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Sisters Saving Sisters
A 4 1/2 hour group intervention for teenage women.
Download a Module Outline Here
Email jessica@selectmedia.org to receive a Grantee Guide
Curriculum Components:
| Facilitator’s Curriculum (not yet available) |
$145 |
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| Curriculum Kit(not yet available) |
$453 |
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| Student Workbooks $42.50 for a pack of 10 workbooks (not yet available) |
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Prices Subject to Change |
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AUTHORS
Loretta Sweet Jemmott, Ph.D., R.N., F.A.A.N., John B. Jemmott III, Ph.D., and Konstance McCaffree, Ph.D., R.N., F.A.A.N.
OVERVIEW
Sisters Saving Sisters is a five module curriculum designed to empower young, teenage women to change their behavior in ways that will reduce their risk of becoming infected with HIV, other STDs, and significantly decrease their chances of being involved in unintended pregnancies. This curriculum acknowledges that abstinence is the most effective way to eliminate these risks. However, realizing that abstinence is not the path that many young people will choose, the curriculum spends a great deal of time encouraging the practice of safer sex and condom use. The curriculum also addresses the underlying attitudes and beliefs that many young women have about condoms, provides information and exercises that teach them how to use condoms correctly, and gives them the confidence they need to choose and negotiate safer-sex practices.
IMPLEMENTATION
The Sisters Saving Sisters curriculum was designed to be used with smaller groups ranging from two to six participants, but can be implemented with larger numbers as well if more time is built into each session. It is appropriate for various community settings, including schools, and youth agencies.
CURRICULUM OBJECTIVES
At the completion of the Sisters Saving Sisters curriculum, young women will have:
- Increased knowledge about prevention of HIV, STDs, and pregnancy
- More positive attitudes/beliefs about condom use
- Increased confidence in their ability to negotiate safer sex and to use condoms correctly
- Increased negotiation skills
- Improved condom skills
- Stronger intentions to use condoms if they have sex
- A lower incidence of HIV/STD risk-associated sexual behavior
- A stronger sense of pride and responsibility in making a difference in their lives
CONTENT OUTLINE
The Sisters Saving Sisters curriculum has four major components. The first component focuses on goals and dreams and their relationship to adolescent sexual behavior. The second component emphasizes knowledge, including the causes, transmission, and prevention of HIV, STDs, and teenage pregnancy. The third component focuses on beliefs and attitudes about condoms, HIV, STDs, and pregnancy. The fourth stresses skills and self-efficacy including negotiation, refusal, and condom use skills. It also provides time for practice, reinforcement, and support.
THE MODULES
- Module 1: Introduction and Overview
- Module 2: Understanding Personal Vulnerability
- Module 3: Developing Condom Use Skills
- Module 4: Improving Sexual Choices and Negotiation Skills
- Module 5: Role-Play, AIDS Basketball, and Review
TYPES OF ACTIVITIES
The Sisters Saving Sisters curriculum includes a series of fun and interactive learning
experiences designed to increase participation and help young teenage women understand the kind of faulty reasoning and decision-making that can lead to HIV, STDs, and pregnancy. Activities are designed to make them feel comfortable practicing condom use, address their concerns about the negative effects of practicing safer sex, and build their condom-use skills as well as their ability to comfortably negotiate safer sex practices.
The activities involve viewing culturally and gender sensitive video clips, playing
games, brainstorming, role-playing, engaging in skill-building exercises, and small
group discussions that are designed to build group cohesion and enhance the learning experience. Each activity is brief, and most are active exercises that require the participants to get up out of their chairs and interact with one another. This maintains their interest and attention in a way that lectures or lengthy group discussions do not.
SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS
The curriculum requires the use of a monitor with DVD capabilities.
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
Research shows that curricula are most effective if they are based on a sound theoretical framework. The Sisters Saving Sisters curriculum draws upon three theories: The Social Cognitive Theory, The Theory of Reasoned Action, and its extension, The Theory of Planned Behavior. These theories have been shown to be of great value in understanding a wide range of health related behaviors. There are two major concepts included in these theories: 1) self-efficacy or perceived behavioral control beliefs, which are defined as a person’s confidence in his or her ability to take part in the behavior, i.e. use a condom; and 2) outcome expectancies or behavioral beliefs, which are beliefs about the consequences of the behavior. Our experience shows us that all of the beliefs below are critically important to change behavior. The Sisters Saving Sisters curriculum addresses each of the principles, usually in more than one activity.
Below is a description of the two types of self-efficacy or perceived behavioral control beliefs emphasized in the Sisters Saving Sisters curriculum.
PRACTICING SAFER SEX IS EASY: “I CAN DO IT” –
Many young women find it difficult to practice safer sex because of peer pressure,
partner pressure, and their perception of how others think of them. Therefore, they
are less likely to negotiate condom use with their partners. In Module 3 young women examine their attitudes and beliefs about condom use and in Modules 4 and 5, they learn how to negotiate condom use with their partners.
GETTING YOUR PARTNER TO COOPERATE IN PRACTICING CONDOM USE IS EASY: “I CAN DO IT” –
Practicing safer sex within a relationship is not something our participants can do
by themselves. They need the cooperation of a partner. Unfortunately, many of our
participants’ partners may not be willing. For example, attempts to negotiate condom use may be interpreted as mistrust or belief that the person is not “clean.” We must be sensitive to our participants’ desires to maintain their partners’ interest and avoid conflict. At the same time, we need to provide practice for responding to their partners’ objections tactfully and effectively. In Modules 4 and 5, the participants are taught negotiation skills, which they can practice through role-plays and other interactive exercises.
Below is a description of the four types of outcome expectancies or behavioral beliefs emphasized in the Sisters Saving Sisters curriculum.
GOALS AND DREAMS BELIEFS
The belief that sexual involvement might interfere with one’s goals and dreams for an education and a career. In Module 1, the participants engage in a Goals and Dreams Activity and discuss obstacles to their goals and dreams including the consequences of sex. This belief is incorporated throughout the curriculum.
PREVENTION BELIEFS
The belief that condoms can reduce the risk of HIV, STDs, and pregnancy. This belief is incorporated throughout the curriculum.
PARTNER-REACTION BELIEFS
The belief that one’s partner would not approve of condom use and react negatively to it. This might prevent a person from practicing safer sex. In Modules 4 and 5 participants learn negotiation and refusal skills necessary to communicate with their partners about condom use.
PERSONAL VULNERABILITY TO HIV/STD AND PREGNANCY BELIEFS
Before young women can change their behavior, they must have a reason, or source
of motivation, to do so. Unless young women see how they can personally benefit from doing something differently (for example, practicing safer sex), no amount of skill will be enough to produce a change. Many young women do not believe that HIV, STDs, and pregnancy could really happen to them. One goal of Sisters Saving Sisters, then, is to increase participants’ belief that “HIV, STD infection, or pregnancy could happen to me.” This is addressed throughout the curriculum, but most specifically in Module 2.