Teens Talk AIDS INTRO: HIV and AIDS are growing the fastest among minority populations…and Native Americans in particular have some tough obstacles to overcome due to social, behavioral and cultural issues. Allysa Adams tells about a new program designed to educate some of the Native American community’s most vulnerable members…its teens. SCRIPT: (Locator: Yuma, Ariz.) A normal day for 14-year-old Janyse (juh neese) Collins includes hanging out with her sister, playing video games…not talking about AIDS. Janyse Collins/14-year-old: “I always think it’s somebody else. I never thought our Native people would do stuff to get the disease.” But AIDS is not just a white man’s disease. In fact, Native Americans have seen higher infection rates than whites since 1995. Instructor: “Good morning.” So Janyse and other teens are spending time at the Ft. Yuma United Methodist Church, getting the facts about sex, disease and HIV. Instructor: “Do any of you know about HIV/AIDS?” The teen empowerment program preaches abstinence. It is specifically geared towards Native Americans who face increased HIV risk factors like a high poverty rate, a young population, and limited access to HIV testing and treatment. There are cultural barriers as well. Allyson Collins/Organizer, Teen Empowerment Seminar: “Just in our own culture, we don’t discuss those things.” But today these teens are talking about everything. Instructor: “Condoms don’t protect everything.” Janyse’s mom decided to organize this seminar in order to protect her own two girls and get the message out. Allyson Collins: “Each one of these kids are leaders in their own little way. And I know that what they learn from this class they can take back to their little circle of friends.” There’s laughter and some uncomfortable moments, but hopefully the message is getting through. TAG: Respecting and listening to elders is another important part of Native American culture so parents are also invited to the seminar and coached on how to talk to their teens about formerly taboo subjects. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that over 3,000 Native Americans have received a diagnosis of AIDS. But they believe the numbers of infected could be much higher due to underreporting. For more information, contact the Native American International Caucus at 405-634-2005 or go to http://hometown.aol.com/deer4naic/.
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