Focus on Youth (FOY) is a community-based, eight session group intervention that provides youth with the skills and knowledge they need to protect themselves from HIV and other STDs. The curriculum, founded on the Protection Motivation Theory, uses fun, interactive activities such as games, role plays and discussions to convey prevention knowledge and skills. FOY targets youth, ages 12-15.

There is also a short component for parents, Informed Parents and Children Together (ImPACT), that assists them in areas such as parental monitoring and effective communication.

Core Elements and Key Messages of ImPACT

Implementation core elements:

• Core Element 1: Delivering intervention one-on-one to parents/guardians and youth in well-located community-based setting (such as a CBO, church, recreation center, or school) or their home at a time and place that is convenient for parent/guardian.
• Core Element 2: Use of a facilitator whom the parents/guardians find credible. The facilitator should be skilled at building rapport with parent and youth at the beginning of the session.
• Core Element 3: Ideally, ImPACT should be deliveredprior to the youth beginning the Focus on Youth intervention.

Pedagogy core elements:

• Core Element 4: Use of a documentary that shows the challenges and importance of parents monitoring and talking to their children ages 12-15 about sex, abstinence, STDs, HIV and condoms.
• Core Element 5: Facilitator must sit down and watch the video with the parent/guardian and youth. Youth and parent/guardian must watch the video together.

Content core elements:

• Core Element 6: Enabling parent/guardian and youth to learn and practice communication skills.
• Core Element 7: Teaching parent/guardian and youth proper condom use skills.
• Core Element 8: Distributing and guiding parent/guardian and youth through a Resource Guide that includes the following topics:
  • Basic components of good communication and how to talk to your youth
  • Importance of parental monitoring
  • Steps for proper condom use
  • STD and HIV facts, including prevalence data among young Americans