Participatory learning methodologies in an HIV/AIDS intervention to Senegalese adolescents

1. Can Social & Emotional Learning and New Media LiteraciesSave the World(or at least, Pedagogy)?: Participatory learning methodologies in an HIV/AIDS intervention to Senegalese adolescents Laurel Feltfelt@usc.edu

2. ReseauAfricaind’Education pour la Sante • aka, African Health Education Network • Mission • To implement projects based on an integrated and innovative application of ICT to strengthen health and education programs and institutions

3. Partners

4. Programs “RAES designs and implements new approaches to inform, strengthen, and bring together professionals and youth alike who are committed to development in West Africa…” Theory of change = ICT for empowerment

5. www.sunukaddu.com • Objective • To improve the response to HIV/AIDS in school by voluntary tracking, promotion of human rights • Activities • RAES trains youth leaders in A/V recording for 10 weeks • youth create + upload media on AIDS/HIV • youth form student clubs (with support of adults)

6. Genealogy of Collaboration • Needs assessment • Introspection • Process evaluation • Outcome evaluation • Stakeholder buy-in • Research • Theoretical support • Evidence-based roadmap • Exemplars • Development • Theory generation • Curricula • Funds • Discussion • Consensus • Scope, sequence • Win-win • Preparation = NOW • Implementation (July) • Assessment • Modification • Adjustments • Scale up • Re-implementation

7. Needs Assessment

8. Objectives • What is the objective of the summer student training session? What knowledge do you want participants to learn? What skills do you want participants to learn? - Impact health behaviors and attitudes among Senegalese youth in the domains of HIV/AIDS stigmatization and discrimination. - Emphasize the importance of voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) for HIV, as well as the role of peer support in reducing health risks.

9. Strength Areas 2. What are some programmatic areas of strength that you want to preserve and/or extend? • Ability to develop messages (sounded, persuasive, entertaining, clear, well-produced) • Focus less on multimedia/web production, more on audiovisual • Tools (through cell phones?) and content (writing, drawings, posters) • For HS graduates, might focus on clothes, art, pottery, jewelry to disseminate messages

10. Growth Areas 3. What are some programmatic areas of challenge that could use retooling? • COMMUNICATION SKILLS • Storytelling -- ability to sound true or tell own story • Stories using digital tools

11. Student Clubs’ Objective 4. What is the objective of the student clubs? What do you want student leaders and participants to learn? What do you want student leaders and participants to do? • To learn about reproductive health and how to communicate • Use digital tools to produce content (fiction/non-fiction)

12. Student Clubs’ Status 5. What is the current status of the student clubs -- are there any in operation? If so, how many? How many participants in each? • Three clubs in three participating schools. • Project’s activities ended last June. • Clubs still exist but activities are slow. • Evaluation due in March.

13. Research

14. Social and emotional learning (SEL) “SEL teaches the skills we all need to handle ourselves, our relationships, and our work, effectively and ethically…” (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, 2010)

15. SEL Competencies • Self-awareness • Self-management • Social awareness • Relationship skills • Responsible decision-making

16. New Media Literacies “Participatory culture shifts the focus of literacy from one of individual expression to community involvement. The new literacies… build on the foundation of traditional literacy, research skills, technical skills, and critical analysis skills taught in the classroom.” (Jenkins et al., 2006)

17. New Media Literacies • Play • Performance • Simulation • Appropriation • Multitasking • Distributed Cognition • Collective Intelligence • Judgment • Transmedia Navigation • Networking • Negotiation • Visualization • (Jenkins et al., 2006)

18. Collective Intelligence • the ability to pool knowledge and compare notes with others toward a common goal (Jenkins et al., 2006) • “…nobody knows everything, everyone knows something, and what any member knows is available to the group as a whole at a moment's notice” (Jenkins, 2007) • “…the more diverse the participants, the richer the final outcome” (Jenkins, 2007)

19. Diverse theoretical support • Asset-based community development (ABCD; Kretzmann & McKnight, 1997) • Positive Deviance (PD; Singhal, Sternin, & Dura, 2009) • Bridging and bonding (Putnam, 2001) • Community is resource-rich and already in possession of its own answers.

20. Development

21. Theory generation

22. Curriculum

23. Curriculum

24. Onward…(Preparation, Implementation, etc) • Adaptation from Project AIM, SELect programs • Lesson planning, differentiation • Iterative revision • Pilot: July, Dakar, two groups of 10 youths Saving the world!!!

25. Acknowledgements • Dr. Michael Cody • Dr. Henry Jenkins • Dr. Sheila Murphy • Dr. Stacy Smith • Doe Mayer • Alexandre Rideau • Dr. Deborah Glik • Phillip Massey