City Hall – The New York City Council today was named among the top YouTube campaigns making a difference by Mashable, the most read blog around the world (Read the story here: http://j.mp/9F3z0i). In December of last year, the Ne York City Council launched the campaign “I Talk Because…”, which features YouTube video clips of people talking about why it’s so important for them to discuss HIV/AIDS with the people in their lives.
“The conversation about HIV/AIDS must be revived, and we need to take this message to the places that people now occupy: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube,” said Speaker Christine C. Quinn. “HIV/AIDS has personally affected me and thousands of New Yorkers and we must get this conversation back to where it use to be. Through this campaign, we hope to help prevent new infections and stop any stigmatization of people who are living with HIV/AIDS. It is imperative for everyone to start the conversation so that every generation has access to the latest and most accurate information. Whether we know someone who has been diagnosed, infected or know a person who has lost their battle – we need to keep the conversation going.” (See Speaker Quinn’s video here: http://j.mp/aYh4uk)
Community leaders, elected officials and New Yorkers were and will continued to be encouraged to participate and upload their own testimonials. Since then, the Council has gotten such celebrities and elected officials such as Wendy Williams, Veronica Webb, Kristen Johnston, Melissa Rivers, Al Sharpton, Senator Bill Perkins, President of the NY NAACP Hazel Dukes and many more to participate.
Open and honest conversations can prevent new HIV infections and reduce the stigma attached to people living with HIV/AIDS. Every 9½ minutes an American is infected with HIV. And today, over 100,000 New Yorkers are living with HIV/AIDS, and thousands more don’t know that they are infected, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
New Yorkers will be able to send in their video testimonies to the “I Talk Because…” by emailing italkbecause@gmail.com. We are inviting all New Yorkers to submit their videos and share why they talk about HIV/AIDS to the people in their life and why this is important to them.
“We are in a new era with technology making the difficult distribution of information about HIV/AIDS simple with a click if a button,” said Health Committee Chair Joel Rivera “YouTube, Facebook and the other internet sites that cater to our youth and young adults gives us the opportunity to have a conversation that otherwise would not have taken place.” (See Joel Rivera’s video here: http://j.mp/94OXUx)
“HIV/AIDS is still a devastating disease that everyone, young and old, must not fear to discuss openly,” said Council Member Rosie Mendez. “Using social networking methods gives another means for everyone affected to speak about their experiences, their fears and their hopes for a cure.”
The “I Talk Because…” campaign utilizes Facebook, YouTube and Twitter to send video links across different platforms. “I Talk Because…” invites users to submit their home-made videos to be a part of the campaign. People can send their links to italkbecause@gmail.com to be considered by partnering organizations as a YouTube channel favorite.
This video project is a collaboration of the New York City Council, Callen-Lorde Community Health Center, Gay Mens Health Crisis, Harlem United, Visual AIDS, LIFEbeat, The Asian & Pacific Islander Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Bronx AIDS Services, Latino Commission on AIDS, Gay Men of African Descent, Bailey House, Citiwide Harm Reduction, The Women’s HIV Collaborative, AIDS Community Research Initiative of America (ACRIA), Hispanic AIDS Forum, Fortune Society, Village Care New York, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Community Health Action of Staten Island , God’s Love We Deliver and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Pi Iota Chapter in Springfield City. [List in formation]
You can find out more about each social networking page for the “I Talk Because…” campaign here:
Twitter: @ITalkBecause
Facebook: http://facebook.com/italkbecause
Youtube: http://youtube.com/italkbecause