Peer Education
General definition
"Peer Education" is based on the concept of people informing their peers. This can happen in peer groups defined through social status, age, cultural background... The Aids Hilfe Vienna has been working with this concept in the field of HIV/AIDS Prevention for youth since 1994. The use of this method has been very successful, since young people especially are more likely to accept advice and information from their circle of friends or people of their age (their peers) rather than from adults. Besides the fact that information coming from adults is perceived very critically, another circumstance speaks strongly for peer education and that is the importance of the role model. Fact information alone is not enough for young people to cope with the problematic topic of HIV and AIDS. They need role models as an orientation how to handle their awareness about the topic in practice. Here again their peer group is of big importance. Peers can influence and shape each others values, they can open up each others awareness and support a change of behavior.
© 1999 JCS & RastaReo & Mama