The “LEARN NOW / LIVE LONGER” Program

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Prevention through education and dissemination of information and condoms, and Training/Capacity Building by creating and maintaining a trained pipeline of under-graduates for recurring engagement and establishing co-branded educational literature for distribution and future use.

EEJYC seeks to provide training and instruction to a pool of approximately fifty (50) undergraduate students, and their adult advisors in AIDS/HIV/STI awareness. The EEJYC proposes to have the Charles Drew University (or AHF) conduct two (2) training sessions to train members of EEJYC, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., and designated community partners (approximately 50 each session, 100 total).

• First training session: (3-4 hours) in Los Angeles area (December 2019 or January 2020)
• Second training session: (60-90 minutes) May 21-24, 2020 75th Annual 12th District Meeting (Marriott Hotel, Anaheim, CA.)

The EEJYC will provide supplemental training to approximately 10 graduate members who will serve as Subject Matter Experts (SME), and develop an abbreviated (1-2 hour) presentation on AIDS/HIV/STI, as well as co-branded educational materials. The SME’s will be deployed to various college campuses within the 12th district to train and support the undergraduate students as facilitators. In addition to serving as ambassadors, the undergraduate students would then be tasked to provide instruction at their respective college campuses, and the adjacent communities. The initial campus sites will be:

• California State University at Long Beach (CSULB): There were 26 new HIV infections per 100,000 people in Long Beach, in 2016, higher than the 19 new infections in Los Angeles County — and double the statewide rate. Long Beach also had significantly higher rates of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis than the county or state in 2017.
• California State Polytechnic University at Pomona (Cal Poly): Pomona is located in the Pomona Valley (Los Angeles Counties most southern city), between the Inland Empire and the San Gabriel Valley. STI infection rates in these Southern California counties have all shown alarming rates of increase.
• University of Nevada at Las Vegas (UNLV) Clark County, Nevada: Clark County ranked in the top 20 U.S. counties for sexually transmitted diseases in 2016, while Nevada as a whole came in No. 2 in the nation for its rate of syphilis.

*Additional campuses will be developed after initial launch

Program Outcomes and Evaluation

The primary objectives of this program are (1) To create a pipeline for prevention, awareness, and empowerment to at-risk, minority adolescents and young adults, (2) To create a platform for constructive dialogue to remove the stigma associated with AIDS/HIV/STI, and (3) Establish a cohort of leaders at the collegiate level to engage students on campuses and in the community.

Activities

• Training Sessions held at Charles Drew University (December 2019 or January 2020), and Anaheim Marriott (May 2020).
• Event flyers and educational literature will be distributed on college campuses, and at targeted community events.
• Classroom sessions will be held on designated college campuses and community locations (Goal 5 campuses (2 sessions: 1 in fall semester and 1 in Spring semester (500 youth), and 10 community locations throughout the year (500 youth)).

Outcomes (corresponding to activities)

• A cohort of approximately one hundred (100) undergraduate and graduate African-American men will be trained to serve as ambassadors/facilitators for AIDS/HIV/STI.
• Distribute 5,000 condoms, 5,000 informational flyers in high risk areas (10,000 total).
• Approximately 1,000 Adolescents/Youth of color in high-risk, hard to reach areas will receive 60-90 minutes education and awareness on AIDS/HIV/STI.

We expect to increase awareness, stimulate dialogue, and promote expansion of AIDS/HIV/STI education through involving other members of the Pan-Hellenic (9 traditional AA Fraternities and Sororities) at the campus level, and other community based organizations that Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. partners with at the local, regional and national levels.