HIV ‘viral’ video aims to capture Chicago teens’ attention
by Anna Swindle, Medill Reports | original link

Beyondmedia Education, Howard Brown Health Center and About Face Youth Theatre teamed up to create a 20-minute video about HIV aimed at Chicago teens.

With personal accounts from affected teens themselves, a new HIV/AIDS education video will begin making the rounds in Chicago Public Schools this fall.

"Instead of letting the authorities have the voice, we give the camera to the folks most affected," said Simon Fisher, distribution coordinator with Beyondmedia Education in Chicago. "It's sort of a combination sex ed video, the science behind AIDS and also is a way to dispel fears."

Teens are notorious for tuning out authority figures when it comes to advice and prevention. That's why when Beyondmedia Education, Howard Brown Health Center and About Face Youth Theatre teamed up to create a 20-minute video called "HIV: Hey, It's Viral!" they let youth be the stars.

The video isn't coming a moment too soon, said Jessica Dubuar, a youth case manager at the Howard Brown Health Center in Chicago. HIV/AIDS has become a much more manageable disease. Although this is largely positive it also creates some misconceptions, she said.

"I think it becomes a joke," Dubuar said. "I think there are messages out there that convey it as a manageable disease like diabetes."

The numbers seem far from manageable, though. Currently, 20 percent of Illinoisans with HIV/AIDS are under the age of 24, and this age group makes up almost half of new HIV/AIDS diagnoses.

In an attempt to bring more information to teens in school, Fisher and others worked with Chicago Public Schools to ensure the content met the school system's standards. Making sure the video could be shown to students was one of the producers' main goals, he said.

"You can have a video, but you have to make sure it gets used throughout the school, not just in health class but to bring HIV/AIDS into the radar of public knowledge," he said. "This is a great tool for communicating, but many groups struggle with what's allowed to be shown to youth."

The cooperation paid off, and Chicago Public Schools plan to show "HIV: Hey, It's Viral!" beginning in September 2009. The idea for the film began about two years ago and the final product will be released for screenings beginning May 20.

HIV/AIDS education has to improve in order to decrease the growing number of affected youth, said Fisher. Judging by the statistics, teens obviously aren't getting the information they need to protect themselves.

"Abstinence-only education has been horrendous for teens in the U.S.," Fisher said. "There's no reason why HIV and AIDS should be increasing among a teen population."

Dubuar supports the collaborative video and agrees that sex education in general is lacking in the school system. With teens, who are just discovering their sexuality and beginning to form habits, she said HIV/AIDS education is crucial.

"There's such a stigma about talking about sex in school," Dubuar said. "Let's be real: we're talking about adolescents here. If you tell them not to do it, they'll probably just try it sooner."

In addition to the film, the "HIV: Hey, It's Viral" project includes a Web site, programming and performances. The group aims to help teens feel empowered and informed and able to make healthy - and individual - choices.

"In abstinence-only education, you're not even given the possibility to decide for yourself," Fisher said. "We want teenagers to know their choices and how to be safe about them."

Watch the preview of HIV: Hey, It's Viral on Vimeo.

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