Post by Sara Eftekhar
From November. 22 to December. 02, the UBC campus will host its annual week-long series of events to build bridges between local and global communities in order to help educate the UBC and wider Vancouver community about the HIV/AIDS pandemic. This year the World AIDS Day Campaign planning committee comprises of eleven different groups on campus; these groups are all contributing to making this year’s initiative a success ! These diverse student groups have all united to prove that HIV/AIDS is not just a global matter, but a local one affecting people in our own communities.
One of the Planning Committee Co-Coordinators of UBC World AIDS Week, Ejemen Iyayi (4th year UBC Sociology undergraduate student) says “The UBC World AIDS Day Campaign team has connected diverse branches of the UBC community in order to collectively create change.”
They have outlined three purposes for the week which are:
- to raise awareness among the student body about the reality of HIV/AIDS and its impact on individuals and communities (including a focus on promoting safe sexual practices and HIV/AIDS testing for the UBC population)
- to strengthen student advocacy by highlighting different ways to get involved, be it through research, community education or advocacy;
- to fundraise for both local and global organizations including:
- Dignitas International (http://www.dignitasinternational.org/)
- Little Travellers & the Hillcrest AIDS Centre (http://www.littletravellers.net/)
- Dr. Peter AIDS Foundation (http://www.drpeter.org/)
- Oxfam Canada (http://www.oxfam.ca/)
“Learning about an issue can happen through participation in different avenues and so we hope that the events this year will provide opportunities for many to learn about and get engaged in dialogue surrounding HIV/AIDS.” Says Kulveer Parhar, the other Planning Committee Co-Coordinators of World AIDS week and a 1st year UBC medical student.
All students are encouraged to participate in UBC World AIDS Week events as the activities cater and attract all interests and faculties. The events organized range from creating art to movie screenings, to a Run, Walk or Bikeathon for HIV/AIDS awareness. These diverse events prove that HIV/AIDS is not only a medical disease, but requires the approach and support of people from all disciplines.
The organizers hope that all UBC students will show support for the millions worldwide affected by HIV through the Word AIDS Day 2010 campaign.
For a detailed list of events and for more information about UBC World AIDS week, visit: http://ubcwaw2010.tumblr.com/