"Nobody ever listens to us. We participated in the contest because it finally gave us a chance to say what we think and what we feel." Female contest participant, aged 18, Senegal, at a focus-group discussion

"Scenarios gives young people the floor, recognizing that they are an integral part of society and that they must be more involved in the fight against HIV/AIDS. One way to do that is to ask them to express themselves about the disease and about today’s and tomorrow’s Africa in their words, in their tone of voice, in accordance with their sensitivities and their creative nature." Olga Kiswendsida Ouédraogo of Burkina Faso, international Scenarios contest winner in 1997 and 2000, international juror in 2008

“I think the most important role of Scenarios from Africa has been the involvement of the young people, participation of the youth.... These are young people who are sometimes seen as mere recipients of information but not generators of information. Scenarios offers the young people an opportunity to actually put their voice out there about prevention, about stigma, about care and support, about culture and some of the attitudes that lead to high-risk behavior. So it changes things. Most of the time it is adults talking to young people, but this offers young people an opportunity to present their views to each other and also to adults. So in a sense, it has greatly empowered young people to put their voice out there." Oby Obyerodhyambo, Scenarios National Coordinator in Kenya

"What I find useful here is that young people take ownership of the fight against AIDS. They acknowledge the dangers of HIV, get informed, become familiar with the risks they may be taking. The young people involved in Scenarios from Africa benefit because they improve their HIV-related knowledge and become better armed to make good choices down the line.” Thérèse Omari of the Fondation Femmes Plus, Scenarios National Coordinator in the D.R. Congo

“One aspect of Scenarios’ usefulness is that we’re validating and enhancing the standing of young people and their creativity. … It really is an opportunity for those kids to show their creativity and to place their creativity at the service of the response to HIV, as their work could be transformed later on into tools that would be made publicly available.” Dr. Fatim Louise Dia Mme Diack, Africa Consultants International, Senegal

“I experienced a sad story in my extended family in which both parents died because of AIDS, leaving behind destitute orphans. It was a difficult situation. I wanted to denounce the way people affected by HIV are treated, the way they’re humiliated and their belongings are taken away. The contest was an opportunity for me to do just that.” Male contest participant, aged 21, Burkina Faso, to external evaluator

"It allows young people to talk about HIV/AIDS with one another, and that’s very important. Scenarios from Africa is useful because it brings kids to talk about protection, infection and stigmatization. I believe that Scenarios contributes a lot to the fight against HIV among young people, encouraging them to acknowledge the seriousness of the problem, to think about their own, individual response to the pandemic, and to talk with others.” Moulaye Ismael Dicko, CESPA, Scenarios National Coordinator in Mali

"During the contest, there was an endless flood of young people coming to our documentation center to find answers to their questions about HIV/AIDS. Some of them discovered our documentation center for the first time and are making good use of it." CBO representative, Burkina Faso

“It allows people to break down taboos, allows the individual to reach deep inside and bring out things that she/he had never before expressed verbally. Writing like this helps people to break out of their silence about things in their own lives.” Eyoum Ngangue, Cameroon, Editor-in-Chief of the popular youth magazine Planète Jeunes

"The Scenarios from Africa project is very useful to us when it comes to mobilizing young people. It gives us an opportunity to talk with them, to work with them in creating stories. Mentored participation is a particularly useful method to engage them in discussion and to identify any shortcomings in knowledge or attitudes they might have." Benjamin Mbakwem, CYDI, Scenarios National Coordinator in Nigeria

“It was magical to see the communion between the PLWHA [people living with HIV/AIDS] contest mobilizers and the young participants. For some, it was perhaps the first time they had spoken with a PLWHA, and it’s as if we had put a face on HIV. Everything became real for the kids, who asked a lot of questions. The compassion was palpable." Alice Kayibanda, RAPSIDA, Rwanda

"The contest was a wonderful opportunity for synergies and for the mobilization around the fight against HIV/AIDS of hundreds of associations spread throughout Burkina, and particularly in Ouagadougou, and in Dapaong in northern Togo." Sié Offi Somé, external evaluator, Burkina Faso and Togo

“We each wrote a scenario on the same idea, and then we would bring our ideas together. Our efforts went on from December to February. We got together often to work on our story. We revised it many times, making changes bit by bit each time we reread it.” Contest participants who took part as a team, Burkina Faso, to external evaluator

“My participation in the contest allowed me to contribute to the fight, to raise awareness about AIDS. And writing my scenario also helped me to change my sexual behavior. I’ve become more careful in my relationships with girls.” Male contest participant, aged 24, Burkina Faso, to external evaluator

“I also get the impression that girls speak out a lot in this contest. ... If girls are taking the time to write – despite the fact that they have more to do around the house than boys, and despite the demands of school – that means that there’s something profound going on here. And it means that they have confidence in a process they find to be credible.” Kidi Bebey, Cameroon, Radio France Internationale