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 The
SPEEK Peer Education Program was created in 1988 and has served
more than 50,000 adolescents. The program recruits, trains and works
with a diverse group of youth ages 15-22. Peer educators utilize
interactive exercise such as games, discussion, role playing and
small group work to lead pregnancy prevention and HIV/AIDS workshops
at schools and community agencies in New York City with a special
emphasis in our East Harlem community and at the Adolescent Health
Center. These workshops aim to build self-esteem, offer options
and provide skills to help young people ages 12-21 reduce their
risk for HIV infection, STD's, and unplanned pregnancy.
Our primary goal is
to empower young people to make healthier decisions and to become
their own health advocates. We want to offer teens a positive learning
experience so they can apply their newly gained skills to their
personal lives and their careers. Since peers have the ability to
affect each other's lives, we hope to create opportunities for positive
peer influence.
 After
reviewing applications and interviewing potential candidates we
select a small group of youth to attend an 80-hour training on various
issues including values clarification, HIV/AIDS, pregnancy prevention,
anatomy, STD's, decision-making, safer sex, condom negotiation,
sexuality, relationships, communication and group facilitation.
Peer
educators lead workshops and participate
in special projects such as:
Street
Outreach: Risk reduction education, literature, condoms
and referrals are made available to youth in local parks and neighborhood
hangouts of the East Harlem community
Newsletter:
Quarterly newsletters contain articles, updates of clinic services,
community events, and games. HIV and pregnancy prevention are emphasized.
Multiple
Interventions: A series
of interactive workshops to the same group of teens over a period
of time.
Mentoring
Program: This intense program
pairs youth from the community with college students to emphasize
the importance of education and encourage healthy behavior.
Health
Fairs: Information on health
and clinic services is provided. Literature is distributed.
Clinic
Tours: Information about clinic services is provided
to individuals or groups.
Condom
Availability: Condoms along
with literature are made available to youth.
Educational Material:
Creation of health education pamphlets and other material.
Videos:
Creation of health education videos.
Conferences:
Youth from the community are invited to participate in an all day
fun and informative conference.
Youthfest:
Community event to provide youth with positive health messages and
to celebrate youth involvement.
Technical
Assistance and Training: Staff
training or technical assistance is available on a limited basis
for individuals or groups in youth serving agencies. We cover adolescent
health issues, sexuality, and peer education program development.
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