The basic method is for a question letter from the activity pack to be read and the problem to be discussed. This can happen in small single-sex groups or by individuals reflecting on their own. The pack then supplies a reply from Auntie Stella who provides expert information and suggestions on how to apply new knowledge in real life and ways to change behaviour related to the issue at hand.

The content of the letters, as well as the format and methodology used, were based on research with secondary school students, and reflect their real experiences, needs and problems. The pack consists of 33 laminated, colour-coded question and answer cards, an introduction leaflet, a Teacher’s guide, a glossary of difficult terms, and a guide to organisations in Zimbabwe who can offer help. The pack provides material for 15 sessions and there are suggestions for further types of participatory activities. Each question and answer activity card takes about 30 - 45 minutes to complete, especially if young people are working in a group and discussing the cards together.

Users can also talk more widely about the letters/questions, and present their own problems and concerns, either in their groups or by using the online bulletin board. The emphasis is on creating an informal and non-judgemental atmosphere where students can work in privacy and focus on their own experiences, knowledge and needs. The print version also gives ideas for related participatory activities that teachers and youth group leaders can use.

According to the organisers, the project followed a participatory methodology, which stresses that students should learn through discussion and through doing things themselves, rather than by having teachers push knowledge onto students. The participatory philosophy begins with the knowledge and experience of the learners, and uses various methods to provoke discussion and encourage them to action.

According to the organisers, the material has been widely used in schools in Zimbabwe, as well as in AIDS support organisations, youth centres, sports clubs, child abuse support centres, family planning centres, and church and debating clubs. Auntie Stella can be used in four ways:

1. the print version alone.
2. the print version and the website Bulletin Board.
3. the electronic version used individually.
4. the electronic version used in groups.

The aim of the Auntie Stella website is to give young people in schools and youth groups an opportunity to discuss sex, life and relationships with their peers and also get information about their concerns and problems.

The objectives of this website are to:

• encourage young people to discuss key issues related to physical and emotional aspects of adolescence, relationships, family life, etc, and to get reliable information and advice that is hard to find elsewhere;
• enable teenagers to talk to others in the region and elsewhere and share ideas, experiences and concerns, through the internet;
• create a non-authoritarian activity and an atmosphere where young people will be able to talk to each other freely and without inhibition;
• give young people information and advice that will help them to change their behaviour and make more informed decisions in their lives;
• encourage young people to express their own problems and questions, and to guide them towards further sources of information and help where they need this; and
• provide support and extra resources for schools and youth organisations.

Youth, Reproductive Health, HIV AIDS, Gender, Health.

The print version of Auntie Stella was produced by the Training and Research Support Centre (TARSC) in 1997 after extensive work with over 200 school-going youth in Zimbabwe. TARSC is a Zimbabwean non-profit organisation which provides training, research and support services for non-governmental and civic bodies. Using participatory approaches throughout, TARSC developed an activity pack in which both the content and format reflects the views and experiences of young people.

The Auntie Stella pack has also been widely used with out-of-school youth in AIDS support organisations, youth and sports clubs, family planning centres, church and debating clubs and a child abuse support centre. The electronic version was produced with assistance from World Links Organization. World Links, a jointly sponsored programme between the World Links Organization and World Bank's World Links for Development Programme (WorLD) provides and promotes access to and training in information and communications technology in the service of education in developing countries.