiality policy.
Guardian meets each Monday 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM @ Project ARK. Contact an MSM Prevention Specialist for more details.
Sistas Introducing Sistas to Topics About AIDS (SISTA)
The SISTA Project—or Sisters Informing Sisters About Topics on AIDS -- is a social skills training intervention aimed at reducing HIV sexual risk behavior among African American women at highest risk. It consists of five two-hour sessions delivered by peer facilitators in a community based setting. The sessions are gender and culturally relevant and include behavioral skills practice, group discussions, lectures, role play, a prevention video, and take home exercises. The five sessions that generate these discussions and activities include Ethnic/Gender Pride; HIV/AIDS Education; Self Assertiveness Skills Training; Behavioral Skills Management; and Healthy Coping Skills.
Please contact the Women’s Program Coordinator to schedule a 5-session workshop for your group, school or organization. Go to www.effectiveinterventions.org for more information about the SISTA program.
Community Outreach
Project ARK staff members/volunteers take services to the community and go to places where women (and their male partners), youth and young adults hang out. We distribute educational literature and safer sex kits (i.e. condoms), answer questions about how to prevent and treat HIV, offer testing and give referrals to other community resources (i.e. where to get more information regarding testing, as well as how to receive HIV medical and/or social support services). Such outreach venues include parks, coffee houses, clubs, cruising strips (i.e. Delmar Loop, Laclede's Landing), tattoo parlors, beauty/nail salons, concerts, shelters, treatment centers, etc.
In addition to school settings, the Educational Presentations and Skills Building Workshops/Activities described above under Health Education for Youth (HEY) are also available to community organizations, groups and churches (youth and/or adult audiences). Project ARK will also come and man an informational booth and/or offer HIV testing at your health/community fair. Contact a Prevention Specialist to schedule a presentation, workshop or health fair booth.
Counseling & Testing
Project ARK also offers testing for HIV and Syphilis. Go to our “Free Testing Services” link for more details.
For more information, or to request any of these services/activities, contact any Prevention Specialist or the Prevention Program Manager at (314) 535-7275.
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