THE PROGRAMME

The GOLD Model

The GOLD peer education model was originally designed to be applied within a context where peer educators are identified and selected within secondary schools - building the capacity of community based organizations (implementing organizations) to train and support school-going peer educators.

By 2009, the GOLD model will also have a field-tested community-based programme in order to respond to the needs of the most vulnerable youth throughout sub-Saharan Africa (most of these youth are no longer in the secondary school system by the time they reach their teens).

The GOLD model uses the methodology of peer education which harnesses the influence that young people have with their peers to encourage youth to make informed choices and develop health-enhancing social norms. [1,2,3]

The GOLD model uses, amongst other key theories and models, the following progression of change and embraces a role modelling and futures-oriented education approach:

  • Personal transformation - Peer educators experience personal change and make positive and healthy decisions with vision and purpose for their lives.
  • Group transformation - Personal change of peer educators results in both formal and informal contacts with their peers. Peer groups and micro communities are influenced to make positive and healthy decisions with vision and purpose for their lives.
  • Community transformation - Change in peer groups and micro communities impacts on larger community social norms and these communities are influenced to embrace positive and healthy decision making with vision and purpose

Ten Core Components:
There are 10 core components of the GOLD Peer Education Model which apply to both school based or community based GOLD peer education programmes.

  1. It is applied within a structured framework whereby adolescent peer educators are continually equipped to fulfil 4 specific roles over three one year tracks (with an optional fourth year track).
  2. It responds to identified youth needs and applies a role-modelling and futures oriented education approach to behaviour change.
  3. It is implemented within a cluster of 2-6 secondary schools or community sites within one geographical area.
  4. It is implemented within a community development framework and promotes community involvement.
  5. It is put into practice by a viable community-based implementing organization.
  6. It supports skilled facilitators to train and mentor peer educators by providing them with information and support; and role-modelling health-enhancing behaviour.
  7. It is youth focused and targets adolescents from either participating secondary schools or community sites who are selected according to peer educator criteria to be agents of transformation.
  8. It is adaptable to different contexts and uses values and rights based curricula to: support peer educator training and activities; and strengthen the school life-skills curriculum.
  9. It has a comprehensive and standardized monitoring and evaluation system with associated easy-to-use tools based on common indicators.
  10. It is quality assured by the GOLD Peer Education Development Agency (including accreditation of peer education implementation in accordance with the GOLD peer education model, standards and brand).

THE 7 ELEMENTS OF A GOLD PEER EDUCATION PROGRAMME

Collaborative implementing organizations are quality assured by GOLD against standards relating to the following seven elements of a GOLD Peer Education Programme:

Programme Planning: How to use a community analysis to get your programme started and develop an annual delivery plan in line with GOLD’s outcomes.
Facilitator Management: How to recruit, train and support your team of GOLD facilitators.
Peer Educator Management: How to recruit and enroll peer educator groups, design a training and support schedule, retain peer educators within your programme and handle potential disciplinary problems.
Reaching Youth: How to put in place services that will support the peer education programme and facilitate your programme reaching a broad group of young people.
Programme Integration: How to build, maintain an support linkages with stakeholders and ensure that your programme is accountable to the community.
Management Practices: How to establish the human and physical resources and infrastructure necessary for the GOLD programme and ensure the financial sustainability of your programme.
Monitoring and Evaluation: How to monitor the progress of your programme and evaluate whether you are reaching youth according to GOLD’s indicators.

At the heart of the GOLD model is the belief that the message giver is the strongest message. Adolescent peer educators are equipped and supported by skilled facilitators to fulfil the following four roles at varying levels of responsibility for both their peers and younger children.

  1. Role-modelling: Role-model health-enhancing behaviour;
  2. Education: Educate their peers in a structured manner;
  3. Recognition and Referral: Recognise youth in need of additional help and refer them for assistance;
  4. Community Upliftment: Advocating for resources and services for themselves and their peers; acts of service; and raising awareness of important issues affecting youth

Peer Educators receive intensive training over three/four years in a range of issues including self-development, presentation and facilitation, sexual and reproductive health including HIV/AIDS, leadership, group work, community development, communication skills, project management, research, advocacy and child rights, and mentoring. The emphasis is on practical experiential learning and skills development and each peer educator has specific practical ‘outputs’ that they have to meet each year as they progress through the relevant programme. This is where large numbers of youth or peers are effectively reached by the peer educator.

The GOLD model uses, amongst other key theories and models, the following progression of change and embraces a role modelling and futures-oriented education approach:

  • Personal transformation - Peer educators experience personal change and make positive and healthy decisions with vision and purpose for their lives.
  • Group transformation - Personal change of peer educators results in both formal and informal contacts with their peers. Peer groups and micro communities are influenced to make positive and healthy decisions with vision and purpose for their lives.
  • Community transformation - Change in peer groups and micro communities impacts on larger community social norms and these communities are influenced to embrace positive and healthy decision making with vision and purpose.
By addressing the root issues of the HIV and AIDS pandemic amongst youth, specific developmental outcomes will be expected:

1. Increased levels of knowledge about HIV/Aids

2. Increase in knowledge of life skills

3. Improved access to community services that support health-enhancing behaviour amongst youth

4. Increase in health-enhancing relationships amongst youth

5. Increase in youth-driven community upliftment activities

6. Increased delay sexual debut amongst youth

7. Increased reports of condom use amongst sexually active youth

8. Increased reports of care-seeking for sexually transmitted infection (STIs) amongst youth

9. Increased perceived efficacy in contraception use

10. Increase in youth participation in VCT services

11. Decrease in sexual coercion amongst youth

12. Decrease in gender violence amongst youth

13. Decrease in substance abuse amongst youth

14. Decrease in school drop outs

15. Decreased reports of teenage pregnancy

16. Decrease in average number of sexual partners amongst youth

17. Improved attendance in school

18. Improved academic performance

19. Improved behaviour in school as documented by school counsellors or educators

20. Increased youth participation in community upliftment activities

21. Increase in youth assuming leadership positions

22. Decrease in behavioural or discipline problems at affected schools

1. Sloane BC, Zimmer CG. The power of peer health education. Journal of American College Health 1993; 41:241-245.
2. National Hemophilia Foundation. Peer-to-Peer Health Education Programs for Youth: Their Impact on Comprehensive Health Education. New York: The Foundation, 1994.
3. DiClemente RJ. Confronting the challenge of AIDS among adolescents: directions for future research. Journal of Adolescent Research 1993; 8:156-166.