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Lesson Plan from Guide to Implementing TAP (Teens for AIDS Prevention): A Peer Education Program to Prevent HIV/STD Infection

HIV Transmission Game

Purpose: To increase awareness of how quickly HIV and other STIs can be spread and how they can be stopped and to illustrate effects of peer pressure

Materials: Hershey's Hugs & Kisses, Hershey's Almond Kisses, index cards, pens/pencils, and a small brown paper bag for each TAP member

Time: 30 minutes

Planning notes:

• In each participant's bag (except one) place a mixture of approximately 10 to 12 Hugs & Kisses and one marked or unmarked index card. In one participant's bag put 10 to 12 Almond Kisses (instead of Hugs & Kisses) and an unmarked index card. Put a star (*) on the bottom of the bag with Almond Kisses.
• Mark the bottom corner of two index cards with a small "C." Place each card in a different bag with Hugs & Kisses.
• Mark two other index cards with a small "IC." Place each card in a different bag with Hugs & Kisses.
• Write on a fifth index card: Do not participate. When asked, tell anyone who wants to exchange candy, 'I do not want to exchange hugs and kisses.' Place the card in a bag with Hugs & Kisses and put an "A" on the bottom of the bag.
• Write on two separate index cards: Do not participate with anyone other than your partner. When asked, tell anyone (other than your partner) who wants to exchange candy, 'I do not want to exchange hugs and kisses with anyone other than my partner.' Place each card in a different bag with Hugs & Kisses and put an "M" on the bottom of each bag. Give these two bags to the two participants who are willing to sit in the front of room.
• Do not place any of the seven, marked cards in with the bag with Almond Kisses.

Procedure:

1. Ask for two participants who are willing to be partners and to sit in the front of the room throughout the entire exercise. Give each of these two participants a bag marked with an "M."
2. Hand out the other bags to the remaining participants. Explain that each participant is receiving a bag with Hershey's Kisses and an index card. Ask each participant to pull the card out of his/her bag and follow the instructions on it (if there are any) and to keep secret any instructions on his/her card.
3. Tell the participants that they are to exchange candy and that they should write on their index cards the name of everyone with whom they exchange candy.
4. Give participants about five minutes to exchange candy and to write down names. Then, have everyone return to his/her seat.
5. Find out who got the most signatures.
6. Ask the one person whose bag has a star (*) on the bottom to stand up. Explain that this was the person who started out with Almond Kisses and that, for the purposes of this exercise, the Almond Kisses represent HIV infection.
7. Then, ask anyone who has an Almond Kiss in his or her bag to stand up. Explain that, because they exchanged Hugs & Kisses for Almond Kisses, they, too, have are infected with HIV.
8. Ask everyone who is still seated to check their index cards for the name of anyone who is standing. Ask participants to stand up if they see the name of someone who is standing on their index cards. Continue to ask participants to stand until everyone except the three participants with the "M" and the "A" on the bottom of their bags are standing.
9. Ask the participants with "C" written on their cards to sit down. Explain that the "C" means they always used condoms or clean needles and protected themselves from HIV infection. They are not infected with HIV.
10. Ask the people with "IC" written on their cards to sit down. Then, ask them to stand right back up. Explain that these people used condoms and/or clean needles each time, but they used them incorrectly. They are infected with HIV.
11. Explain to the participants that this activity contains an error because someone might have received an Almond Kiss (HIV infection) and then given it away again. By contrast, you cannot give away HIV. Once you have it, you can share it with others; but, you can never get rid of it yourself.
12. Remind participants that this is a game. No one can become infected with HIV because he/she eats a particular kind of food nor by sharing or exchanging food.

Discussion Questions:

1. Did anyone notice anyone who did not stand up? Introduce the "abstinent" participant and the "monogamous" partners. Ask them how they felt not playing. How did the others feel when these people refused to exchange candy with them?
2. Why is it difficult not to participate when everyone else is participating?
3. How did the person with the Almond Kisses (HIV infection) feel?
4. The one person whose bag had a star did not know he/she was "infected" with HIV. How could we have known ahead of time?

Reprinted from Guide to Implementing TAP (Teens for AIDS Prevention): A Peer Education Program to Prevent HIV/STD Infection. Washington, DC: Advocates for Youth, © 2002.