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Brief Project Abstract, HRSA/HAB
Special Project of National Significance, 1993 - 1998
Project Title: Peer Based Peer Run Psychosocial Support Services for HIV+ Youth.
Organization: Bay Area Young Positives, Inc.
Project Director: Troix Bettencourt
Project Period: 1996 - 1998 Budget Period: Dec. 1, 1996 - Nov. 30, 1998.
Problem Statement: As a result of developmental and psychological issues, most young people have difficulty accessing services designed for adults. Most HIV services were created by and for gay, white, middle class men over 30 years old; these services often lack sensitivity and experience in handling the special needs and the unique culture of youth. Youth with HIV are often stigmatized and developmentally arrested. When HIV is diagnosed, one's development is arrested, because development of other facets of life often give way to dealing with the issues relating to the disease itself.
Young people with HIV are best served by organizations who use a peer model. Services provided by and for HIV-positive young people can restore the confidence and hope that young people with HIV need to take care of themselves.
Major Goals:
Goal One: Provide peer psychosocial support to HIV positive youth, 26 and younger through support groups, counseling, advocacy, therapeutic expression and recreational activities.
Goal Two: Maintain the organizational model of peer leadership and empowerment by recruiting, hiring, training and supporting HIV positive young people in direct service positions as well as administrative and management positions.
Goal Three: Evaluate the Bay Positives model and disseminate the findings and lessons learned locally and nationally.
Accomplishments of First Three Years: Bay Positives currently has a total of 189 unduplicated, active members and overall there has been a 13.4% increase in membership in the last year.
As of August 1996, 59.5% of membership is White, African-Americans comprise 13.8% of the membership; Latinos represent 11.8%; Asian/Pacific Islanders are 9.2%; and Native-Americans are 3.1%.
Over the last three years, the majority of the staff hired have come to work at BAY Positives because of their previous involvement as members - as a way of giving back to the organization. This has created a staff that is strongly supportive and committed to the agency and it's mission. It has also facilitated the development of a team of staff members who are linked personally as well as professionally.
Evaluation Design and Measures: This project is being evaluated in two ways. Harder+Co, a local evaluation agency is researching the effectiveness of or model and services through member surveys, focus groups, and phone interviews. H+Co. will look at how BAY Positives fits into the system of care for youth, in the Bay Area. This local evaluation is also examining the peer based model, through interviews with the board of directors as well as with the staff.
BAY Positives' Cross Cutting Evaluation with The Measurement Group is measured through data collection, and analysis of our ongoing data process. This form of evaluation measures the amount of services and unduplicated clients that are seen on a yearly basis.
Overview of Dissemination Activities: We have entered into a collaboration with the other Western Regional SPNS grantees to hire a Dissemination Coordinator to help focus our efforts of outreach and information sharing.
We plan to produce a manual outlining the establishment and development of BAY Positives as a peer based, peer run non-profit organization. We hope this can serve as part of our Replication Package to those agencies or programs who want to include a youth component, as well as for young people who want to duplicate our model. Along with the manual, we would like to provide training's as well as technical assistance nationally.
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