of the topics addressed yesterday during a two hour teen forum at the Bermuda Industrial Union's Dr. E.F. Gordon Memorial Hall.

More than two hundred students from four secondary schools -- Whitney Institute, Sandys Secondary, Warwick Secondary and Warwick Academy -- packed the room.

After a 28-minute film entitled "Don't Forget Sherrie'', there was an open discussion moderated by nurse Gaylia Landry and Power 95 deejay Sherri J (Sherry Symons).

The forum is just one of a series of events held this week to commemorate World AIDS Day on December 1. This year's theme is AIDS in the Family and there are a full week of activities planned.

Two more teen forums are planned for tomorrow and Friday.

More than 20 students raised their hands when asked if they would take an HIV test if they were made available for teens.

Others came out strongly in favour of mandatory HIV testing although there was some worry about the level of confidentiality given Bermuda's small size.

But Ms Landry explained the blood sample is drawn at a clinic after a counselling session and the individual's privacy would be protected.

The test is also done again six months later.

"If you go to a doctor you can request anonymity,'' she said. "But if you go to the hospital they place your name on the sample and hundreds of people will see it.'' The issue that brought the strongest response from the teens was the issue of condoms and their use.

One female teen said boys generally were too proud to ask someone for help if they did not know how to wear a condom.

Consequently, they never learn how to use a it properly.

"Boys are so stupid,'' she said. "They think it is wrong to go and ask somebody how to use it properly.'' Jason Trott of Warwick Secondary explained that for many guys there is strong pressure to have sex because the messages are everywhere.

"I feel the pressure to have sex is so great,'' he said. "On television everybody is doing it so you feel the pressure to know what to do.

"Everybody is proud and they don't want to admit that they don't know.'' Atlanta-based AIDS activist Mrs. Debbie Thomas, who is living with HIV, said the days of the one-night stand are over and teens must learn not to base their choice of sexual partner on looks alone.

"Are you going to put your whole life on the line for 30 minutes of excitement?'' she asked.

"Your decision to have that one night stand could effect the rest of your life because your partner may have left you with a few `gifts' like HIV or herpes,'' she said.

Ms Thomas advised teens to wait until they were involved in a monogamous relationship with someone they were sure about and then get tested before they engaged in sexual activity.

"If you can't talk about it you are not ready to have sex with that person.

It's okay to say no. Learn to respect yourself. You will show it by your willingness to protect yourself.'' Whitney Institute fourth former Lornell Taylor, 15, said she found the forum informative.

"I found it interesting to learn about the number of people worldwide who have this disease,'' she said. "But what we teens need is more education and more information because teens end up catching things like crabs.''