memo

Date: February 12, 2011

To: 1311 students

From: Senaida Navar

RE: Teen Advisory Board

Over the course of the years the HIV/AIDS pandemic has managed to infiltrate El Paso. Lack of information along with misguided information has contributed to this issue. Unfortunately this issue is not treated as a priority. The number of agencies that focus on the prevention and education of HIV/AIDS is not as big as it ought to be. There are hundreds and hundreds of individuals living in El Paso who are infected with this virus and are unaware of it. Even more shocking is that the highest percentage of these individuals along with those who have been tested belongs to teenagers.

The Teen Advisory Board is an organization whose goal is HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention. They are partnered with The University Medical Center of El Paso. The Teen Advisory Board focuses on reaching out to the adolescent community. For more than a decade they have been training educators. This group differs to others in that the individuals who are being trained are teenagers themselves. Every year a group of teens form El Paso goes through an extensive training of approximately eleven sessions. Once this program is completed they are then required to attend another training in which they are instructed on the HIV/AIDS’ history, prevention methods, and ways of spreading along with other influential factors. Once they have completed this training they are then certified as Teen Advisory Board educators.

Once certified these teens begin outreach. They attend schools, from middle schools to colleges, to conduct presentations on HIV/AIDS. They stress the importance of having the right information in order to do the right choices. They talk about the risk factors that can increase the possibility of individuals becoming infected with this virus. Such factors include the usage of drugs and alcohol as well as peer pressure. In targeting these risk factors not only do they help lower the excessive use of drugs and alcohol but they are also preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS. Another goal of this program is to destroy ignorance. By giving these individuals the correct information they are trying to eliminate the stigmas that for decades have accompanied this virus.

The Teen Advisory Board also gives these teen educators great opportunities that could not be achieved otherwise. This organization helps both the educators as well as those on the receiving end. This program helps keep these teens on the right path to a healthy productive life. They promote awareness in various different ways such as passing out information, condoms, and performing test during World AIDS Day or organizing events directed towards the youth. Recently this organization has begun new projects that are designed to more effectively reach El Paso’s youth. Some of these projects involve the launch of TAB TV and TAB radio. These programs are designed to convey the messages by presenting them in everyday situations. The radio is meant to be a resource by which parents can communicate to ask questions and get answers form a teenager’s perspective. The reason for this is to strengthen the bonds of communication between parents and their children.

You can contact the Teen Advisory Board through e-mail at TABCARES@UMCELPASO.ORG or by phone at (915)521-7482. Their website provides some helpful information about the program and how to get registered. This program is dedicated to the prevention and promotion of understanding towards HIV/AIDS.