Dramatic Health Education Project: STDs/HIV

The Dramatic Health Education Project: STDs/HIV (DHEP) is provided free of charge to area teenagers through a unique collaboration between The Coterie Theatre, the Schools of Medicine and Pharmacy at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and the School of Nursing at the University of Kansas. This award winning program is highly lauded for its balanced message. Utilizing a dramatic medium, one medical professional student and one professional actor portray HIV positive teenagers in order to educate teens about the transmission and prevention of STDs and HIV. Based on true stories of HIV positive teenagers in the Kansas City area, the presentation weaves information about transmission, prevention, and the myths surrounding STDs and HIV/AIDS into the story line, accompanied by projections and music. Customized culturally-specific dramatic presentations depict two ethnically diverse young adults who reflect the student populations they address. The characters include African American, Caucasian, and Latino teens. An extensive question-and-answer session follows the presentation and sparks frank discussions about STDs and HIV/AIDS. There is no other program in the region structured like DHEP because the program uses the medium of theater, with all its immediacy and intensity, to arrest the attention of a teen audience. And it's FREE!

The Coterie exists to provide professional classic and contemporary theater, which challenges the audience and artist alike, and to provide educational, dramatic outreach programs in the community. The Coterie seeks to open lines of communication between races, sexes and generations. The objectives of DHEP are to improve knowledge regarding HIV and STDs and reduce the intentions of teenagers to practice high-risk behavior. DHEP also continues to refine the culturally-specific dramatic workshops and ensure story lines are relevant to teenagers.

After watching this program, over 75% of students report that they would be less likely to practice high-risk sexual behavior.

DHEP conducts a post-evaluation in a selected school or community organization, depending on site availability and approval. Key to the longevity of the program has been maintaining a consistent percentage of over 75% reporting that they would be less likely to put themselves at risk after watching this program. The most recent percentage from 174 students in a Kansas City, KS public school was 88.0% in April 2014.