[ THE SELECTION PROCESS ]

The Themba HIV/AIDS Organisation holds auditions for “actor-educators”

1. Auditions: these are not the ‘traditional’ auditions where people have to stand up and “do their stuff”! They take the form of interactive workshops over half a day. Young people aged 18 – 35 come and work with existing trained actor-educators and go through a range of games and interactive exercises. The auditions are advertised in the press and on radio, and are held in different venues in Gauteng. It is expected that the next auditions will be held in November 2006.
2. Selection workshops: young people who successfully get through the audition workshops are invited back for a whole day workshop where again the focus is on group activities. Criteria for selection are: cooperation, performance skills, “teachability” and reliability.
3. “Initial Training”: between 20 and 40 young people will be invited to join the Themba HIV/AIDS Organisation’s Initial Training. Workshops are held two days each week and cover HIV & AIDS education, performance skills and group skills. At the end of the training, participants are given a certificate and up to 20 are invited to stay with the Organisation for the next stage.
4. “Intermediate Training”: This takes the form of intensive training in peer support and education, performance skills, the ITT methodology, play devising and HIV & AIDS education. This training runs for six weeks, three days a week. Again people are awarded certificates and there is a selection process, after which those who have succeeded in all the criteria are invited to join the Themba HIV/AIDS Organisation for a further period of nine months. These people are part-time and receive allowances.

During all of this process, from the auditions through to Intermediate Training, the young people are educated in HIV awareness and prevention. It is an important tenet of the Organisation that everyone, whether successful in coming through to the next stage or not, will feel that they have:

• Learnt something about HIV and AIDS and related issues
• Learnt something about performing/acting
• Learnt something about themselves
• Enjoyed themselves

Some of the actor-educators will later join the full-time staff as trainers.

For details about the next auditions, please contact the Head Office in Johannesburg. Tel: +27 11 403 7222.

Office-based employees are recruited through traditional methods.