 |
  |
 |
 |
||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Peer Education
According to the Horizons Project, an HIV/AIDS operations research program mainly supported by the United States Agency for International Development, "Peer education typically involves training and supporting members of a given group to effect change among members of the same group. Peer education is often used to effect changes in knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors at the individual level. However, peer education may also create change at the group or societal level by modifying norms and stimulating collective action that contributes to changes in policies and programs. Worldwide, peer education is one of the most widely used strategies to address the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
"Peer education is a popular concept that variously refers to an approach, a communication channel, a methodology, a philosophy, and/or an intervention strategy. The English term peer refers to "one that is of equal standing with another; one belonging to the same societal group especially based on age, grade or status." The term education refers to the "development," "training," or "persuasion" of a given person or thing or the "knowledge" resulting from the educational process.
"In practice, peer education has taken on a range of definitions and interpretations regarding who is a peer and what is meant by education (e.g., counseling, facilitating discussions, mobilizing for advocacy, lecturing, distributing materials, making referrals to services, and providing support).
"In general Peer education assumes that certain members of a given peer group (peer educators) can be influential in eliciting individual behavior change among their peers."
