Stepping Stones

An award-winning training package on HIV/AIDS, gender issues, communication and relationship skills. For our other training materials please also see the Called to Care toolkit.

What is Stepping Stones?

A 240-page manual for trainers, and an accompanying workshop video of 15 five-minute clips (though the manual can be used without the video).
Full, closely-guided instructions on how to run around 60 hours of workshop sessions, divided into 18 sessions over 10 to 12 weeks.
Designed to enable women and men of all ages to explore their social, sexual and psychological needs, to analyse the communication blocks they face, and to practise different ways of behaving in their relationships.
The workshop aims to enable individuals, their peers and their communities to change their behaviour - individually and together - through the ‘stepping stones’ which the various sessions provide.

For whom?

Designed for use in existing HIV/AIDS projects, and in general development projects which plan to introduce an on-going AIDS component.
Designed for use by a team of skilled people - ideally two male, two female - who work with peer groups of community members.
Experienced trainers should be able to use the material straight away.
Less experienced trainers may need a training course to help them start to use it.

With whom?

Originally for use in communities throughout sub-Saharan Africa. However, it is also being successfully adapted for use in Asia, North and Latin America and Europe.
Most sessions are designed for people in small groups of 10-20, of their own gender and age. Occasional sessions bring everyone together.

Why?

The ABC of AIDS (Abstain! Be faithful! use Condoms!) on its own does not work. Lectures on AIDS are too simplistic.
Stepping Stones grew out of the need to address the vulnerability of women and young people in decision-making about sexual behaviour.
The materials enable people to explore the huge range of issues which affect our sexual health - including gender roles, money, alcohol use, traditional practices, attitudes to sex, attitudes to death and our own personalities.

How?

All sessions use a participatory approach of adult learning through shared discussions.
The exercises are all based on people's own experiences, and role play and drawing exercises enable everyone to take part. No literacy is needed.
Participants discuss their experiences, act them out, analyse them, consider alternative outcomes, and then rehearse these together in a safe, supportive group.
People feel safe because most sessions take place in groups of their own gender and age.
Though designed with HIV/AIDS in mind, the package covers many related topics such as gender violence and alcohol use.

The Stepping Stones workshops are designed to be held with four peer groups drawn from a community at the same time. They consist of 14 sessions held with separate peer groups, two meetings of the peer groups together and opening and closing meetings for the whole community.

Let’s Communicate — To help a peer group form itself. To help participants develop skills of listening and analysis of communication and cooperation.
Our perceptions — To help participants recognise how much perceptions influence our judgements of ourselves and others. A first look at images of sex.
What is love? — What we look for and expect to give in love.
Our prejudices — To challenge the judgements which we make about another.
HIV — To explore our knowledge about HIV and "safer sex".
Condoms — To continue our discussions about safer sex and to familiarise participants with use of the condoms.
Our options — To consider different possible future strategies which we may have in our lives.
Let’s look deeper (Part 1) — To study why we behave in the ways we do.
Let’s look deeper (Part 2) — A development of the previous session.
Let’s support ourselves — To find new skills to change the ways in which we behave.
Let’s assert ourselves — To develop more assertiveness skills.
Let’s change ourselves — To put these new skills into practice.
Let’s work together — To develop understanding between partners.
Let’s prepare for the future — To think of possible future decisions and changes

To order online from TALC, please click here. You can also use our order form by clicking here.

Stepping Stones

See clips from the video

What users say

"This manual has been of tremendous benefit and help to stakeholders, middle level managers and entire health workers in the district. It has increased the knowledge and proficiency of those health workers who were solely for homebase care and counselling unit for HIV/AIDS patients. "
Frederick Ofosu, Ministry of Health , Odumase-Krobo, Ghana.

"One of the most valuable recent additions to the quite scanty written materials available in the area of community mobilization. UNAIDS has included this resource package among the "key documents" recommended for use in innovative community mobilization programmes."
Noerine Kaleeba. Community Mobilization Adviser, UNAIDS.

"The process was emotionally charged - we were talking about very deep issues. This wouldn't have happened without the Stepping Stones methods. There were young women, widows, mothers with sick children, all taking part. People shared some deep experiences they had never told anyone before - it helped everyone to bond as a group."
Rudo Chikukwa, Network of Zimbabwean Positive Women.

"The girls really love doing the games and drama. Many of them are already involved in unsafe sex; now they're gaining not just knowledge, but the confidence and assertiveness to say no or let's use a condom."
Sarah Tweats, VSO teacher, Solwesi Technical Secondary School, Zambia