Chee Mamuk: Wise Practices for New Work

Chee Mamuk is the Aboriginal Program of the Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) division of the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC). Chee Mamuk’s mandate is to provide culturally appropriate on-site community based HIV/AIDS and STI education and training to Aboriginal communities, organizations, and professionals within BC.

When Chee Mamuk asked us to layout their guide to Wise Practices for HIV/AIDS education and prevention programs it turned into more than a design project. Working with them to make their text document into a beautiful and effective communications tool re-affirmed our commitment to the core principles of social marketing and harm reduction, which are, as the title suggests, wise practices.

HIV is important to talk about this for two reasons:

1. HIV is preventable. Knowledge is good protection.

2. We do not need to fear people living with HIV. There are a lot of myths about how people can get infections like HIV, hepatitis or STIs. When we learn facts about these infections we create a more supportive world for people and their families.

For information on where to get a copy of wise practice guide:
Call 604-660-1673 or go to Chee Mamuk website at www.bccdc.org

HIV/AIDS is a problem for Aboriginal communities in BC, as it is across Canada. One Aboriginal person a week is testing positive for HIV in BC. 32% of these tests were aged 29 and under. Says Chee Mamuk Educator Jada Gabrielle-Pape: “These numbers are staggering. We are such a small number of the total population and we come from large families. According to these statistics all of our families, if they aren't already, will be impacted by HIV."

However, to stigmatize individuals and in so doing to stereotype communities, is not an effective strategy to address the numbers. Pape emphasizes, “It is important for people living with these infections to feel accepted and supported. Understanding more about HIV and the ways it can be passed from one person to another can reduce fears in our communities.”

What is essential to remember is that in a small population making an impact on individuals and small groups has an enormous capacity to produce positive change. A vision for this long-term approach is what will be effective. The education in communities that Chee Mamuk does throughout British Columbia is based on this wise approach that empowers and builds resilience. And because they have a long-term mandate, individual projects are able to become part of a larger continuum, making their success more likely.

Chee Mamuk’s guide addresses 14 key ideas, gives examples of successful projects and strategies, and lists resources and readings to support implementation. These core ideas boil down to making programs fit with the people they are meant to be for, which means having a deep respect for where individuals and communities are at, not thinking of them as merely needing to be changed or “fixed,” but rather as an integral part of their own solutions.

1. Check the level of readiness in your community.
2. Decide who your target group is and get to know them.
3. Focus on key risk factors for that group.
4. Bring key “opinion leaders” into the effort.
5. Check out the resources in your community and use them.
6. Plan a variety of approaches.
7. Put a personal face on it.
8. Embed your strategy in Aboriginal culture.
9. You will have to shift attitudes.
10. Make sure you have the facts.
11. Consider a Harm Reduction approach.
12. Prepare for the long haul.
13. Make it fun.
14. Evaluate as you go along and modify your approach as necessary.