Life skills Manual

(suggested favorite-lessons sequence)

jen.c.harding@gmail.com

START WITH:

Bridge Model Page 27

- one method to teach this lesson so that it is easier for the kids to understand: Start
by drawing stick figures of “kids today” on the left-hand cliff. Literally write the
names of a few of your students in the classroom in the space under the cliff so that
they understand that they are on the left-hand cliff. Ask the class for suggestions of
who they want to be like when they grow up (they might say Mwalimu Juma or they
might say “daktari” – either answer is fine!) Draw some grown-up looking stick
figures on the right-hand cliff and write all of these ideas of successful adults in the
space under the right-hand cliff. Remind them that they have to get from one cliff to
the other, and introduce the idea that there will be “bad things” in the water that can
trap them, and that there will be “Life Skills” that can build the bridge so that they
arrive without falling into the “bad things”. Up until this point, all of the drawing can
be done on the blackboard, nice and big so that everyone can see! Prepare before the
class big pieces of flipchart or cardstock with the suggested “Life Skills” and
“Obstacles” from the book. (You can write English on one side and Kiswahili on the
other). Now hand out all of the cards to random kids in the classroom. One
volunteer at a time stands up, reads the card, tells the class whether it is a “Life
Skill” or an “Obstacle”, and explains why it falls clearly into one category or the
other. (Of course these will be fairly obvious – but it is more fun and interactive this
way, and if you instead were to ask the kids to randomly suggest what a Life Skill is,
you will get a lot of blank stares!! Its easier to use pre-written cards, and the kids
pick up the idea very quickly.) After finishing, be sure to go over the model one last
time so that everybody understands what you are trying to tell them. Remind them
that this mirrors life in many ways: for example, they can help a friend climb back
onto the bridge if they fall…

After the Bridge Model, the kids will understand that you are teaching about HIV/
AIDS, Drugs etc, and Life Skills. Start simply in your first few lessons with the
factual HIV info, and then once the kids are more comfortable with you they will
be more participatory in the later lessons on Communication, Decision-Making,
and Relationship Skills.
Part III – Facing Facts Page 53

All of the lessons in this section are good to start (one hour lessons), except I rarely
taught lessons 7, 8, or 9 on disease progression, treatment, and human rights in
the beginning of working with kids. I was more focused on the prevention side of
things. Lessons 7 & 8 are good for older groups who might have HIV or be caring
for someone with HIV. Lesson 9 I only used in conjunction with preparing for a
PLWHA guest speaker (see below)

Session 1: Facts and Myths Page 57

- Spend a whole session playing this game, where they stand on one side of the room
based on whether they think your statement is True or False. After they argue for a
while, tell them the right answer. Then switch it up and play Agree/Disagree, using
value statements and turning the class into a mini-debate. (also see Page 246 for
more info) Once the kids know how to play this game, you can continue to use this
game throughout all lessons as motivators / puzzlers just for the first or last 5
minutes of your sessions.

The Appendix has lots of fun Icebreakers and Ideas including….

Fun Bag Page 238
Debate Questions Page 242

Preparing your kids for a PLWHA Guest Speaker visit:

Session 9: Human Rights lesson Page 98

Appendix IV: Loss Exercise Page 244

The All-Important Condom Lesson:

Start with Epidemic Game Page 248

Follow the Epidemic Game with further explanation and reminders: condoms work
and they save your life! Now to learn how they work…. Come to class with 3
prepared slips of papers with condom questions on them: (ie what mafuta can you
use with condoms, is wearing two condoms better than one, is it true that condoms
have small holes in them that allow HIV to pass through?) In front of the class, put
your slips of paper inside 3 condoms and blow them up to the size of a volleyball.
Ignore the laughs and shouts of surprise. Remind the class that you are
demonstrating that the mafuta on condoms is not dangerous to touch, even with
your mouth. ONE AT A TIME, start passing the balloon around the class. Tell them
that when you say “stop”, the kid holding the balloon has to try to break it open and
 read the question and answer it. The first time, stop on a kid who is outgoing.
Afterwards, you can stop on quieter kids (don't forget to make sure one or two girls
have to break it!) The condom will be hard to break. Lessons: mafuta is OK for them
to touch, condoms are strong (imara), and they stretch (legea) so nobody can claim
that they “wont fit”. After the questions have been read and answered appropriately,
pass out to random students some large cards that you have pre-prepared that have
the steps of using a condom written on them. Have all kids who got a card come up
to the front of the room together and try to stand in the correct order from first step
to last. After they are standing in correct order (you may have to help them), use
your wooden penis to do a condom demonstration while reading the steps off of the
cards. Then ask for volunteers. Have 2 – 3 students try their luck. Inevitably at least
one will forget to squeeze the tip to let the air out. Point the resulting air bubble out
to the class and remind them that this is how condoms break. You can also repeat
the cards and demonstrations with female condoms if you have time and if you have
them available in your community.

Part IV : Communication Skills Page 109

Session 3: Assertiveness: Passive, assertive, aggressive Page 121
Role plays Page 125
Responses to persuasion Page 132 - 135
Page 139
Negotiating Condom use scenario cards. Page 141
Body Language (gesture games) Page 232

Part V: Decision Making Skills Page 143

Session 1, Steps in good decisions Page 145
Session 3, Role Models, “The person I admire” (really important lesson!!!) Page 152
Session 5, Your Goals (important lesson!) Page 159
Session 6, Early Pregnancy Page 163
Session 8, Risk Behavior- Testing the Waters Page 169
For Risky Behavior, you can also use a Continuum Game: Use “Levels of Risk” cards,
i.e. sexual acts continuum: hand out the cards throughout the class, then have the
students come to the front and try to line up according to what is most and least
risky. (dry kissing, making out, sex with condom, oral sex, sex with a used condom,
sex without condom, anal sex). The fun part is discussing all of these acts in detail so
that they understand why one is riskier than the next. It is important so that we
remind the kids that it’s not all black-and-white: they have to consider things as on a
continuum. Then you can ask them to think privately to themselves: “Where are you
on the continuum? Where do you want to be?”

Session 9, Delaying Sex, Top Ten (Great lesson) Page 175

Part VI – Relationship Skills Page 181
Session 1, The Best Response Game (Great lesson) (what to say to a boy) Page 183
Session 2, Anger Management (might be a helpful lesson) Page 189
Session 3, Peer Pressure Role Plays (Great lesson) Page 190
Session 4, What is Love Page 191
Session 7, Gender Roles (I do not do, I instead use PACA Daily Activities)

Bride Price – I use only as a debate question. Page 214

***Karibu sana to email Jen for a sample seminar lesson sequence and/or for some prepared
lesson plans – try to be specific what you need – or request copies of any of her following grants
that were approved by PC (each grant has the seminar schedule in the application):

* Building and Decorating of Health Bulletin Board at Secondary School

* Sport and HIV Awareness Tournament between Secondary Schools
* World AIDS Day celebration in Newala Town
* 3- day HIV and Family Health Seminar for Local Women’s Group
* 6-day Nutrition, Income Generation, and Permaculture Seminar for PLWHA group
* 2-day Chicken-Raising Seminar and Construction of Banda for PLWHA group
* 5-day TOT: HIV and Family Health Training for Women to Teach Others in Community
* 6-day HIV and Life Skills Seminar for Street Children of Newala