Staying Alive Foundation - People Who Care
February is almost synonymous with all things relating to matters of the heart. We found it fitting to highlight the Staying Alive Foundation, whose multimedia global HIV and AIDS prevention campaign challenges stigma and discrimination associated with HIV and AIDS as well as empowers young people to protect themselves from its spread. We are delighted to introduce its Executive Director, Georgia Arnold. Instrumental in establishing both the Staying Alive campaign in 1998 and the Staying Alive Foundation in 2004, Georgia is also the Senior Vice President of Social Responsibility for MTV International, where she heads the development and implementation of public affairs initiatives.
Congratulations on Staying Alive's 10-year anniversary! You've been a driving force within the campaign since you came on board in 1998. What is your vision for the Staying Alive Foundation over the next ten years?
On World AIDS Day 2008, our programming reached 98% of the top 50 countries worst affected by HIV and AIDS. In future years, we want to continue to have this reach, but want the impact to be intensified when used in smaller grassroots contexts. It's important to me that the Staying Alive campaign is not only far reaching, but also has a real impact on the ground where it matters.
I have very high hopes for the Staying Alive Foundation. The Foundation was born from the success of the campaign and has experienced a steady growth each year since it was founded in 2004. In just five years, the Foundation has awarded over 130 grants to 101 projects in 48 countries. That's over $1m of new HIV/AIDS funding that goes directly to young people working in their communities. Going forward, the SAF will also begin investing in the training of its grantees, so that a SAF grantee not only has funding but also the skills knowledge to be sustainable in future years.
The fact that the Staying Alive campaign has the power not only to educate and inform young people using its multimedia content, but also to generate funding for the people who dedicate their lives to the fighting the epidemic on the ground, makes all our efforts worthwhile.
The current generation of young people who will benefit most from HIV/AIDS and safe sex awareness messaging are all very savvy when it comes to technology and the Internet. How has Staying Alive kept up with them? And how have social networks like ThinkMTV played a new role in finding/benefiting future leaders?
Our attachment to the MTV brand ensures that our messaging reaches young people all across the globe in ways that are accessible and relevant to a young audience. Where MTV takes care of much of the campaign's reach, we also constantly look for youth brands to partner with - brands that will allow us to extend our usual reach and educate more young people.
Our website is a key component in getting our messaging across too. It acts as a live platform where youth can engage in frank and open discussions about sex and lifestyle choices, and also access information on HIV/AIDS, sexual health and sexuality.
We also acknowledge the importance of social networking in the current media landscape. We support all our Staying Alive initiatives with Facebook pages where possible, and we've recently joined the Twitter phenomena, so Twitter users can follow Staying Alive and receive regular updates on what we're up to and the content we're producing. We've got our finger on the pulse so that we're there when the next social networking trend comes along!
Based on a few of your online profiles we understand that you have strong personal convictions in the areas of peace, justice and in building healthy communities around the world. Could you tell us a bit about your journey? What were your early inspirations? How did film and television become your medium of choice? What was your call to action in the fight against HIV/AIDS?
My journey has been about being in the right place at the right time, rather than having burning convictions to have a career in this field, but now that I'm here I wouldn't want to be anywhere else!
The campaign has grown in ways I never could have imagined since it began ten years ago. It actually started off as a one-off HIV/AIDS awareness documentary produced in 1998, which we offered to MTV channels for World AIDS Day. The documentary had a fantastic reception, and the channels came back to me the following year asking what we were delivering for the next World AIDS Day. It's grown from there really.
As the campaign has developed, a solid group of partners have come on board, allowing for more flexibility and creativity. Their support enables us to continue producing ground breaking documentaries and more - public service announcements, websites and even events, all of which connect with young people and allow us to deliver our messaging in new and exciting ways.
What message would you like ALL young people to hear?
Knowledge is power: Protect yourself - know how to, and know why to. And know what you want: Yes or No - it's your choice.
