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Los Angeles Hub
Los Angeles
The Art and Global Health Center at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), is serving as the North American hub for the Where is the Money campaign. Working closely with UCLA student activists, the Art and Global Health Center has created multimedia advocacy materials designed to raise awareness and goad communities and individuals into action to secure money for HIV and AIDS. Materials include posters, infographics, web materials, and short films.
The Art and Global Health Center debuted these materials on World AIDS Day, 2010, in an evening of activist entertainment titled 48 Hours to Action: Show Me. The show featured short vignettes covering a range of issues from condom use, to self-esteem, to declining funding for HIV programs, using diverse art forms such as dance, singing, and spoken word/poetry. On display throughout the night were arts-activist campaigns for various different countries designed by UCLA student activists. The following describes their work, separated by country.
United States
Student art activists created a set of materials for use in educating the general public and inciting action towards increasing funding of HIV programs in California. This campaign is especially important now, as the government of California seems to believe that HIV is an issue of the past. Governor Schwarzenegger, before leaving office in 2011, cut more than $50 million in AIDS prevention program funding for the state. UCLA student activists have responded to this crisis in two ways. In an effort to assess the impact of these budget cuts on programs on the ground, they have donated money to an LA-based AIDS organization called The OASIS Clinic. They will follow the organization’s use of this money, noting how the recent budget cuts have affected cities, communities, and individuals in need of education and health care. They have also created posters drawing direct links between Schwarzenegger and the AIDS epidemic in California (click here to download poster files). Through these activities, they demonstrate that no one is immune from the impact of HIV.
Mexico
Student arts activists created campaign materials addressing funding of HIV programs as compared with the Mexican drug war. The students found a huge discrepancy between national funding to fight the drug war and funding for AIDS prevention and treatment. Their advocacy flier highlights the differential and asks the question, What is the price of a life? (Click here to download the flier, in English and in Spanish.) The flier was distributed at UCLA on December 1, 2010 and through Spanish-language AIDS organizations in Los Angeles during the month of December 2010.
Barbados
UCLA student activists researched the issue of HIV and AIDS in the Caribbean and found that parents are often hesitant to discuss the virus with their children due to its relationship to sex. In response to this, the students created a children’s book that addresses HIV in the Caribbean (click here to download a PDF of the book). They intend for the book to be a seed of activism, planted in the minds of the next generation of protesters, politicians, teachers, and everyday people. In the short term, this book will inspire children everywhere to encourage their parents to act against further spread of the virus.
Ukraine
According to UNAIDS, 54 new Ukrainians are infected with HIV each day. Needle sharing is one of the leading causes of HIV infection in Ukraine, and many drug users are unaware of their HIV status. This leads means they often pass the disease to their partner through unprotected sex. Student activists at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) developed a poster campaign to raise awareness of the epidemic in Ukraine. Despite having the highest HIV prevalence of any European country, Ukraine still lacks sufficient resources for HIV treatment and prevention programs. As such, the UCLA activist student group sought to educate Ukrainians about their risks and to urge the Ukrainian government to provide more funding for HIV and AIDS. Their four-poster series expands on the slogan "Where Is the Money for HIV and AIDS," bringing attention to the unique needs of the Ukrainian population. This poster campaign (available for download here) could ideally be used in public locations such as subways, billboards, and health clinics.
Malawi
The Art and Global Health Center is currently developing an activist-theater project to be based at Chancellor College, in Zomba, Malawi. This project, directed by UCLA graduate Dr. Galia Boneh, will bring together college students and HIV-positive community members to create a performance dealing with themes of HIV and AIDS, stigma, and human rights. This new incarnation is based on a previous performance project directed by Dr. Boneh called This Is My Story.
A group of student arts activists at UCLA have used online social networking to connect with the participants from This Is My Story, creating a Facebook group titled “Show Us the Money for HIV/AIDS: Malawi.” The intention of the group is to instigate discussion and conversation between students in the United States and in Malawi about current HIV and AIDS spending. The hope is that these conversations will instigate critical thinking that could fuel action against corruption. The student group has also created a poster series, which is available for download here (link to download of materials).
South Africa
Working closely with the Networking HIV/AIDS Community of South Africa (NACOSA), a group of UCLA student activists created arts-based materials to address the HIV epidemic and treatment availability in South Africa. They produced a short film—a fabricated newscast, inspired by the political satire group The Yes Men. To see the film, follow this link (link to film). The student activists have also created a protest poster-series to be used by NACOSA, with text that can be adapted for various occasions. These protest posters can be used at rallies or as advertisements unifying the network organizations. To download PDFs of the posters, click here (link to download of posters).
India
UCLA student activists are working to understand the female condom as a tool of women’s empowerment in India. They have created a 3-poster series and a dance-music-spoken word performance to make their point that women need to be free to make their own sexual choices. (Click here to download the posters).
Thailand
Thailand is often touted as country with a model AIDS response. As such, the government should be lauded, while simultaneously being goaded to direct AIDS funding to populations in need. To do this, the UCLA student activist group created two posters, one that congratulates the government and highlights their past successes, and another that accents what still needs to be done (to download the posters, click here). Each poster bears the image of a past or present prime minister of Thailand, either Anand Pamyarachun, who allocated large sums of money for HIV and AIDS awareness campaigns during the 1990's, or the current Prime Minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva. The posters implore Prime Minister Vejjajiva to continue funding these vital programs, and to prioritize prevention and treatment programs targeting high-risk populations such as men who have sex with men.
Links to videos
IT ONLY TAKES A MINUTE - UNITED STATES
IT ONLY TAKES A MINUTE - INTERNATIONAL
Los Angeles
The Art and Global Health Center at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), is serving as the North American hub for the Where is the Money campaign. Working closely with UCLA student activists, the Art and Global Health Center has created multimedia advocacy materials designed to raise awareness and goad communities and individuals into action to secure money for HIV and AIDS. Materials include posters, infographics, web materials, and short films.
The Art and Global Health Center debuted these materials on World AIDS Day, 2010, in an evening of activist entertainment titled 48 Hours to Action: Show Me. The show featured short vignettes covering a range of issues from condom use, to self-esteem, to declining funding for HIV programs, using diverse art forms such as dance, singing, and spoken word/poetry. On display throughout the night were arts-activist campaigns for various different countries designed by UCLA student activists. The following describes their work, separated by country.
United States
Student art activists created a set of materials for use in educating the general public and inciting action towards increasing funding of HIV programs in California. This campaign is especially important now, as the government of California seems to believe that HIV is an issue of the past. Governor Schwarzenegger, before leaving office in 2011, cut more than $50 million in AIDS prevention program funding for the state. UCLA student activists have responded to this crisis in two ways. In an effort to assess the impact of these budget cuts on programs on the ground, they have donated money to an LA-based AIDS organization called The OASIS Clinic. They will follow the organization’s use of this money, noting how the recent budget cuts have affected cities, communities, and individuals in need of education and health care. They have also created posters drawing direct links between Schwarzenegger and the AIDS epidemic in California (click here to download poster files). Through these activities, they demonstrate that no one is immune from the impact of HIV.
Mexico
Student arts activists created campaign materials addressing funding of HIV programs as compared with the Mexican drug war. The students found a huge discrepancy between national funding to fight the drug war and funding for AIDS prevention and treatment. Their advocacy flier highlights the differential and asks the question, What is the price of a life? (Click here to download the flier, in English and in Spanish.) The flier was distributed at UCLA on December 1, 2010 and through Spanish-language AIDS organizations in Los Angeles during the month of December 2010.
Barbados
UCLA student activists researched the issue of HIV and AIDS in the Caribbean and found that parents are often hesitant to discuss the virus with their children due to its relationship to sex. In response to this, the students created a children’s book that addresses HIV in the Caribbean (click here to download a PDF of the book). They intend for the book to be a seed of activism, planted in the minds of the next generation of protesters, politicians, teachers, and everyday people. In the short term, this book will inspire children everywhere to encourage their parents to act against further spread of the virus.
Ukraine
According to UNAIDS, 54 new Ukrainians are infected with HIV each day. Needle sharing is one of the leading causes of HIV infection in Ukraine, and many drug users are unaware of their HIV status. This leads means they often pass the disease to their partner through unprotected sex. Student activists at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) developed a poster campaign to raise awareness of the epidemic in Ukraine. Despite having the highest HIV prevalence of any European country, Ukraine still lacks sufficient resources for HIV treatment and prevention programs. As such, the UCLA activist student group sought to educate Ukrainians about their risks and to urge the Ukrainian government to provide more funding for HIV and AIDS. Their four-poster series expands on the slogan "Where Is the Money for HIV and AIDS," bringing attention to the unique needs of the Ukrainian population. This poster campaign (available for download here) could ideally be used in public locations such as subways, billboards, and health clinics.
Malawi
The Art and Global Health Center is currently developing an activist-theater project to be based at Chancellor College, in Zomba, Malawi. This project, directed by UCLA graduate Dr. Galia Boneh, will bring together college students and HIV-positive community members to create a performance dealing with themes of HIV and AIDS, stigma, and human rights. This new incarnation is based on a previous performance project directed by Dr. Boneh called This Is My Story.
A group of student arts activists at UCLA have used online social networking to connect with the participants from This Is My Story, creating a Facebook group titled “Show Us the Money for HIV/AIDS: Malawi.” The intention of the group is to instigate discussion and conversation between students in the United States and in Malawi about current HIV and AIDS spending. The hope is that these conversations will instigate critical thinking that could fuel action against corruption. The student group has also created a poster series, which is available for download here (link to download of materials).
South Africa
Working closely with the Networking HIV/AIDS Community of South Africa (NACOSA), a group of UCLA student activists created arts-based materials to address the HIV epidemic and treatment availability in South Africa. They produced a short film—a fabricated newscast, inspired by the political satire group The Yes Men. To see the film, follow this link (link to film). The student activists have also created a protest poster-series to be used by NACOSA, with text that can be adapted for various occasions. These protest posters can be used at rallies or as advertisements unifying the network organizations. To download PDFs of the posters, click here (link to download of posters).
India
UCLA student activists are working to understand the female condom as a tool of women’s empowerment in India. They have created a 3-poster series and a dance-music-spoken word performance to make their point that women need to be free to make their own sexual choices. (Click here to download the posters).
Thailand
Thailand is often touted as country with a model AIDS response. As such, the government should be lauded, while simultaneously being goaded to direct AIDS funding to populations in need. To do this, the UCLA student activist group created two posters, one that congratulates the government and highlights their past successes, and another that accents what still needs to be done (to download the posters, click here). Each poster bears the image of a past or present prime minister of Thailand, either Anand Pamyarachun, who allocated large sums of money for HIV and AIDS awareness campaigns during the 1990's, or the current Prime Minister, Abhisit Vejjajiva. The posters implore Prime Minister Vejjajiva to continue funding these vital programs, and to prioritize prevention and treatment programs targeting high-risk populations such as men who have sex with men.
Links to videos
IT ONLY TAKES A MINUTE - UNITED STATES
IT ONLY TAKES A MINUTE - INTERNATIONAL