ABOUT THE UCLA AIDS INSTITUTE'S AIDS AMBASSADORS PROGRAM

The UCLA AIDS Institute has formed partnerships with the Elton John AIDS Foundation and the Magic Johnson Foundation to extend the Institute's highly successful UCLA AIDS Ambassadors program to high schools in Greater Los Angeles. This partnership uses elements of the "Knowledge Is Power" campaign to support a peer-to-peer HIV prevention program in public and private city schools. The Institute developed this program to provide life-saving information to young people as they begin to settle into their sexual identities and adopt patterns of behavior that will last into adulthood. This is a time of life when peer pressure is a dominant determinant of behavior, and the information that UCLA's teen AIDS Ambassadors acquire through our training program helps them negotiate these potentially dangerous social shoals.

If the teen AIDS Ambassadors program did nothing more than provide participants with the information they need to safeguard their own lives, we would consider the program a success, but the impact of this educational effort is much broader. It bridges from student to student, and school to school, through informal discussions and formal presentations led by UCLA's deeply committed and comprehensively trained AIDS Ambassadors.

Description of Program

Sherri Lewis, an HIV-positive AIDS educator who has 15 years of experience talking about HIV/AIDS with students from middle school through graduate school, helped the Institute develop the rigorous, two-day training protocol that prepares teenagers to become AIDS Ambassadors. She also supervised the training of the first two classes of UCLA AIDS Ambassadors, and she guided their ongoing educational efforts.

The UCLA AIDS Institute has developed a full range of age-appropriate educational materials for these students, and a separate set of instructional materials for teachers and parents. The elements of this educational package include a brief description of the AIDS epidemic (and the UCLA AIDS Institute's role in describing, and attempting to contain, the pandemic), a glossary of terms, a list of frequently asked questions (and the correct answers to those questions), and straightforward, science-based information about how HIV is transmitted. Elements can be added to, or omitted from, the folder-depending on the audience, on the preferences of school administrators and/or parent groups, and other factors.

Goals

Our objective is to leave behind a cadre of well-trained students, who can continue the HIV education program in their schools with minimal oversight from the AIDS Institute. It is our expectation that this program-like the AIDS Ambassadors program on the UCLA campus-will become self-perpetuating, with each year's class of teen AIDS Ambassadors recruiting the next class, assisting in their training, and then overseeing the expansion of the program to other students and other schools.

MISSION OF THE MAGIC JOHNSON FOUNDATION

The Magic Johnson Foundation was established in 1991 as a single-disease organization that worked to raise funds for community-based organizations dealing with HIV/AIDS education and prevention programs. The Foundation has since responded to the growing need to address all aspects of our youth's lives by expanding its mission. This expanded mission emphasizes the Foundation's focus on supporting community-based organizations and developing programs that serve the health, educational and social needs of those residing in inner-city communities.

The Magic Johnson Foundation is committed to improving the quality of life of people residing in urban communities. We will serve as the facilitator to deliver the much-needed programs and resources that others can't or won't deliver to these communities including access, education and information. It is our hope that our efforts will serve as a call to action to encourage other Foundations, Corporations, Civic organizations and individuals to join us in this most worthy cause. We are committed to making a positive impact on families one child at a time.

ELTON JOHN AIDS FOUNDATION

Since its establishment in 1992 by Founder and Chairman Sir Elton John, The Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) has raised over $90 million to support HIV/AIDS prevention and service programs in 55 countries around the globe. Today, EJAF is one of the world's leading nonprofit HIV/AIDS organizations. EJAF focuses on supporting community-based prevention education programs, harm reduction programs, and direct services to persons living with HIV/AIDS, especially populations with special needs. These efforts include HIV/AIDS-related physical and mental health services, HIV testing and counseling, street outreach and education, food distribution, assisted living services, social service coordination, and community volunteer recruitment and support.