1In Nicaragua, HIV has been largely seen as a medical issue. This article makes the case for preventing the potential epidemic from a gender and youth perspective. Puntos de Encuentro is a mass communications NGO, which is working to challenge the stereotypes, stigma and discrimination that make HIV so prevalent in many societies. It does this through a mass communications strategy that includes a soap opera targeted mainly at young people. The article discusses why, and how, Puntos has done this work, and what its political and social implications are. It also attempts to assess whether the work has had any impact on the lives of real people, or on public opinion.