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from Alex Wohl, Washington, DC, for Scholastic Update. For Rara and Meredith Blank, after-school activities mean more than school clubs, team sports, and part-time jobs. That’s because Meredith, 15, and her sister Rara, 16, are volunteers at the Teen AIDS Hotline in Rockville, Maryland. The hotline provides callers with facts and counseling about AIDS.
The hotline volunteers, mainly teenagers and young adults, answer several thousand calls a month. "Some nights," Rara says, "the phones just don’t stop ringing." Most of the calls come from people in their 20s. "Most of the callers are people who think they have AIDS," Meredith says. A lot of the teenagers who call ask if you can get it from kissing. [Scientists consider this highly unlikely.]
The saddest phone calls come from people who have just discovered that they have AIDS. "The first time it happened, I was shocked," Meredith recalls. "The person was really upset and he needed somebody to talk to. He was angry too." Hotline volunteers usually refer these callers to a counseling service.
The sisters decided to work at the hotline to fulfill a community service requirement at their school. And once they started, they didn’t want to stop. Rara says, "With the hotline, you can educate yourself and everyone you come in contact with."
The two sisters’ training included a seminar about AIDS, as well as practice sessions in which volunteers ask each other possible questions. They also keep up with the most recent scientific articles on AIDS, which are available at the center. "Since we’ve been working here, I am always reminding my friends of the dangers of AIDS," Meredith says. "It’s kind of a joke among us, but it’s important to hear the advice coming from other kids your age."
Even with the warnings, Meredith and Rara say some of their friends still take chances with their health. "A lot of people just say ‘I don’t think it’s going to happen to me,’" Meredith warns. "What young people have to realize is that it’s not who you are. It’s how you choose to protect yourself."
Meredith and Rara believe they are making a difference. "This is one case where young people can help save lives," says Rara.
Adapted
from Alex Wohl, Washington, DC, for Scholastic Update.