Peer Education

Peers are people who are alike in several respects:  age, gender, interests, language, use of time, aspirations, and perhaps HIV status.

From early in the AIDS epidemic, designers of prevention projects assumed that one of the best ways to reach people with information about HIV/AIDS and to influence their behavior would be through their peers—respected friends, colleagues, and neighbors.

 

Although they are respected by their peers, most peer educators are not traditional "authority figures" such as a health worker, teacher, manager or "professional."  The ideal peer educator is respected, charismatic and literate, with good communication skills and an interest in self-enhancement.  Leadership is a particularly important characteristic, and managers, peer educators and target audience members all say peer educators should be role models in their communities.

 

Peer educators use a variety of activities, from informal discussion to video and drama presentations. Most talk to more than one person at a time for 30 minutes or less. These discussions and presentations occur in a variety of locations, including schools, workplaces and bars.

Peer education that focuses on young people is conscious of the factors that stand in the way of effective communication between adults and youth, and can make it much easier for young people to share personal and sensitive issues—such as talking about sex or drug use.