Sexperts: they're the people in your life who you turn to for helping navigating the good, the bad and the uncomfy in your sex life. In honor of National Youth HIV/AIDS Awareness Day on Monday, April 10, the AIDS Foundation of Chicago is launching Sexperts Slay, a celebration of those wise warriors in our lives who own good sex practices and are ready to listen and lead others.
The campaign, which will run from through the awareness day, focuses on a few key elements:
* An online quiz [ sexpertsslay.tumblr.com .]that tests a sexpert-in-training's knowledge and responses to some important questions around sexual health
* A series of quirky, shareable images that help you equip your networks with the best knowledge and tips on sex
* A pop-up Tumblr, Instagram and Facebook presence that shares tips, GIFs, images and sexpert testimonials with youth
"Our sexperts slay by being open-minded, sensitive to everyone's limits and ensuring that access to comprehensive sexual health information is the goal," the Tumblr informs users.
Sexperts Slay was the brainchild of Raven Feagins, an AmeriCorps/Public Allies Chicago apprentice with AFC's communications team. They collaborated with youth-focused groups across Chicago over the last four months to gather ideas, insights and ultimately feedback on the campaign to shape it into an energetic opportunity to engage with youth around sex, particularly HIV and STI prevention, and awareness.
"I wanted to create something that would be inclusive, engaging and, overall, informative. I think we've done that with this campaign," said Feagins.
As AFC's capstone effort to raise awareness around HIV among youth for National Youth HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, Feagins knows they needed to leverage youth perspectives to make sure the message wasn't lost among so many other public health campaigns. And the message is vital: In 2015, individuals aged 20-29 years old were the most frequently HIV-diagnosed age group in Chicago, representing 43.2% of all new HIV diagnoses.
"AFC is committed to harnessing the power of youth to help our community work toward greater health equity, especially when it comes to HIV and other STIs," said John Peller, AFC's president/CEO.
For more information on the campaign and to take the quiz, visit sexpertsslay.tumblr.com .
About the AIDS Foundation of Chicago: AFC mobilizes communities to create equity and justice for people living with and vulnerable to HIV and related chronic diseases. AFC aspires to create a world in which people living with HIV and related chronic diseases will thrive, and new HIV infections will be rare. More at: aidschicago.org .