Principles

1. We make free, quality, bilingual HIV instructional materials that are updated annually.

Our materials will always be free to download, bilingual (English/Spanish), and as accurate as possible. Because we are a nonprofit, nonpartisan AIDS advocacy organization, not a state entity or a curriculum publisher, our materials are not constrained by politics - they simply give accurate information that students need. Materials are updated each Spring, and most work is done by volunteer teachers, students, and HIV experts.

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2. We are honest and accurate when discussing statistics and medical data.

We do not use misleading, dishonest, or hyperbolic language. We are clear about what data does and does not show, and about where it comes from. We are open-minded about data that does not match what we think we know. We remember that anecdotes are not data. We correct our errors when provided with reliable data disproving them. And we have high expectations that students and teachers will do the same.

3. We believe in students' ability to make their own meaning.

We do not baby our audience. As much as possible, the information we give to students and educators is the same information available to HIV/AIDS organizations. We have high expectations for students' statistical literacy, ability to read text features, and use mature vocabulary.

We do not support telling students what to think, even though they may arrive at conclusions we don't like. Our materials are designed to foster small-group discussions led by students, in which they use facts and conversation to make up their own minds about sensitive issues.

We believe in talking to people, not "cancelling" them. Everybody, regardless of political or religious beliefs, must work together to stop HIV, just as we all worked together to fight smallpox and polio. All people have a fundamental right to medically accurate information about their own bodies - including people we disagree with.

4. We push for policy change and educational action simultaneously.

We advocate for medically accurate HIV education, and for compliance mechanisms that make sure it gets taught. While we're working on that, we support and advocate for teachers and students to share accurate information about HIV, whether it's in the official curriculum or not. Students need to understand how HIV connects to their lives immediately if we're going to stop HIV transmissions.

Want ideas for how to get accurate information about HIV into your school community? Click here.