Tipi of Courage
Preventing HIV in the Aboriginal Community through the Tipi of Courage
Escalating statistics and the disproportionate number of HIV/AIDS infections among Canadian Aboriginals have demonstrated the urgent need for a community based awareness initiative.
Although Aboriginal people represent only 3.3 % of the population, they comprised 9% of new HIV infections in 2005.
In Southern Alberta, the Canadian Red Cross partnered with the Aboriginal component of Calgary’s Coalition on HIV/AIDS to develop a groundbreaking program called the Tipi of Courage. The Tipi of Courage is ready to battle ignorance, stigma, and misinformation about HIV/AIDS throughout Southern Alberta.
This initiative empowers Aboriginal people about the threat of HIV/AIDS by using teachings gathered from different tribes across Canada. These teachings are used to educate and mobilize the Aboriginal community through volunteer-delivered workshops and community outreach. Training modules, which are a blend of traditional HIV/AIDS workshops and Aboriginal teachings, have been developed to train volunteers on this subject. This is a unique project because the information and empowerment strategies, used to fight the stigmas association with HIV/AIDS in the Aboriginal community, come from the community itself.
The Tipi is a mobile community center that will be taken to events in Southern Alberta. The Tipi is a symbol of courage in the battle against HIV/AIDS. Elder and Trainer teachings will be done in the Tipi. Current HIV/AIDS information, materials and referrals are available in the Tipi.
Canadian Red Cross calls for awareness of HIV rates among First Nations»
