Count Me In! A New HIV Prevention Campaign
Yorkshire MESMAC is supporting a major new HIV Prevention campaign, ‘Count Me In’ urges Gay, Bisexual and men who have sex with men to sign up to a simple five-point action plan:
- I will know my HIV status.
- I will not assume I know someone else’s HIV status.
- I will take personal responsibility for using condoms.
- I will value myself and my health.
- I will stay informed about HIV and how it is spread.
Tom Doyle, Director of Yorkshire MESMAC says, ‘We believe that these 5 simple steps will contribute massively to reducing the damaging effects of HIV infection in our communities. We are also delighted that the campaign coincides with the rolling out of ‘Testing Times’, our award winning HIV testing service across North Yorkshire, Wakefield and Bradford which will give people in those areas more choice on how and when to test ’
The campaign has attempted to harness new media and social networks, so together with the traditional health promotion materials such as posters, leaflets and key rings etc., there is a heavy emphasis on online interventions and forums e.g. Website, Blog and Facebook pages.
The website can be found here: http://youcancountmein.org.uk/join-us
The blog can be found here:
http://youcancountmein.org.uk/yorkshire-and-north-east
The Facebook page can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/youcanCountMeIn
If you are a Twitter user use the hash-tag #youcancountmein on Twitter. Please use this when talking about the campaign. All tweets with the hash-tag will show up in the live stream on the homepage of the Blog.
‘It’s not only the use of social media that makes this campaign innovative’ says Tom Doyle, ‘What I particularly like is the fact that Gay and Bisexual men are not portrayed as the problem but as part of the solution to the HIV epidemic in England’.
