National Peer Treatment Education Program Update

The National Peer Treatment Education Program: Pathfinders launched its pilot training program in Newark, New Jersey on July 21. The HIV peer treatment educators who attended the initial training were from Missouri, Michigan, Ohio, Massachusetts, New York and New Jersey. Overall, the training was well received and an overwhelming success. At the end of the training, participants were asked to reflect and share their thoughts about the program in a group discussion. Some of the comments shared included "We are going to change the way we do education in my agency. It will become more than just giving out information -- it will be active." and "It makes me want to work harder and think outside of the box."

The National Peer Treatment Education Program: Pathfinders is a collaborative program led by Howard University in partnership with Hyacinth AIDS Foundation, Project Inform and the Latino Commission on AIDS. The program is FREE and is composed of a two-week residential program coupled with mentorship for the participant and technical assistance support for the participant's program post training. The training program topics covered include basic HIV pathogenesis and HIV care and treatment, network building, working within care teams, service planning, communication, computer/internet basics and more. The training utilizes an active; learner centered design with the program underpinned by Paulo Freire's education philosophy. The Western Regional training will be held in San Francisco from August 18-30 and the Southern Regional Training will be held in Washington D.C. area from September 15-27. Currently, NPTEP is fully enrolled; however, more information about upcoming trainings will be posted to the Project Inform's calendar.

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This article was provided by Project Inform, and is a part of the publication What's New.