This report describes some models for effective community-wide cooperation in AIDS prevention and education for African American youth. Since 1994, the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies has hosted forums around the country to provide information to black public officials about HIV/AIDS prevention education in schools. Forums in Oakland, California; Detroit, Michigan; Memphis, Tennessee; and Durham, North Carolina made clear the complexities of providing culturally competent and effective HIV/AIDS prevention education to African American youth. This report details approaches to providing youth with HIV/AIDS prevention messages that can save their lives. Each of the four forums is briefly described as a prototype for conducting outreach to leadership groups, followed by a description of the general steps undertaken to organize the forums. Other approaches that came to the attention of planners as a result of the forums are also described, as are the many and varied issues raised in conjunction with providing HIV/AIDS prevention education in local schools. The report concludes with recommendations based on both the issues and approaches addressed. Three appendixes include: HIV/AIDS and African American youth factsheets; FOCUS articles on HIV/AIDS; and evaluation forms from the Durham forum. (SM)