Since 2005 the Global Peace Tiles Project has helped community educators use the visual arts as a way to elicit stories about HIV/AIDS from young people. These tiles are used in a variety of ways – primarily as part of large mural installations in public spaces. Recently, a number of these tiles have been integrated into a discussion guide about the global AIDS pandemic aimed at middle and high school aged children.

The World AIDS Day discussion guide — which features sixteen “discussion cards,” each centered on an image produced by a young person — invites groups to reflect on the experience of HIV/AIDS and what aspects of the pandemic’s effect on people might be shared. The guide encourages discussion groups to think about ways they can take action to mitigate the effects of AIDS in their community, region or in the world.

The draft guide is available for download, and comments on this early version are welcome! For more information about Peace Tiles, visit www.peacetiles.net