PCP HIV AIDS Toolkit/Universities

Conducting HIV/AIDS Activities in a University Setting
Justin Best

Getting Permission

 * Deans : Conducting activities will require approval from different individuals including the deans of the colleges involved. For example, if your training involves the nursing students, you will need to discuss the proposed training with the dean of the nursing college. If it involves the criminology department, talk with the dean of the criminology department.
 * School President : Receiving permission from the president is very important due to the support he or she can provide.

Proposal
Activity Proposal- A formal proposal should be created and given to school president and dean(s) for approval. (Before writing an official proposal you should already have discussed your activity with the president and the dean in order to determine the interest in your activity) The official proposal should be written on official letterhead, and include all details about the activity including date of activity, purpose of activity, participants involved, location, and other important logistical details.

Funding the Activity
You may need to find sources to help fund your project. A university can be a great resource itself. Universities already contain many assets such as potential venues like training centers and gymnasiums to conduct your activities. If your activity requires computers, projectors, or other materials and equipment the school may already possess these items as well. A separate official proposal should be written and presented to the school president for any in-kind contributions or any monetary contributions that may be provided by the school to help conduct your training.


 * Fundraisers : If money is required, fundraisers can be a very effective way to raise money for your activity. (bake sales, movie nights, cultural events)

Counterparts
Schools possess many potential counterparts that can assist you with your project.


 * Teachers : Great asset. Can help facilitate activities or offer other support. Look for teachers who have a health or medical background such as in the nursing department
 * School Medical Staff : Many universities include a medical staff. They are a great asset due to their health background.  They can help organize and/or facilitate an activity and may have connections with other health organizations or individuals outside the school that could benefit you
 * Student Organizations : Universities contain many student organizations that can be very useful. They can be trained to help facilitate peer to peer activities as well as help promote and organize activities.

Potential Project Ideas

 * Culture Night : Culture events such as dancing competitions and pageants are very popular with students and the community and can be tied in with any HIV/AIDS activity. These types of events are a very effective way to get the students excited and involved.
 * World AIDS Day : WAD events can be as simple as discussing HIV with individual classrooms or grade levels or it can be more elaborate such as conducting a school-wide HIV training. These events can be incorporated with fun activities such as poster making contests, athletic competitions, or even cultural events.

Issues to think about when to organize an activity

 * Schedule : Schools have many activities and events already scheduled so it is very important to pick dates that will not conflict with other events. (i.e. exams, holidays, athletic events, cultural events, venue conflict) Sometimes events that were not originally scheduled may be added to the calendar later after you have already started planning your activity so it is important to frequently check with your counterparts and/or other staff to make sure that the calendar is clear leading up to your activity. The dean or school president can help prevent this type of scheduling conflicts by adding your activity to the school calendar preventing other events from being scheduled at the same time