AIDS AWARE - be the message

AIDS AWARE - be the message

Our own international Red Agents from UKM volunteered themselves to help out PT Foundation in AIDS AWARE - be the message. Let's see what the Red Agents feel about this.

MJ 


The volunteer work in PT Foundation’s gallery exhibit was a fresh perspective for me. Unlike the times we worked with people who are already familiar with HIV/AIDS, this time, we had to deal and ask people who do not really have the knowledge or interest in the situation in the first place. There were people who went in and just went out right away after seeing posters about AIDS. It seemed as there were some barricade between the gallery entrance and the outside world. But I told myself that this is the reason why we are here holding this gallery and volunteering to work; to spread the awareness of AIDS!

In commemoration of the AIDS Memorial Day, the gallery was opened to the public in the central market annex. Posters and pictures with people holding messages about AIDS were hung up on the walls for public to see. And a special event was carried out to gain support of the people and raise awareness about AIDS. The event was to raise at least thirteen thousand pictures of people holding messages about HIV/AIDS and to post them on the wall of “HIV/AIDS AWARENESS”. It was not an easy thing to ask the people to do so. There of course were people who said yes right away but there were still people who backed away or turned down. Then a question came at me; “if I was one of the people to be asked to take a picture to support HIV/ADIS, would I have done it?” My initial answer was a no. I would not have wanted to associate myself with these events or causes. But now, after coming in to The Red Project, I found how ignorant and closed I was to these issues. I found out that I cannot expect others to support something that even I am not willing to support.

There are so many people out there who are like the “past me”. They are ignorant and just indifferent about the issue. But at the same time, there are those who support and fight for the cause, to stop the wild fire running around our community. And I am glad that I was able to get the chance to experience this and open up myself to new world! Let’s go and spread the awareness!

THE MESSAGE

Karla

   The world celebrates the International AIDS Memorial Day every third Sunday of May to commemorate those who lost the battle and those who are living and still fighting the disease.  This year, Pink Triangle Foundation together with ruumz.com celebrated this event in a three-day exposition of pictures and movies at a gallery exhibit entitled AIDSAware: Be the Message at the Annexe Gallery, Central Market, May 16.  

      It was our pleasure as Red Agents to volunteer for the event.   We ushered guests into the exhibit and asked them if they would like to be part of our campaign to spread the message about AIDS and to stop the disease.  Their task was simple.  All they had to do was pick a message that they think best suits their thoughts about AIDS and pose in front of the camera.  We printed out the pictures and posted them on the wall.  By then end of this AIDS campaign, we should have collected 13,000 pictures.  So far, there have been 13,000 Malaysians who died because of AIDS.  Through these pictures, we hope to send the message to everybody that AIDS is a serious issue and it needs to be stopped.  These pictures could be accessed and downloaded at aidsaware.ruumz.com.  

      The crowd reception was great.  There was an ongoing bazaar just next door and a lot of young people were coming into the gallery exhibit.  There were a variety of people coming in – different genders, different age, different races.  And almost everybody had their picture taken.  Some were aloof at first, but they agreed later on after knowing the cause of this exhibit.  There were families who posed with their cute kids, there were groups of friends, there were couples, there were teenagers, there were babies.   

      This was definitely an experience for me as it enriched my ability to approach and talk to people.  One of the most important things in life is to be able to communicate and deliver your message efficiently so that others may understand.  This internship has so far enabled me to develop my communication skills and at the same time educate other people about one of the world’s most pressing concerns – HIV/AIDS.  This event was a venue for me to deepen my passion for this cause and to share with other people the messages that must spread faster than AIDS.

So woon


On the 15th of may, Red Agents went to Central Market to volunteer at the exhibition about AIDS.


AIDSAWARE is a project to spread the awareness on HIV/AIDS and to further stop HIV by allowing each and every one of us not only to share a message and spread a message, but to be a Message itself.


Some of the messages collected were shown at the Annexe Gallery, Central Market last May 15 and 16. PT Foundation has joined up with Ruumz Causes to develop this campaign as part of its activity for International AIDS Memorial Day 2010 which fell on the 16th of May this year.


Actually we were planning to volunteer both weekdays (15th and 16th May), but the schedule was changed so we volunteered only on saturday.


Our tasks are Greet guests as they walk in and Take photos of guests and stick them up on the photo wall from 4pm to 8pm.


The inside of the gallery

In front of the AIDSAWARE sign, So Woon

There are lots of messages like this one, Guests were took a picture with these messages

After volunteering, Red Agents in front of the photo wall!

Although we had a volunteer work with PT Foundation before, the day with AIDSAWARE was more meaningful than the other days. We collect a lot of pictures and it might help to increase the awareness about HIV/AIDS.

The International Red Agents Karla, MJ, Sowoon