Excitement was in the air at Malvern High School in Johannesburg when 20 learners arranged a circle of chairs for a brainstorming session. The purpose was to highlight the importance of young people thinking for themselves and thinking more effectively.
This is particularly critical for teenagers who live in a world where sexual practices are changing and young people form one of the most vulnerable groups in HIV/Aids.
I brought along six plastic hats painted blue, white, red, black yellow and green to represent lateral-thinking guru Edward de Bono’s six thinking hats.
After an icebreaker or two we were ready for the session. They sat in small groups of four and collected ideas on the topic: What is a teenager? The responses, in the context of HIV/Aids, were alarming.
Teenagers “like experimenting”, “like having fun”, “lack self esteem”, “are learners of life”, “are depressed”, “don’t want to be controlled”, “don’t think about tomorrow”, and “lose virginity at a young age”.
Back in our circle, we were ready to try out the six thinking hats. We started with the blue hat because the wearer exercises overall control and decides which colour should be introduced and the colours that follow.
I took that role and explained that each hat represented a different style of thinking. It seemed appropriate to put on the white hat first because it allowed one to focus on the facts that create a map or framework of thinking.
The learners passed a “talking stick” around the circle which gave each one the opportunity to contribute. A flood of home truths came to the fore: “Alcohol leads to unprotected sex”, “we are influenced by our friends”, “we hang out with the wrong people”, “we don’t know how to choose friends” and “poverty leads to HIV infection”.
They added: “If parents have no jobs and there’s nothing at home, you find yourself a rich boyfriend with money and cars, have sex and get money for it”, “prostitution happens when you don’t have enough money and end up wearing a short skirt and selling your body and at the same time you don’t use protection” and “it is a fact that if you have lots of partners, you will get Aids or HIV – it’s better to have one partner”.
The red hat followed, which represented emotions. Teenagers can seldom articulate their feelings, so it did not surprise me that they found another way of dealing with them. One girl said teenagers don’t understand HIV and Aids unless they have seen it, until then it is not real. Another learner said it affected everyone in South Africa. A third said most people think one dies immediately if you have HIV.
The yellow hat followed which represented sunshine and focus on the positive. The learners responded in the following manner: “if you have HIV it is not the end of the world”, “you want to kill yourself but you can still live if you take anti-retrovirals”, “Be open, speak to people you trust”, “Believe in God”, “HIV is not about dying” and “if you have it, don’t spread it”.
The black hat was an opportunity to consider the reality of the pandemic in SA. New ideas came to the fore in this round. Here is a sample: “We can stop the spread of HIV”, “we need to be well-informed and open our eyes to reality”, “teenagers are still growing”, “don’t run around having sex” and “finish your education”. “If you have a new partner, test first before you sleep with him to find out you status”, was another response.
The green hat allowed thinking “out of the box”, where new ideas and fresh possibilities were explored. The debate was fairly lively.
One girl said: “It is a fact, teens are having sex, we can’t stop them. I think schools should supply condoms.” Strong objections were raised to this proposal. Another girl said protected sex was not safe sex. Condoms could break and you could fall pregnant or get Aids. “No sex” was the only answer.
Abortions for 12-year-olds were condemned especially if you considered that 18-year-olds were still at school and that was too early to get married or have a child.
An active debate on relationships arose. One person said relationships are all about self-control and that if you can’t control yourself don’t get into a relationship. Someone added that a relationship is not about sex only. The following remark led to laughter: “If a guy really loves me he will wait until I’m ready.” One girl argued that it was the guys who wanted sex in a relationship. Another added: “…and if you don’t, they dump you”.
A popular view was that girls think of the consequences of intercourse, such as falling pregnant. Quite a number of learners began to think about delaying a relationship if it meant that a “process” would inevitably take place. For example the movies, kissing and hugging and ultimately intercourse.
Problems were not resolved but concerns were aired. An educator who observed the session felt that it had great value as it gave the learners the chance to speak openly about sexual issues. This core group of senior learners grappled with the threat of HIV and Aids. In turn they would speak to their friends.