We’d like to pay our respects to the traditional owners, the elders of the Kulin Nation, both past and present, and any other elders here today.

Icebreaker• Introduction Activity!– Once standing, shake the hand of someone who is

sitting down who you haven’t met before and share:– Your Names– Where you’re both from– What you both hope to get out of this session

– Once someone has introduced themselves to you, stand up!

– Introduce yourself to another person who is sitting down.

– Continue until everyone is standing

Popular Opinion Leader Model

• Diffusion of Innovation theory

Background

• 357 new cases of HIV (278 among MSM)• 78% of HIV notifications were homosexually acquired• 28.3% of new diagnoses occurred between people

aged 20-29• NSW has Australia’s largest number of PLHIV (12,

000) and the largest LGBTI population (500, 000) – estimated.

SOURCE: NSW Ministry of Health, ‘NSW HIV Strategy 2012 – 2015: 2013 Annual Data Report’ NSW, 2013.

• ACON is NSW’s leading health promotion organisation specialising in LGBTI health and HIV prevention.

NSW targets to reduce new HIV infections by 60% by 2015 and 80% by 2020

SOURCE: NSW Ministry of Health, ‘NSW HIV Strategy 2012-2015: A new Era’, NSW, 2011.

ENDING HIV

ACON’s Young Gay Men’s Project

• Gay/same-sex attracted men 18-26• Peer-led workshops started in 1988• Peer-education workshops• Outreach events• Community engagement

Differences in younger men• Lower knowledge levels

– LGBTI sexual health not taught in schools• Less contact with HIV positive people• Less social involvement in the gay community• Impact of ethnicity and religion• High rates of STIs• Normative notions of relationship and romance• Low uptake of HIV testing

Source: Cameron, S. (2014) .Discussion Paper: Are Young Gay Men Really So Different? Considering the HIV Health Promotion Needs of Young Gay Men. AFAO.

SOURCE: Hillier L, Jones T, Monagle M, Overton N, Gahan L, Blackman J, (2010). Writing themselves in 3. The third national study on the sexual health and wellbeing of same sex attracted and gender questioning young people. La Trobe University: Melbourne.

“It seems likely that as well as making core safe-sex information available online, there is a need

to stay innovative as inventive strategies may reach young MSM inaccessible through other

interventions.”

SOURCE: Cameron, S. (2014) .Discussion Paper: Are Young Gay Men Really so Different? Considering the HIV Health Promotion Needs of Young Gay Men. AFAO,

Digital Storytelling“Because there is a natural storytelling urge and

ability in all human beings, even just a little nurturing of this impulse can bring about

astonishing and delightful results.”

–Nancy Mellon, The Art of Storytelling

What is it?

• Centre for digital storytelling• Digital storytelling is a relatively new term which describes the new

practice of ordinary people who use digital tools to tell their 'story'. Digital stories often present in compelling and emotionally engaging formats, and can be interactive.

Activity• “What makes a good story?”

1. Choose a story you really like.2. Think of 3 key elements that make that story

really good.3. Discuss these with your partner.4. With your partner, think of how those three

elements you identified could be used to tell a story about HIV prevention.

Examples

• Vu Tuan Nguyen’s Story

• Michael Yates’ Story

How were the stories made?

Workshop

• Held over 5 Saturday afternoons• 1 final review session• 9 participants attended (6 videos produced)• Participants learned skills in:–Adobe Photoshop–Adobe Premiere–Garage Band

Health Promotion

• Empowers communities to construct their own meaning, in their own words.

• Narrative Communication metanalysis• Based on theories of behaviour change– ‘Modelling’ of behaviours–Popular Opinion Leaders

Source: Hinyard, L & Kreuter, M. (2007) .Using Narrative Communication as a Tool for Health behaviour Change: A Conceptual, Theoretical, and Empirical Overview. Health Educ. Behaviour. 34:777.

Group Work (Handout)

• Divide into small groups.• Choose 1 group member’s location and KP to

use as an example.• Brainstorm how Digital Storytelling could be:– Useful to this KP– Created in this setting– Distributed and shared (who is the target

audience?)

Report back and lessons learned

Mapping the way forward

• Future evaluation?• Including other KP (especially PLHIV)• ????– Is the Digital Storytelling approach useful or suitable for

other KP?– How will the communication method change for other KP?– How can we share these stories most effectively?

Thankyou

We’d like to thank James Gray and Troy Sinkovic for their guidance during this project. Robbie Mudrajiza from Thinkspace

at the Powerhouse museum. We’d also like to thank Danny Adams, Travis de Jonk and Marvin Mico for their assistance on

the final editing and Tony Tang and Yves Calmette for promoting the videos

Essential Resources• Cameron, S. (2014) . Discussion Paper: Are Young Gay Men Really So Different? Considering

the HIV Health Promotion Needs of Young Gay Men. AFAO.• Hillier L, Jones T, Monagle M, Overton N, Gahan L, Blackman J. (2010). Writing themselves in

3. The third national study on the sexual health and wellbeing of same sex attracted and gender questioning young people. La Trobe University: Melbourne.

• Hinyard, L & Kreuter, M. (2007) .Using Narrative Communication as a Tool for Health behaviour Change: A Conceptual, Theoretical, and Empirical Overview. Health Educ. Behaviour. 34:777.

• Hull, P et al. (2014). Gay Community Periodic Survey Sydney 2014. CSRH, UNSW.• NSW Ministry of Health, ‘NSW HIV Strategy 2012 – 2015: 2013 Annual Data Report’ NSW,

2013. Available from: < http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/endinghiv/Documents/AnnualReportNSWHIVStrategy2012-2015DataReportFINAL.pdf > [4 June 2014]

• NSW Ministry of Health, ‘NSW HIV Strategy 2012-2015: A new Era’, NSW, 2011. Available from: < http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/publications/Publications/nsw-hiv-strategy-2012-15.pdf > [4 June 2014]