About the campaign

HIV. LIVE WITH IT. GET TESTED! is a social marketing campaign designed to help address the national crisis of HIV infection in young people. Its goal is to bring HIV-positive and at-risk adolescents into care by offering free, confidential youth-friendly counseling and testing. This year's campaign will take place in Baltimore, Los Angeles, Miami, New York and Washington, D.C.

In the face of steadily growing, startling statistics -- indicating that youth between the ages of 13 - 21 represent an estimated 25 percent of new U.S. HIV infections -- the campaign focuses on urban at-risk youth living in communities hardest hit by the AIDS epidemic. While for several years there had been a downward trend in new infections among gay white men, infection rates among youth of color -- particularly young women and young gay men -- continue to rise. Youth of color are disproportionately affected -- with almost two-thirds of new infections occurring among African Americans and latinos. Of particular concern is that young people living in urban centers, while hardest hit, are less likely to access health care services and therefore are not often linking to HIV testing, counseling and care services.



How does the campaign work?

HIV. LIVE WITH IT. GET TESTED! seeks to empower young people to become advocates for their health through peer education and outreach. The dynamic campaign speaks to youth in their language, asking if they're "Doin' it?" or "Gettin' Busy?" and then replies that if they are, they should "Do it safe. Get Tested" - familiar language that provokes their attention, invoking: "If you're sexually active, you should 'Get Tested!' to know your HIV status and make responsible choices regarding your health and sexual behaviors." These materials have been researched and crafted with language and visual images that attract the attention of urban youth.

The campaign utilizes community mobilization and coalition building with other adolescent health programs, youth organizations, schools and faith organizations to enhance outreach. The participation of young people is central to the program's success. Community visibility is created for the campaign using paid advertising, public service announcements, street marketing and public relations as components of an integrated communications program to effectively get messages in the streets and on the airwaves, at the highest volume during GET TESTED! Week, which will take place in all five cities, kicking off on Friday, December 1, 2000, World Aids Day.