Scenarios from the Sahel is a community mobilisation, education and media project designed to improve the lives of those affected by HIV/AIDS, reduce the spread of the virus, and help organisations develop their capacity for effective HIV/AIDS education. This Guide is designed to help people get the most out of the Scenarios from the Sahel films by preparing well and by facilitating a screening and discussion.

The Guide contains three main sections:

• How to prepare a Scenarios film screening and discussion
  This section presents some simple steps that can be taken to prepare film screenings followed by discussion sessions, as well as some special steps to take before using the Scenarios from the Sahel films. According to Global Dialogues Trust, thorough preparation, which includes some practical research, is crucial to ensure that you get the most out of the films.
• How to carry out a Scenarios film screening and discussion
  In this part of the Guide you will find general tips on facilitating film screenings and group discussions, as well as specific ideas for showing and discussing Scenarios from the Sahel films. This section draws heavily on lessons learned from people who have already made use of the Scenarios films in the field.
• Discussion points for each individual Scenarios film.
  For each film, there is a special section that contains a series of 4 suggested discussion topics relevant to that particular film, along with facts and background information relating to some of those topics.

For each discussion topic, a couple of relevant questions have been formulated: one which pertains directly to the content of a particular film, and one that focuses attention on real-life situations. Many of those questions are designed to encourage members of the group to reflect on and discuss how HIV relates to them personally and to their community. Emphasis is placed on the active role that each group member can play in ensuring their own prevention, in helping those living with HIV today, and in becoming more involved in HIV-related efforts in their community.

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Global Dialogues Trust website on August 29 2005.