Report: Monitoring RRCs in Colleges

Poster created during the competition

Introduction

This monitoring was conducted from November 4 to 14, 2011 at the following colleges

1. Jai Hind College
2. Ruia College
3. SIES College for Commerce & Economics
4. KJ Somaiya College of Arts & Commerce
5. KJ Somaiya College of Science
6. SK Somaiya College
7. Dhahanukar College
8. Sathaye College
9. MD College
10. Chetna College
11. MMK College
12. Sophia College
13. NM College
14. Bhaudas Vartak College
15. Bhavan’s College

Many events were conducted at these colleges to increase knowledge and awareness of HIV/AIDS and also to make sure that the students knew enough to increase and spread awareness amongst their peers.

Seminar on HIV/AIDS

THE CODE FOR RRC EVENTS:

1. Friendship Day
2. International Youth Day
a.    College Event
b.   Community Event
3. Seminar on HIV/AIDS & Services
4. Seminar on Stigma & Discrimination
5. ICTC/Blood Bank Visit
6. Competitions

WORKSHOP

Friendship Day

A workshop was conducted in each college. The students were impressed with the technical knowledge that they acquired about HIV/AIDS. The condom demo that was conducted helped them relate to the concept comfortably. It helped normalize their perceptions regarding condoms.

The workshop helped clear a number of misconceptions among the students and also brought along key information to those present. The workshop helped the RRC members deal much better with queries from the students.

MEMBERSHIP

A membership drive was promoted at all the colleges bringing together a number of students who were keen on being a part of the RRC.

EVENTS

IEC Material on display

The RRC members conducted Street Plays to bring awareness to the public. They also held competitions that brought about more awareness amongst the youth. IEC materials were displayed at prominent areas in the colleges carrying important messages regarding condom use and other precautions to be followed to prevent HIV/AIDS.

RRCs displayed the Condom Cutouts given to the colleges and many of the students enthusiastically took pictures along with the cutout and posted their pictures on facebook Condom Mera Dost page, increasing awareness virally.

Students in a procession on IYD

Many posters were created during the poster competition and these were displayed for everyone to see bringing forth more messages and the visual appeal made sure that everyone understood the messages correctly.

IMPACT

• Students insist that RRC has made it comfortable to discuss issues like HIV/AIDS.
• Students are motivated to take awareness campaign out of college in the larger society.
• Students say that RRC gave them an opportunity to network among youth their age and discuss HIV comfortably.
• RRC in the college has helped to sensitize and educate students
• The students felt that the RRC events were effective; they could see a change in awareness levels among students. And the fear of HIV/AIDS was reduced as students come and ask questions and take active part in RRC activities.
• RRC has helped to increase technical knowledge about HIV/AIDS among students
• Through RRC, there has been a change in students – ‘more knowledge & less stigmatization’.

SOME OUTSTANDING EFFORTS PUT IN BY RRCs

Reaching to Children of FSW – RRC of JAI HIND COLLEGE

RRC students from Jai Hind College have been organizing a 1 day excursion for children of Female Sex Workers on World AIDS Day. This event is slowly becoming a tradition with the RRC team planning this trip again this year.

RRC team of Jai Hind feels that apart from the agenda given by MDACS, they need to conduct activities and reach out to target groups in the community. When planning this excursion, they first identify an NGO who has networks with the FSW community and after meeting the children, they plan a day long excursion in the city of Mumbai.

Poster Competition

Children are taken in a bus along with RRC volunteers to various spots in the city, games are conducted for them and finally the entire troupe enjoys a meal together. This effort is a positive sign of mainstreaming of HIV/AIDS with the youth of Jai Hind setting a big example for the other RRCs to follow.

Reaching out to Youth of other colleges in Mumbai – RRC of SOPHIA COLLEGE

RRC of Sophia College conducted the following 2 HIV/AIDS awareness activities in their intercollegiate event:

Street Play

1. Game Stall: At a stall put up, a game regarding HIV/AIDS awareness was played , and participants were offered prizes for getting the answers right. Through this activity, they were able to reach people from different colleges as well. Their professors also actively participated in this activity. Around 300 people took part in this event.
2. Volunteers made paper bags with information about AIDS and MDACS on them. These bags were then given to kiranas and other shops.

RRC also distributed questionnaires to the first year senior college students to assess their knowledge about HIV/AIDS. They found that their knowledge levels were quite good.

They have an AIDS awareness program for students from junior college every year, which is attended by around 600 students. They also come out with a newsletter that publishes informative articles and stories about HIV/AIDS.

Report: MAKE A FRIEND FOR LIFE “CONDOM”

Objective:

The youth, especially those living in Mumbai are quite open to the idea of sex. They do not shy away from talking about sex and also acting on it. The objective of this activity is to promote Safe Sex and hence Normalisation of Condoms.

Thought process:

Today’s youth is very attached to his/her friends. The relationship that they revere amongst everything is friendship. You can say that the key driving forces in their lives are their peers.

Many companies use this attitude of the youth to promote their products. Like for example, mobile service providers come up with promotions like extra talktime, free SMSs and Group Schemes to get the attention of youth.




Social Networking is another activity that goes well with youth. Hence, the popularity of facebook, twitter and more.






Rang De Basanti is a film made for friendship. The main characters in the film are college students who are ready to give their lives for their friends, literally.

Strategy:

So you get the youth to involve their friends in Condom Promotion – a simple and effective strategy. Based on above thought process, a concept was created called “making a friend for life”

And that’s how CONDOM MERA DOST came about.

HOW TO MAKE FRIENDS WITH 'CONDOM'?

Use of popular new media targeting youth

• Mobile - youth in Mumbai spend 24/7 on their mobile phones.
• Facebook - The above are cost effective media used by youth day in and day out. Studies say that the average youth in Mumbai spends about 4 hours on facebook every day.

Agents:

100 Red Ribbon Clubs were roped in to conduct the activity at 100 college locations.

Every college conducted the activity on August 12, 2011 outside their college campus, thereby reaching out the youth at large – even those in the locality, other than the students.

Activity specific training:

The students were called in batches of fifty – 2 representatives from each college. A total of 200 students from 100 colleges were trained in four separate sessions.

They were trained with the help of a step-by-step powerpoint presentation on MDACS premises.

The High Five or the 5 steps to friendship:

Poster put up at Colleges

• Click pictures with your new friend (Condom)
• LIKE Condom Mera Dost fanpage on facebook
• Upload your pictures with him on the fanpage and tag yourself
• Send an SMS to your friend
• Write a message with him

Execution – How to make friends with Condom:

Step 1 - Click pictures with your new friend


• RRC student put up the condom board outside the college
• RRC student carried a placard, went to youth and spoke about friendship and ABC (Abstinence, Be faithful, use Condoms) approach
• RRC student encouraged every youth in the area to click a picture with the condom board and support the cause
• RRC member made a note of the name of the youth


Step 2 - Add your friend on facebook


• Name of the facebook community is Condom Mera Dost
• RRC member asked the youth to log on to facebook and search for ‘Condom Mera Dost’ fanpage and ‘LIKE’ the fanpage
• Chits of paper were made with the words Search for Condom Mera Dost on facebook and LIKE the page
• These were distributed to a number of youth all around the area of the colleges.


Step 3 - Upload picture, tag the picture


• RRC member ensured that there was a laptop available at the venue along with internet facility.
• RRC member created a picture folder under the college name on the Condom Mera Dost fanpage on facebook.
• RRC member uploaded the pictures taken on to this folder and tagged each youth’s name to his pictures with the Condom Board.

Step 4 - Send an SMS to your friend


• RRC member encouraged the students to send the SMS <myfriend> to 53636 and get messages / updates / jokes from his new friend (Condom)
• This brought about a deluge of SMSs, jokes, factoids about Condom for free over a period of one month
• RRC member ensured that the students sent such an SMS
• Students who were keen to know were told that the cost of the SMS was just Rs. 3


Step 5 - Write in your friend’s autograph book


• RRC members encouraged the students to create a Graffiti Wall with cardboard and chart papers.
• They asked the students to write messages / slogans about his new friend (Condom) on the Graffiti Wall.
• The wall was given the title “Make a Friend for Life”.


Impact:


1. 100 colleges participated in this programme. Both students and the professors were totally involved in the activity. Many of the colleges conducted the programme outside their premises encouraging many outsiders to join the fray. It was great to see that students were very open to this concept thus Normalising the Condom.

100 colleges participated in this event on International Youth Day

2. 637 members joined the fanpage CONDOM MERA DOST on facebook. Loads of pictures were added by college students that were sent to their friends, thus creating a bigger exposure.

Screenshot of Facebook page CONDOM MERA DOST

3. Over 500 people registered in the SMS community for the messages. Over a period of one month, each day, messages were sent to these people on condom facts, jokes etc. the effect was viral as they in turn sent these jokes, factoids, etc. to their friends.

4. Every person who clicked a picture with the Condom Board wrote on the Graffiti wall that is on display at the various colleges. The message continues to reach youth even after the activity.

Graffiti Wall

Coverage of the Event in Newspapers, both English and colloquial:

Report: RED RIBBON CLUB - PEER EDUCATOR TRAINING PROGRAM

Background

Red Ribbon Clubs are youth groups at colleges who work for spreading awareness about HIV/AIDS among the youth. Since youth is a vulnerable population it becomes essential to communicate with them. Red Ribbon Clubs (RRCs), which work under the guidance and leadership of the Communication Department of MDACS, enable us to reach the objective of communicating to the youth.

The Structure

These clubs are formed with the help of professors in colleges who support social work. These professors are called 'Program Officers'

Further, there are students who volunteer to run the awareness program. They are called the 'Peer Educators' as they influence and educate their peers. It is the Peer Educators’ responsibility to conduct awareness drives and get more students to join the club. Those who join the club are called 'Red Ribbon Club Members'.

Since the professors and the students spread awareness about HIV and bring answers to various queries of the students, it becomes essential to conduct intensive 2-day training programs for them so that they are able to convey the right information.

Mumbai (MDACS) has formed RRCs in different categories of colleges:

1. NSS Colleges
2. Engineering Colleges
3. Science, Arts, Commerce Colleges
4. Pharmacy Colleges
5. Nursing Colleges
6. Colleges through NGOs who are experts in working with youth and adolescents

The Training for the Peer Educators is conducted in phases.

They are trained on HIV and on Communication aspects so that they are equipped to carry information to their peers and friends and further into the community.

The Training Plan for Phase I - NSS colleges is as below:

NSS Colleges were divided into 11 batches and the 2-day training for given for every batch. Below is the list of dates on which each batch was trained.

BATCH NO.1 – July 4 & 5, 2011
BATCH NO. 2 – July 6 & 7, 2011
BATCH NO. 3 – July 11 & 12, 2011
BATCH NO. 4 – July 14 & 15, 2011
BATCH NO. 5 – July 16 & 17, 2011
BATCH NO. 6 – July 18 & 19, 2011
BATCH NO. 7 – July 20 & 21, 2011
BATCH NO. 8 – July 22 & 23, 2011
BATCH NO. 9 – July 25 & 26, 2011
BATCH NO. 10 – July 27 & 28, 2011
BATCH NO. 11 – July 29 & 30, 2011

The Agenda that the RRCs have to follow for the year is as follows:

RRC GUIDELINES AND ACTIVITY CALENDAR 

1. Training provided by MDACS – Annex 1

2. RRC Committee – Annex 2

The RRC Committee will have the following members:

• Chairperson: Principal/ Head of the Institute.
• Joint Secretary: Female Teacher
• Joint Secretary: Male Teacher
• Local Doctor
• Convener: NSS Program Officer (PO)
• Joint Convener: Student Leader and Peer Educators (5)

Target responsibility of the committee

• To form core committee of above 10 members
• To form associate committee of 30 NSS students (who are responsible to conduct all activities)
• To get membership of 500 students per RRC in your college (both NSS and Non NSS)

Responsibilities of the Committee

• To meet thrice a year
• 1st meeting in July (after MDACS PO Workshop)
     •  PO will explain Objective of RRC
             •  PO will discuss calendar of activities
             •  PO will discuss rewards and recognition of members
             •  Finance utilization and submission of SOE to MDACS
             •  Discuss target given by MDACS

• 2nd meeting in November
             •  Report (as per format provided by MDACS) of 1st half of activities and photographs along with SOE

• 3rd meeting in February
             •  Report (as per format provided by MDACS) of 2nd half of activities and photographs along with SOE

3. RRC Calendar – Annex 3

4. Guideline for conducting activities (Annex 4)

5. Utilization of finances (Annex 5)

Every college was to be given Rs. 8900/- for conducting activities. The money was released in June.

The amount was utilized for:

• Travel
• Snacks in meetings
• Gifts & Bouquet for Guests
• Documentation and printouts
• Photographs
• Certificates to winners of competition
• Honorarium to resource persons who conduct workshops / Judges

Rewards and Recognition Program (Prizes):

Prize 1: Best RRC of the year

Criteria:
1. No. of RRC members in your college: 500 members
2. Regular activities strictly as per calendar
3. Reports and photos of activities
4. Timely submission of SOE
5. Addl. / special initiative by RRC members

Prize 2: Best Student Leader of the year

Criteria:
1. Participation in arranging each & every RRC activity
2. Addl. / special initiative by Student Leader
3. Active Participation in MDACS activities
4. No. of activities conducted
5. No. of members involved in activities
6. Timely submission of SOE & Reports

Prize 3: Best Peer Educator of the year

Criteria:
1. Participation in arranging each & every RRC activity
2. Addl. / special initiative by RRC Peer Educator
3. Active Participation in MDACS activities
4. No. of activities conducted
5. No. of members involved in activities

The above 3 awards were announced separately for all 3 zones of NSS:
   
1. Mumbai City
2. Mumbai Central Suburb
3. Mumbai Western Suburb

Next Steps:

All the RRC Peer Educators will be trained in a 2-day training program at MDACS premises in a phase-wise manner.