This project is focused on World AIDS Day and is based on the principle of interdisciplinary cooperation between event organizers and the Ministry of Education and Science, youth centres, public health specialists, journalists, volunteers, teachers, and students. The main goals are to inform young people in secondary schools about HIV/AIDS, involve them in prevention activities, make them aware of the consequences of high-risk behaviour, and stimulate them to form positive attitudes towards people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA).

When the project first started, it was considered an innovative initiative in the country. The competition starts at the individual school level: teams of five students compete with other teams to show their knowledge about HIV/AIDS and their creative abilities. Each team gathers a group of fans who support them during the competition. Performances take place in large halls, where up to 500 spectators can watch the contest.

Contesting to gain knowledge

In most schools, three to five teams prepare a presentation, design anti-AIDS promotion messages for clothes, take a knowledge test, and make a video-clip about HIV/AIDS. A jury rates the teams' performance on each of these tasks. Experience has shown that the judging committee works best when it includes people from different fields, for example, a doctor, a producer, a student, and a teacher. The maximum number of points that can be received is 20 for the knowledge test, 10 for the video-clip and presentation and 5 for the message designed for clothing.

The winning team from each school moves on to the second round at the district level. District winners move on to the third round for each of the six zones in the country. The fourth and final round is at the national level and takes place around World AIDS Day (1 December). The whole programme of four rounds takes around three months. Several incentives have been created for participants and their teachers. The winning team is granted a one-week trip to Sweden (sponsored by ECAD – European Cities against Drugs – and UNDP), where team members visit HIV prevention programmes, share experiences and communicate with peers. Second and third prize winners are granted a trip with the same purpose to another European state or the Lithuanian capital Vilnius.

Prevention of HIV/AIDS and drug use

Every year the project attracts more participants. It started with teams from some 250 schools in the first year to some 700 schools in 2003 (about 70% of Lithuanian secondary schools). Some 10,000 young people participated in the 2003 programme, including contestants and spectators. An evaluation survey in 2002 among 189 participants of the third round showed that 86% felt that their knowledge about HIV/AIDS had greatly increased; 94% claimed that they were more aware of the health consequences of unsafe sex and drug use. Moreover, 84% said they had become more tolerant towards PLWHA, 77% had improved their relationship with teachers and 86% with their parents. More girls (62%) than boys filled out the questionnaire, reflecting the male- female participation ratio.

Another evaluation survey in 2003 with third-round participants (61% girls) showed that almost half of the students had participated in the competition more than once. This indicates that they find the initiative stimulating and interesting. The great majority of participants (96%) evaluated the project positively and 78% believed that participating in such an activity encourages them to become more actively involved in HIV prevention efforts. The over 150 organizers (local authorities, youth centres, public health centres, teachers etc.) stated that the idea of the competition is wonderful and that the programme proved to be a useful tool in the prevention of HIV/AIDS and drug use.

Lessons learned

Since the start of "Schoolchildren against AIDS", the project has reached many students and teachers with information on HIV/AIDS and drug use. The main lessons learned are:

The project has lived up to our expectations. Schools in almost all Lithuanian districts (currently 50 out of 60) participate in the contest. The students, teachers and organizers regard the competition as interesting and stimulating. There are no hard data on the initiative's effectiveness in terms of reducing HIV prevalence among young people. However, a recent study by the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Drugs (ESPAD) showed that experimentation with illegal drugs among 15-16 year-olds in Lithuania has stabilized at about 15-16% over the last four years.

LAC is determined to continue this project. The video clip component of the competition has proved to be very good; in 2003, the best one was broadcast by two TV channels. This element of the project will therefore be expanded.