Ignition an Mpowerment Project

The Project is run by a “Core Group” of 3-5 young gay/bisexual men from the community with the support of paid staff. The Core Group, along with other volunteers, design and carry out all Project activities. The Project has its own physical space where most outreach events and meetings are held. The Project space also serves as a drop-in center where young gay/bisexual men meet and support each other. The Project relies on a set of four integrated activities:

Formal Outreach - A team of young gay/bisexual men goes to popular community locations to discuss and promote safer sex in a fun and engaging way. They distribute appealing HIV prevention material that they have developed themselves. Additionally, the team creates its own outreach events to attract young gay/bisexual men (e.g., dances, video parties, picnics, discussion groups) where HIV prevention is promoted in various ways.

Informal Outreach – Through their participation in the Mpowerment Project, young men develop the necessary skills and motivation to effectively support and encourage their friends about safer sex.

Ongoing Publicity Campaign – The campaign attracts young gay/bisexual men to the project through word of mouth, articles in gay newspapers, advertisements, web sites, e-mail notices, and other targeted strategies.

M-groups - These peer-led, 3 hour meetings of 8-10 young gay/bisexual men discuss factors contributing to unsafe sex (e.g., misconceptions about safer sex, beliefs that safer sex is not enjoyable, poor sexual communication skills). Through skills-building exercises, the men practice safer sex negotiation and correct condom use. Participants receive free condoms and lubricant and are trained and motivated to conduct informal outreach with their friends.

The Project mobilizes young gay/bisexual men to shape a healthy community for themselves, build positive social connections, and support their friends to have safer sex. The Mpowerment Project can reach large numbers of young gay/bisexual men in a cost-effective manner because it is a community level intervention. It focuses on the entire community of young gay/bisexual men instead of targeting men individually or solely through small groups. The Mpowerment Project is designed to be tailored to the needs of every community; it is based on a set of interrelated core elements that each community adapts to its own unique characteristics. The Charleston area has been defined by the DHHR as MSM ages 18 to 32.

Although elements of the Mpowerment Project may seem familiar to people who have worked in HIV and AIDS prevention previously, how this Project works is different from what typically comes to mind in conducting HIV and AIDS prevention. While the Mpowerment Project includes safer sex promotion, the program is not defined solely by a focus on condoms or HIV and AIDS prevention but peer networking as well.

Please contact the Project Coordinator at (304)437-2927 or at jelswick@pridewv.org  for further information or questions.

Also the PDF research papers will lend to further knowledge and information on Mpowerment.

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