Beyond the canapés and free drinks, I went to a function on Tuesday night (October 27) in Camden, north London, that actually left me feeling a little more than just bloated and tipsy. Dare I say it, I was seriously inspired when I came face to face with the grantees and volunteers of the MTV Staying Alive Foundation. We’re not talking music television here, we’re talking saving lives.

Staying Alive began in 1998 – MTV’s global, multi-platform HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention campaign. The funny thing is, the name did ring a bell, after all the project is currently the largest of it’s kind in the world, with announcements, websites, events and programming aimed to educate and empower young people in 50 countries most affected by the epidemic of HIV/AIDS. With ambassadors including Kelly Rowland and Travis McCoy (Gym Class Heroes), I had heard the rumblings of this amazing scheme over the past few years, but it struck a new chord meeting those involved in the ever-developing Staying Alive Foundation – the initiative launched in 2004 to extend the ethos of the campaign at a grassroots level.

Immediately I realised what amazing strides Staying Alive has been making, talking to HIV-awareness community workers Jacqualine Kowa (from Kenya), Natalia Cales (South Carolina, US), and James Fofanou (Sierra Leone) who had all flown in to tell their stories. Memories of my 2008 trip to HIV orphan camps in DRCongo came to mind when James said “The figures we use are important, and I’m not talking about money. ‘Two’ people, means two lives, and if you don’t help them, those two will be dead in two months. Therefore every bit of help from Staying Alive counts as lives are on the line.”

Many young people (such as Natalia, who lost her mother to HIV/AIDS – but is now working with over 200 girls in her community), are witnessing firsthand the transformative effect Staying Alive has on people who are living with HIV. This is all thanks to their small cash grants (up to $12,000) that support innovative projects in schools, youth centres, and clubs that use radio, TV, art, film, print, on-line and personal interactions to engage young people at risk and unaware of the threats of HIV and AIDS.

Unfortunately, Staying Alive funding for each project comes to an end after a maximum of four years, but there’s not much to contest the fact that their work makes a lifetime of positive change – especially considering they fund small youth-led projects that have had little or no previous help, with the sole responsibility and management of the projects in the hands of under-27s (power to the next generation is definitely something Ctrl.Alt.Shift can relate to).

Even so, these young leaders are never too far from help, as there is a determined team of mentors and organisers at MTV pushing the Staying Alive Foundation forward. Executive Director of the project, Georgia Arnold, was on stage to say “We’ve come a long way. We’ve gone places others wouldn’t, from communities in Zambia to Serbia. To date, the Staying Alive Foundation has awarded 160 grants to 114 projects in 46 countries. But there’s still a lot that needs to be done.”

I’d like to echo the sentiments made by Chairman and Chief Executive of MTV Networks International, Bill Roedy, who initiated a round of applause to the “unsung heroes” in attendance, the volunteers making the difference on the ground. People like Jacqualine in Kenya, who when I asked if I’d hear from her again, she said with a cheeky grin “Maybe, I’m a very important person. I’ve got a lot of people to help back home…”

Truly important, Jackie. Very true.

 

Words: Dwain Lucktung

Photos: Mann-ray Powell

CALL TO ACTION

This year, Travis McCoy of Gym Class Heroes joined Staying Alive as the face of the Foundation. He recently travelled to India, Philippines and South Africa visiting grantees while filming for Staying Alive. McCoy committed to write a track based on the young grantees that he met that will be released on World AIDS Day, December 1, 2009, with all proceeds being donated to the Foundation.

To download the track upon its release, please visit www.staying-alive.org or follow them on Twitter @mtvstayingalive

 

Staying Alive Foundation Hotmix from mtv staying alive on Vimeo.