AMA-MSS Guide to Organizing a World AIDS Day Event

MSS Guide to Organizing a World AIDS Day Event

What’s inside?

Instructions for Organizing your Event Pages 2-6 • Objectives • Materials • Event overview - day of the event • Step-by-step instructions and timeline • Funding sources • Follow-up

Flier Template to Promote your Event Page 7

HIV/AIDS Movies Page 8

Media Advisory Template Page 9

Media Advisory Example Page 10

Objectives

1. Educate individuals about the impact of HIV and AIDS in the global community as well as your own. 2. Provide exhibits, speakers, movie screenings, demonstrations, and/or screenings focused towards individuals in your community. 3. Organize with different organizations and healthcare providers in the community to generate goodwill 4. Generate positive publicity for those organizations and individuals who are devoting their time for the benefit of World AIDS Day. 5. Empower participants with a better understanding of the many means in which they can help with the global AIDS epidemic.

Materials

1. Laptop Computers for Possible Demonstrations and Mini-Workshops 2. Projectors to Enhance Computer or Personal Presentations 3. Materials for Featured Event – Discussion Forum, Speaker, Movie Screening 4. Fliers 5. Camera 6. Handouts – Relevant Information regarding the global AIDS epidemic

World AIDS Day Forum – Day of the Event (December 1st)

1. Opening Remarks • General introduction, including a moment of thanks, to all of the different organizations for volunteering their time and/or money. • Explain the objective of the event as stated above. • Describe the schedule for the participants. There may be many items or there may be very few but make sure that all participants know what is offered. • Provide each participant with a handout further describing all of the services offered.

2. The Event • Participation and interaction will depend on the format of the event. • Allow all of the participants to enjoy the event. Take one small moment to enjoy what you have organized. Smile!

3. Closing Remarks • Thanks should be given once again to all the participants for attending and all of the collaborators, as well as the organizations and individuals that donated their time or money for this event. • Remind all of the participants to take to heart the lessons that they have learned today and to follow-up with their local organizations to become more involved.

2 Step-By-Step and Timeline

Two Months before the event

Step One: Pick the focus of your event. Event ideas include a discussion forum on HIV/AIDS, speakers (physicians, patients with HIV, advocacy groups, and many more), workshops, movie screenings, etc....There is an incredible amount of room for creativity here. The world is your oyster.

Step Two: Compile a planning committee of between 8-10 individuals who are responsible for fundraising, publicizing the event, contacting sponsors, inviting speakers and clinicians, contacting the media, ordering food and drinks, and coordinating all follow-up activities. This committee should follow the timeline/step-by-step instructions, and make sure action steps are happening according to plan.

Step Three: Determine how big of an event you want to organize. This particular question will allow you to better plan the next steps in the process including the number of individuals that you expect to attend, the number of speakers that you need to invite, and the financial support necessary to make this event possible.

Step Four: Choosing the date of the event is easy. December 1st is World AIDS Day. Since you know the date of the event, you will have a wonderful opportunity to schedule the event as early as possible in your school calendar. Remember not to schedule the event at the same time as any other major events in the community.

Step Five: Choose one individual from the planning committee to be the point person involved in contacting all of the perceived collaborators in this project. This will include the medical school, public health department, state or county medical society, and the local hospitals. Seek their advice on particular organizations, including local businesses that may be willing to donate either money or resources.

Step Six: Choose one individual from the planning committee to be the point person involved in contacting local businesses, community groups, and even individual community or business leaders for donations of money or resources. One great way for the companies to assist is by promoting the event to their customers. For example, health food shops can donate food or printing companies can donate paper for posters and signs. In return for their support, give the sponsors public recognition through your publicity efforts.

Step Seven: Choose one individual from the planning committee to be the point person involved in contacting the media. Determine how many total media hits that you want for your event to have as well as the types of media that you want to focus on. Send out a media advisory/press release for your event. (See media advisory template and example.) You can find your local media contact info by clicking on http://capwiz.com/ama/home/, entering your ZIP code in "Media Guide," and then clicking on the media organization of choice for website/address/email/phone/fax information.

3 Step-By-Step and Timeline (cont.)

Step Eight: Choose one individual from the planning committee to be the point person involved in finding potential exhibits for the event. Approach health care providers, local or state health departments, community groups, and libraries to ask if they have information and resources on HIV. National organizations (e.g. CDC) may also be able to provide materials to distribute.

Step Nine: Choose one individual from the planning committee responsible for finding as many potential audience members as possible. Student groups, schools, community service organizations, church groups, senior citizens groups, and advocacy groups might be of use.

Step Ten Choose and reserve a location—school gyms, large classrooms, banquet rooms, or hospital convention rooms may all be especially nice venues in the winter while school parking lots and parks would be more ideal during warm weather.

Step Eleven: Inquire about all of the legal/school policy issues that may be involved in holding an event of this nature. Ensure that an individual will be responsible for obeying school protocol.

Step Twelve: Design fliers and posters that not only inform people about the event but also motivate them to come.

Step Thirteen: Plan for food (snacks, drinks, catered meals).

One month before the event

Step Fourteen: Finalize the amount of individuals that you expect to come to the event and the number of volunteers, sponsors, and exhibits that you will have. Do everything you can to obtain as many sponsors, exhibits, etc . . . Having more individuals than you need is a problem that you can afford to have.

Step Fifteen: Hang fliers or posters in stores, libraries, banks, restaurants, childcare centers, clinics, hospitals, physicians’ offices, and churches. Place them in as many places in the city as possible.

Step Sixteen: Prepare press releases and advertisements for local newspapers and public service announcements.

Step Seventeen: Invite the Media to the Event.

Step Eighteen: Begin to plan the structure and organization of the actual event. Visit the venue and determine where would be the best place for exhibits and speakers.

4 Step-By-Step and Timeline (Continued)

Step Nineteen: Finalize all logistic issues. This includes the location, food, security, legal issues, permits, and transportation.

One week before the event

Step Twenty: Confirm the attendance of every organization, volunteers, exhibitor, media member that you have been in contact with for the last two months.

Step Twenty-One: Make one final flier run, hitting every location and more that you can think of publicizing the event.

Step Twenty-Two: Hold a press conference to promote the event. Not necessary but this will generate some buzz.

Step Twenty-Three: Further finalize all logistic issues. This includes the location, food, security, and school policy issues.

Step Twenty-Four: Finalize the structure and organization of the actual event. Know where each exhibitor or sponsor sign will be placed and have all the supplies that they need from you ready.

After the event

Step Twenty-Five: Evaluate the success and failures of this event. What are ways that you can improve the fair in subsequent years?

5 Funding Sources

• AMA Chapter Involvement Grants: www.ama-assn.org/go/cig • School Funding Sources: Contact your student council, Office of Enrichment Programs, and your Dean for Student Affairs for school-based funding information • State Medical Society: Contact your State Medical Society about funding support. Your school’s Section on Medical Schools faculty representative can be a valuable resource. Contact this person and ask how they may help put you in touch with your state medical society. • Community Grants: Community-based grants can also be a valuable resource: visit www.fundsnetservices.com/ for more information.

Follow-up

• After the event, send thank you notes to each organization or individual that donated time/money:

Dear [Donor], On behalf of the [SCHOOL] AMA Chapter, I would like to thank you for all of your help in making the Community Health Fair such an incredible success. We appreciate your time/money, and thank you for giving a piece of yourself to this community. We hope that you continue to work with this organization in the future. Sincerely, [YOUR NAME] [YOUR ROLE] of [SCHOOL] AMA Chapter

• Report the number of attendees, what went smoothly and what could be improved, send pictures, and also tell us what additional steps your chapter will take by e-mailing:

[email protected]

Additional resources

• World AIDS Day Campaign: www.worldaidscampaign.org/

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: www.cdc.gov/hiv/

• World Health Organization: www.who.int/hiv/en/

• Your local public health department

Questions? Comments? Concerns?

If you have any questions, would like other ideas, or need help in getting these events off the ground, please do not hesitate to contact your Committee on Global Health and Policy:

www.ama-assn.org/go/cph

6 World AIDS Day Event: Movie and Discussion Forum:

Take a Moment to Fight The Global Epidemic!

DATE: [Fill In] WHERE: [Fill In]

Food will be provided!

Questions? Contact [Fill In Name of Contact]

Organized by [SCHOOL] AMA Chapter

7 Movies addressing HIV-AIDS

Philadelphia Denzel Washington and Tom Hanks bring to light the impact of the AIDS epidemic in this 1993 movie.

Time Out - The Truth about HIV / AIDS A 1992 film that introduces the problem of HIV to teens and adolescents. Some information may be dated but it still is a good intro to HIV and AIDS.

Longtime Companion A movie that concentrates exclusively on the devastating effects of AIDS on a group of middle- class gay men from the years 1981 to 1988.

A Mother's Prayer A mother diagnosed with HIV struggles with her own fears while trying to find a family to care for her eight-year-old son.

Breaking the Surface - The Greg Louganis Story The story about an Olympic athlete’s struggle with HIV.

And the Band Played On An engrossing adaptation of Randy Shilts' landmark prize-winning document on the onset of AIDS and the fevered manhunt to find the cause and cure of the HIV virus. Compelling storytelling and a remarkable performance by Modine as the head for the Centers for Disease Control facing impossible odds and heartbreaking frustrations. Hallmark for cameo appearances and political correctness it may be but stirring and revelatory nonetheless. Dare not to be moved during Elton John's "The Last Song" as images and names of the disease's victims roll during the closing credits. Directed by Roger Spottiswoode for HBO.

Life and Death on the A-list A personal document of gay actor Tom McBride and his coming to terms with his HIV positive status.

Rent A modern spin on the opera La Boheme, Rent tells the story of eight friends dealing with life and love in Manhattan's Alphabet City in 1989. Over the course of a year, the friends face poverty, drug addiction, break-ups, reconciliations, eviction, and AIDS. Despite these challenges, they find support, hope, and acceptance in each other, all the while embracing the bohemian lifestyle that was so much a part of the Lower East Side.

8 Note: An editable Microsoft Word version of this media advisory template is available at www.ama-assn.org/ama1/pub/upload/mm/15/aids-day-media.doc

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (DATE)

MEDIA ADVISORY

MEDICAL STUDENTS FROM (SCHOOL) TO HOST (PROJECT)

WHO: American Medical Association – Medical Student Section (AMA-MSS) members from (Local Chapter) Medical Students from (School)

WHEN: (Date) (Time)

WHERE: (Location: Name and Address)

WHAT: Local chapter members of the AMA-MSS (and other local medical students) from (School) hosted (Event Title) to promote World AIDS Day. The event was designed to address the issue of global AIDS by (describe event). The attendees were (description). (Describe results of project: how many people served, what services provided, etc.).

Insert quote about the project from medical school participant. Insert quote from attendee.

World AIDS Day was established in 1988 and occurs on December 1st of each year. The purpose of the Day is to build awareness, educate, counter prejudice, and lobby for increased support to address the international HIV/AIDS crisis To learn about World AIDS Day, visit www.cdc.gov/Features/WorldAIDSDay/.

###

About the American Medical Association – Medical Student Section (AMA-MSS) With nearly 50,000 members, the AMA-MSS is the largest and most influential organization of medical students in the country. The AMA-MSS is dedicated to representing medical students, improving medical education, developing leadership and promoting activism for the health of America. For more information on the AMA-MSS, please visit www.ama-assn.org/go/mss.

Media contact: (Media Contact Name) (Title/Affiliation) (Phone #)

9 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (DATE)

MEDIA ADVISORY (EXAMPLE)

MEDICAL STUDENTS FROM UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO TO HOST WORLD AIDS DAY FORUM

WHO: American Medical Association – Medical Student Section (AMA-MSS) members and other medical students from the University of Chicago

WHEN: December 1, 2010 7:00 p.m.

WHERE: Auditorium 123 456 Any Street Chicago, IL 00000

WHAT: Local chapter members of the AMA-MSS and other local medical students from University of Chicago hosted a Global AIDS Forum to promote World AIDS Day. The event was designed to address the issue of global AIDS by raising awareness among medical students of the issues facing those with HIV/AIDS. More than 200 medical students attended the forum, which featured Dr. John Doe, Professor of Clinical Medicine at University of Chicago, who spoke of his experience working with AIDS patients in Africa, and Mr. Robert Smith, Community Program Director of the Chicago AIDS Project, who spoke about his organization’s efforts to battle the domestic HIV/AIDS epidemic. Following the forum, medical students assembled medical care packages to be shipped to patients abroad suffering from HIV/AIDS.

Mr. Eric Black, a first-year medical student who attended the event, noted that, “despite all we hear about the HIV/AIDS epidemic, it really hits home to hear someone speak about the issue from personal experience.”

Ms. Sheila Brown, a fourth-year medical student who plans to pursue a residency in internal medicine and some day work with HIV-positive patients, said that she was happy that her fellow medical students had the opportunity to learn more about HIV/AIDS around the world and what they can do at the local level to help solve the problem.

###

Media contact: Ms. Dianne Reilly University of Chicago MSS Chapter President 773-555-1234, [email protected]