DANCE FOR HOPE, DANCE TO THE LIGHT: HIV Prevention for the Youth
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| Santolan High School won the Grand prize of DANCE FOR HOPE, DANCE TO THE LIGHT Competion held last January 28, 2017. |
Project
Brief FOR OUR MEDIA PARTNERS:
The Philippines is in the midst of a
concentrated epidemic. The rise in new HIV cases is alarming! The total new cases from January 1, 2016 to October 31, 2016 alone was
7,756 or an average of 26 new cases per day1. In June 2016, therewere 841 new HIV antibody
sero-positive individuals. This was 16% higher compared to the same period last
year. Most (96%) were male. The median
age was 27 years old (age range:1 year-66 years). More than half belong to the
25-34 year age group while 226 (27%)
were youth aged 15-24 years. Among the 15-24 age group, most (94%) were
male. Ninety-nine percent (215) were infected through sexual contact (26
male-female sex, 118 male-male sex, 71 sex with both males & females) and 3
(1%) through needle sharing among IDU2. The report also noted that
the age group with the biggest proportion of cases has become younger: from 2001 to 2005, it was 35-49 years; from 2006
to 2010, it was 25-34 years; and from 2011 to 2016, it was 20-29 years. Notably,
the proportion of people living
with HIV (PLHIV) in the 15-24 year age group increased from 25% in 2006-2010 to
28% in 2011-2016.
Thus the HIV/AIDS problem
continues to rampage in our country, infecting mostly young males. It causes
devastation among those whose lives are infected and affected. Despite the
availability of HIV testing for earlier diagnosis and very effective
antiretroviral drugs to suppress the disease, this epidemic continues.
Systematic reviews on
interventions to prevent HIV in other countries have shown that school-based
approaches were efficacious3,4,5,6,7 and cost-effective8
and were seen to produce the largest impact in changing HIV-related behaviors.
Thus interventions targeted to
address lack of access to relevant health information among young individuals
during the period of highest risk may provide potential solutions to the
problem here in the Philippines.
Targeting youth while in school is a strategy with high feasibility
potential of providing a feasible mechanism for the wide systematic
implementation in the future.
In
response, The Medical City, through its I-REACT Clinic and Support Group, in
collaboration with the Pasig City Government- in the true spirit of Private
Public Partnership, has launched the project entitled DANCE FOR HOPE, DANCE TO
THE LIGHT. This is a evidence-based from
various researches9-17, multi-strategy
campaign to prevent HIV/AIDS among our youth. This campaign includes a school-based
information caravan to over 12,000 Grade 10 students of Pasig City and will
culminate in an interschool dance competition using black light theater with HIV
Prevention as theme.
The most-awaited DANCE FOR HOPE, DANCE TO
THE LIGHT event will be on January
28, 2017 at the Augusto Barcelon Auditorium of The Medical CIty where
student teams from several schools of Pasig City will showcase their creative
interpretative dance presentations of the theme: Preventing HIV/AIDS: Saving Lives through a Caring Community.
Proudly,
we claim that this PPP initiative is the first of its kind for HIV prevention
in youth here in the Philippines and hopes to create impact among our youth.
Their future is our future!
HIV AND AIDS AFFECTS ALL OF US. BE INVOLVED.
BE OUR PARTNER IN THIS PREVENTION CAMPAIGN.
The time for action is NOW!
FAQs:
WHAT IS DANCE FOR HOPE, DANCE TO THE LIGHT?
“Dance
for Hope, Dance to the Light” is the 2nd phase and the grand
culminating activity of the special project on HIV-AIDS Prevention and
Awareness produced and supported by The Medical City Ortigas (TMC). It was
co-conceptualized with the IREACT Support Group under the supervision of the
IREACT treatment hub of The Medical City and Center for Patient Partnership.
The project is in partnership with the Pasig City Government and the Department
of Education.
WHAT ARE THE PROJECT GOALS & OBJECTIVES?
The
HIV-AIDS Prevention and Awareness project of TMC has two main goals:
1.
To properly educate high school students on
HIV-AIDS’s various means of prevention, and
2.
To spread a mass awareness and hope about
HIV-AIDS among the Filipino youth and their families in Pasig City as well as
immediate communities through highly critical and creative performances by
Filipino students in the grand culminating event called “Dance for Hope, Dance
to the Light”.
The
objectives of the culminating activity, Dance for Hope, Dance to the Light are:
1.
To involve high school students of Pasig City to
create artistic and highly competitive performative works inspired to inform
the general public about the HIV-AIDS epidemic in the Philippines as evidence
of their learning
2.
To create a safe, healthy and artistically fun
platform that brings together students of different schools in Pasig City,
their families, as well as supporters and medical advocates to interact and
discuss about HIV-AIDS
3.
To introduce potential PLHIVs patients and
families of the benefits of early/voluntary testing and medical treatments
available concerning HIV-AIDS
WHY IS THIS PROJECT SIGNIFICANT?
More
information campaign and better understanding of the HIV illness for our youth
is clearly an urgent need.
Through
this HIV-AIDS Prevention and Awareness project, institutions in the field of
government (City of Pasig), medicine (The Medical City), and education
(Department of Ed and Pasig public and private schools) can work together to
properly send the message of HIV-AIDS Prevention and Awareness across the
community especially to students and parents. It is the hope and vision of the
performance event to not only spread awareness and prevention of HIV-AIDs, but
especially to decrease (if not eliminate) the stigma and discrimination that
goes with the disease. “Dance for Hope, Dance to the Light” aims to be a tool
to educate, express, remind, and instill hope in the future in the fight
against HIV-AIDS.
WHO CAN PARTICIPATE IN DANCE FOR HOPE,
DANCE TO THE LIGHT?
The
competition is open to Grade 10 students of public and private secondary
schools in Pasig City. These students are estimated to be 16 years of age,
which is the middle stage of puberty. It is also in this grade level’s
curriculum that the topic on “Prevention and Control of Diseases and Disorders”
is introduced.
Participants
should have attended the seminar/learning caravan sessions on HIV-AIDS given by
Kalusugang Patrol with the TMC doctors prior to joining the competition.
Failure to attend these sessions disqualifies the group and participants from joining
the competition.
WHAT IS THE THEME OF DANCE OF HOPE, DANCE
TO THE LIGHT?
The
performance shall focus on the theme “HIV-AIDS: Saving lives through a caring
community”. In exploring the theme, groups should ponder on questions like:
·
How are lives affected by HIV-AIDS? (Paanong naaapekto ng HIV-AIDS ang buhay ng
mga tao?)
·
How can HIV-AIDS and its spread be prevented in
the communities? (Paanong maiiwasan ang
pagkahawa at paglaganap ng HIV-AIDS sa mga komunidad?)
·
How does one instill HOPE for people and
families affected by HIV-AIDS? (Paano
maipalaganap ang PAG-ASA para sa mga tao at pamilyang apektado ng HIV-AIDS?)
WHAT IS BLACK LIGHT THEATRE?
Black
Light theatre is a dance performance that uses Ultraviolet (UV) light as a mode
of illumination. The costumes and props primarily use neon and fluorescent
colors for them to be seen in a blacklight environment. Colors that work best
in such an environment are white, orange, bright yellows, neon green, and
purple. Other colors may be used to experiment.
WHERE CAN GROUPS LOOK FOR SAMPLE REFERENCES
OF BLACK LIGHT PERFORMANCES?
Groups
can check the following links on YouTube of sample black light performances:
WHEN WILL THE COMPETITION BE HELD?
The
performance will be staged on JANUARY 28, 2017 at 2pm. Groups should be at the
theater venue 3 hours before the start of the event. Groups maybe given limited
time to rehearse in the venue during the production week.
The
organizers of Dance for Hope, Dance to the Light reserve the right to revise or
make changes in the event mechanics as deemed necessary without prior notice to
the participants.
For any
queries and clarifications:
REGINA BERBA, MD, MSc
Director,
I-REACT HIV Treatment Hub Clinic, (Mobile 09985381599. Email rpberba@gmail.com)
(I-REACT
is I am RESPONSIBLE for EARLY ASSESSMENT COUNSELLING and TESTING)
I witnessed the competition and I could say that the four competing school did a great performance.
Sharing to Highlights of the event:
Sharing to Highlights of the event:
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| 3rd place, San Lorenzo High School |
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| 2nd place, Sagad High School |
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| 1st place, Rizal High School |
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| Grand prize, Santolan High School |
For any queries and clarifications:
REGINA BERBA, MD, MSc
Director, I-REACT HIV Treatment Hub Clinic, (Mobile 09985381599. Email rpberba@gmail.com)
(I-REACT is I am RESPONSIBLE for EARLY ASSESSMENT COUNSELLING and TESTING)
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