MTV and the
Kaiser Family Foundation are teaming to create "think
HIV," a multiplatform interactive community for
people under age 25, all of whom have never known a
time when AIDS didn't exist. The campaign, supported
by the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS
Directors, iFilm, and WebMD, is aimed at fostering
dialogue and active engagement on HIV-related topics,
particularly given that the United Nations now says
half of new HIV infections worldwide occur among those under
age 25.
"The MTV
audience has never known a day without HIV, and young people
around the world are at the center of the epidemic," said
Brian Graden, president of entertainment for MTVN
Music Group. "We have a long history of educating and
empowering our audience on this issue, and while
progress has been made, there is still work to be done.
'Think HIV' will offer our viewers a
new, interactive, and safe place to learn about and
fight it."
The program will
include: "think HIV Online Community," an
Internet site containing photos, videos, message
boards, blogs, and HIV information and resources that
will launch on August 18; "Alive at 25," a
national HIV video blogging--or
"vlogging"--competition; and "think HIV
Documentary," a project in which young people will create a
documentary film that focuses on how their generation has
been impacted by HIV. The half-hour film will air on
MTV on August 18.
The "think
HIV" campaign builds on MTV and Kaiser's
decade-long partnership to help raise awareness of
sexual health among young people. To date the
partnership has drawn more than 100 million television
viewers to its documentaries, received 1.2 million calls to
its toll-free hot line at (888) BE-SAFE-1, and
distributed more than 450,000 educational guides to
young people.
For more
information about the "think HIV" campaign, go
online to https://think.mtv.com. (The
Advocate)
