HIV/AIDS/STD Prevention Demonstration Projects for Historically Black Colleges and Universities and other Minority-serving Institutions

By Naima Morales Cozier, AIDS.gov Training Adviser

Naima Morales Cozier, AIDS.gov

The cultural diversity of communities of color is to be celebrated. We have overcome adversity and barriers at every turn with the hope of change. With this same determination, we face the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Communities of color disproportionately account for an alarming number of HIV/AIDS cases. As an Afro-Latina, HIV/AIDS prevention advocate, and public health professional, I am very familiar with our challenge. The statistics and numbers constantly run through my head: African Americans account for almost half the number of people living with HIV; Latino/Hispanics account for 17% of new HIV infections in the U.S. in 2006; rates for new infection among Native American/Alaskan Natives are higher than whites, though American Indians and Alaska Natives make up 1.5% of the total U.S. population. There is much work to be done.

New Media Microgrant Awardees

By Miguel Gomez, AIDS.gov Director

When we launched this blog over two years ago, we stated our commitment to learning along with you to find new and creative ways to use new media in response to HIV/AIDS. Last week, we continued to honor this commitment by making 17 microgrants to organizations that are planning for and implementing new media to respond to HIV among communities of color (funds were distributed by Team PSA and the projects will be managed by John Snow, Inc. ). We received many, many excellent project ideas from across the country — from New York to Michigan to Hawaii and Alaska.

We will be working with these organizations over the coming months to share their new media efforts and lessons learned (through guest posts here on the blog, among other things). We just held a conference call to introduce them to each other and and we'd also like to introduce them, and their projects, to you:

Organizations Serving Youth of Color: Using New Media to Enhance Programs

Guest post by Urooj Arshad, Advocates for Youth

Urooj Arshad, Advocates for Youth

Last month we had the pleasure of speaking at the Advocates for Youth roundtable in Washington, DC for its Youth of Color Initiative (funded through the CDC's Division of Adolescent School Health). The participants were grantees who receive seed grants and capacity building services.We asked Urooj Arshad, Program Manager for the Youth of Color Initiative at Advocates for Youth, to tell us more about the roundtable and how their grantees are using new media to reach youth of color. Here is what she had to say:

This roundtable provided an opportunity for the grantees to share lessons learned as well as strategies for developing and implementing culturally appropriate HIV prevention interventions for young African American/Black and Latina/Hispanic women. Some of the skills-based sessions included: mobilizing youth of color using new media strategies; organizational development; science-based programs; and working with gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth.

Organizations funded through the Youth of Color Initiative occupy a wide spectrum of geographic, infrastructural and programmatic diversity.

New Avenues for Expression and Engagement with Youth around Sexual Health Information

By Josie Halpern-Finnerty

The Internet Sexuality Information Services, Inc. (ISIS) hosts an annual conference on using technology to increase access to sexual health information among youth — and Sex::Tech is less than two weeks away! As ISIS' Margaret Lucas told us, "Sex::Tech brings together leaders in the fields of STD/HIV prevention, education, unplanned pregnancy prevention, government and technology to explore ways new media can improve young people's access to sexual health information. These pioneers will lead discussions on ways to harness the Internet, social networks and mobile technologies to advance sexual health. The Sex::Tech 2010 program includes successes, innovations, technology intensives and expert insights, in addition to providing a platform to showcase youth-led advocacy."

Sex::Tech: Using Technology to Reach Youth with HIV and Sexual Health Information

This week's post is by Jennie Anderson and Josie Halpern-Finnerty, AIDS.gov.

Last week at ISIS, Inc.'s Sex::Tech conference , we heard from leading voices in the field that we need to engage with our young audiences and use the tools they use to provide HIV and sexual health information.

As ISIS Executive Director Deb Levine said in her opening remarks, we must focus on being accessible, effective, relevant, innovative (in both our work and how we evaluate it), and ready to engage our communities in our work. A talented group of young African American students powerfully demonstrated this message in an interactive theater piece, BuckWorld One , which dealt with some of the factors affecting the choices young people make about sexual health.