Get Involved with Staying Alive

There are loads of ways that you can get involved with Staying Alive and help us to spread the word about HIV/AIDS. With your help, we can reach even more people with vital information on the epidemic. Join us in fighting the good fight!

Become a Guest Blogger

We’re always on the lookout for good writers who can write about HIV related topics in engaging and clever ways. Who wants to read boring lists of statistics on HIV and AIDS? For us, it’s all about making it interesting and relevant to our audience. When it comes to HIV and AIDS, there is a whole range of topics that are important – from dating and relationships to stigma and discrimination; we want these issues addressed with style and with an opinion. Let’s get people talking! Think you’re up to it? Send an email with Guest Blogger in the subject line and a short example of your writing style to hello@staying-alive.org. Each guest blog that is published will receive a $20 iTunes voucher.

Fundraise

The Staying Alive Foundation was set up in 2004 to extend the ethos of the Staying Alive campaign at a grassroots level. The Foundation gives small cash grants to young people across the world who run HIV/AIDS prevention projects in their local communities. The MTV Staying Alive Foundation partners with big global brands like The Body Shop, MAC and H&M to fundraise, but you can help us out too.

There are lots of ways to fundraise. Sponsorship is one way of doing it – sponsored sports activities, sponsored silences, sponsored job swaps, hair cuts – use your imagination! If you’re feeling a bit more adventurous then why not try organising a fundraising event? Put on a music gig or a fashion show and sell tickets… don’t be fooled though, these things take lots of organisation and you must make sure that you let people know about your event by publicising it.

Volunteer

If you live in London or New York, why not contact your local MTV Staying Alive office (hello@staying-alive.org) to see if there are any current projects you can get involved with. We’re always busy.

Alternatively, email the Staying Alive Foundation (foundation@staying-alive.org) to find out if there are any HIV prevention projects in your area that the Staying Alive Foundation funds. To date, the Foundation has awarded 160 grants to 116 projects in 48 countries – one of those projects might be near you.

Educate Your Friends

Last year, Staying Alive programming reached 441,218,051 households on MTV channels alone. It also reached 627,138,500 households through third party broadcasters. The Staying Alive Foundation aims to develop the way we help young people by giving them the financial support and training needed to go in to their communities and battle the epidemic on the front lines. We’ve awarded 193  grants to 126 organisations  in 48 different countries; just imagine how many people all of those projects have reached.

We’re doing our bit… but you can do your bit too. Staying Alive believes in the power of one. One person really can make a difference. Talk to your friends about the issues. Do they know what HIV is? Do they know how it can be transmitted? Most importantly do they know how to protect themselves? Tell them! Challenge stigma and discrimination, question people on their misconceptions. You’ve empowered yourself by educating yourself, now go and spread the word!