Are you at risk (part 3) - Evaluating risk behaviours and accumulated risks

1. It is important for young people to think about and visualize their personal level of vulnerability (susceptibility). The continuum from left to right in part 3 allows students to determine their own risk.

2. Ask students to think about the risk activities they take - How many risk activities? How risky is each one? How often do they take them? Do they use protection? Do they use protection all the time?

3. After allowing them a few minutes to think about these questions, ask them to decide on a point on the continuum where they think they are. Notice that they cannot sit in the middle.

4. If the age level you are teaching is quite young, the risk level will probably be quite low for the majority of students. Therefore, it is important to have them think about and visualize where they might be five years from now. Questions you might ask:

Do you think you might be in a relationship? Is there a chance it might involve sexual intercourse? Would you use condoms if it did? Consistently? Would you be assertive and insist on their use if your partner did not want to use them? Would you ever use injection drugs? Then ask them to think about and visualize where they would put their “X”.

5. This exercise is very important since “behaviour intent” often influences how we will actually act in the future.

6. Discuss the answers to the question under “Teacher asks”.

At what other times in your life would it be important to think about your personal risk of getting HIV/STD?

The best times to review your risk are when you decide to make changes in your sexual or drug behaviours.