Welcome to our final newsletter for 2008 and many thanks for your support and interest through the year. Our 2007 annual report is now available for download at: http://www.latrobe.edu.au/. We are looking forward to a productive and busy year in 2009 as we recently had a letter from Minister Roxon which removed the ongoing uncertainty about the future of our longstanding program of Commonwealth funded research. We will use the promise of three years of funding to revitalise our work in developing the evidence base for four national strategies.
Marian Pitts, Director
HIV Consortium for Partnerships In Asia and the Pacific
ARCSHS is part of this consortium of nine Australian agencies which have been funded by AusAID to implement a three year program of strengthening the role of organisations to respond more effectively to HIV. This is part of the AusAID Regional Capacity Building Program. In the first year the consortium is supporting 30 program components in the region and ARCSHS will be working in conjunction with the National Centre In HIV Social Research to improve social research capacity.
Report Launch
On Thursday 4th December Chief Commissioner of Police Christine Nixon will be launching:
Coming Forward: The underreporting of heterosexist violence and same sex partner abuse.
If you would like to come to the launch please contact Melanie Hales on 9285 5382 or m.hales@latrobe.edu.au
Catching On Everywhere
This resource, prepared for the Victorian Department of Education and Early Childhood Development by Dr Sue Dyson, addresses the issue of a whole school approach to sexuality education in both primary and secondary schools. It combines an extensive literature review with a report on the evaluation of local projects at 57 Victorian schools carried out in 2007. Finally it offers tools for strategic planning at the school level. It will be distributed to all schools over the next year at regional training forums.
An Ordinary Night Out - A report on the research project
Pivotal, Peripheral or Positional: Understanding SOPVs for Intervention
Jeffrey Grierson, Anthony Smith, Henry von Doussa
Sex On Premises Venue (SOPVs) are a primary site for sexual health promotion. To date, these environments have been under-investigated and as a result interventions aimed at reducing HIV and STIs in SOPVs have not always been evidence-based. The report An Ordinary Night Out: A report on the research project Pivotal, Peripheral or Positional: Understanding SOPVs for Intervention contributes to this evidence.
The report is a comprehensive overview of SOPVs in Victoria and will be of use to those developing targeted, health promotional materials for the SOPV environment.
View the report (pdf)
Chlamydia: The secret is out
This Commonwealth funded project carried out by Jenny Walsh and Mandy Hudson with the 7 Dimensions production team has resulted in a new DVD and teaching materials for secondary schools. The resource has been distributed free of charge to all schools in Australia and can be purchased from 7 Dimensions http://www.7dimensions.com.au/. The DVD is a finalist in the Global Awards for healthcare communication. These awards are recognized as the only awards dedicated to excellence in healthcare communications on an international basis.
Beyond Homophobia Survey
People working with young people in Victoria are invited to take part in the Beyond Homophobia survey. The survey will only take 15-20 minutes; it will ask you about your work and the things that help or hinder you in providing services to SSATY. The survey is completely anonymous and confidential.
For more information and to complete the survey please go to:
www.latrobe.edu.au/ssay/BeyondHomophobiaSurvey.html
HIV Futures 6 Making positive lives count
The HIV Futures 6 survey is under way. The survey is about all aspects of living with HIV. It lets community organisations, services for PLWHA, doctors and government know what it’s really like to be HIV positive. The survey is anonymous and you can take your time to complete it. Make sure your experience counts. Let us know what HIV is like for you.
Complete the survey online at:
If you would prefer a paper copy of the survey, please contact us on the toll-free number 1800 064 398 or ask your local AIDS organisation or doctor.
ARCSHS wins First Prize in Bake-Off
In September ARCSHS entered a cake in the Great Aussie Bake-Off fundraiser at the Stingo Hotel. The cake we entered represented the Mapping Gay Communities project and was made by the project officer, Henry von Doussa.
Mapping Gay Communities is a networks project investigating the relationships between the different organisations gay men use in Victoria. The cake captured a few of the main organisations by dotting small ‘themed’ cakes on a large map of Victoria. There was a clubbing cake, a sporting cake, a civil union cake and a World AIDS Day cake, to name a few.
The day was fabulous fun, with, as you can imagine, a selection of over the top cakes of all shapes and sizes. The event raised nearly $4000 to support Pride March 2009. Our cake was auctioned for $150.
The most exciting part of the day was the Mapping Gay Communities cake winning First Prize.
Congratulations to:
Karalyn McDonald for her recent PhD success. Karalyn’s thesis was on HIV Positive Women, Pregnancy and Motherhood and was a project which also entailed the production of a book to support positive women in decision making around these issues.
Post doctoral fellow Bryan McCoy for the success of his book Holding Men: Kanyirninpa and the health of aboriginal men which has been launched at well attended events in several states and attracted considerable acclaim. http://www.aiatsis.gov.au/aboriginal_studies_press/find_a_book/recent_releases/holding_men
Catherine Barrett for winning the 2008 Research progress Award from the Victorian AIDS Council for her work on the My People Project with the Matrix Guild and Vintage Men
Murray Couch and Marian Pitts for a UNAIDS contract to examine effective community engagement in Pacific and PNG
Welcome to new staff Duane Duncan, Jules Corbez, Sarah Pinto, Roz Ward, Anthony Lyons, Rosie Calabro, Travis Coleman and Hai Do.