Connections. We all have them. Whether we are connected by family, friends, or mutual interests we are all connected to each other in many different ways. Now let’s add into the mix virtual connections; which are just another way that we associate, communicate, and meet or stay in contact with people. Virtual connections have made it possible to stay in touch with friends across the globe, and educate millions of people using only ONE tool.
This one touch system is what agencies strive for in attempting to connect with their communities. HIV/AIDS prevention education has traditionally been a multi-tiered process starting with engagement, to outreach, through to referral, then to intake, continuing with an assessment, then program enrollment, and then delivery of prevention education. This complicated process has made for programmatic cracks through which individuals fall through before ever achieving the end goal of education.
New media can help us fix some of these cracks by providing education in a faster manner. Through the use of technology, HIV/AIDS prevention education programs can educate using tools that can greatly complement an agency’s already existing programs, services, and outreach efforts. Through our Tony Cox Community Fund grant, some agencies have been able to bypass the old education system and integrate new media into their HIV/AIDS prevention education campaigns.
One such agency that was able to translate media into action is Covenant House AIDS Residential and Resource Program in Charleston, West Virginia. A Tony Cox Community Fund 2007 Cycle 2 grantee, Covenant House produced a public education campaign entitled, “Lies.” The public education campaign was strongly rooted in community relations and strengthened community ties with its subsequent airings. Due to the strength of “Lies,” Covenant House experienced an increase in phone calls for general HIV information, increase in clients coming to the agency, an increase in outreach and volunteerism requests, and experienced a huge turnout at their extremely successful ‘80s Night at the Broadway, a local gay club is now a partnering organization and with which they are producing “theme nights” promoting HIV prevention on a regular basis. Covenant House’s “Lies” public education campaign won a Positively Outstanding Programming (POP) award for Outstanding Community Partnership.
Covenant House used the exposure they received from the “Lies” public education campaign and was able to translate it into true outreach success; thanks to a generous donation from Suddenlink Communications, it was aired a total of 6,578 times on 35 different cable networks. “Lies” was placed on Covenant House’s YouTube page and sent to all their community contacts, while it has been viewed 58 times, it has been emailed between agencies consistently and Covenant House sent many DVD copies of “Lies” to their non-profit partners across that state, increasing the number of people accessing Covenant House’s HIV/AIDS prevention education.
Access “Lies” on our new and improved website, www.cablepositive.org; you know you want to see it!!!
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