Dignitas Youth

On Sunday May 27^th 2012 from 11am-5pm the UofT Dignitas International Youth Chapter will be holding a soccer event to raise funds and awareness for our cause. It will be held at the University of Toronto varsity soccer stadium (275 Bloor Street West,Toronto,ON)…so come out and enjoy this once in a life time opportunity to play on the University’s high quality turf field!

This event will serve to educate the Youth from the GTA and surrounding areas about the health care crisis in Africa. Dignitas International was co-founded by two UofT professors James Fraser and Dr. James Orbinski. Dignitas International’s goal is to develop solutions for HIV/AIDS, TB, malaria and other diseases for millions of people who are denied the right of dignity and health care.

Why Soccer? We believe soccer is an international sport that everyone can play at varying levels. It has touched the hearts of so many people around the world specifically in Africa. It is a sport of team work and passion, which is what we value as an organization because these two qualities are essential for positive change. CHANGE is what we are asking you to help us accomplish. Change in the health care systems around the world to make equality and accessibility something attainable for all.

Why else should you attend? While learning about how you can help the world and take a step toward change you will also be having FUN! Every team is guaranteed one hour of play minimum. You also have the chance to win monetary and material prizes. Treats, water and snacks will also be available as well as games and learning centers for when you are resting.

You can get involved by registering as a team or signing up as an individual. You can fundraise by downloading participant forms, watch friends and family play, or volunteer as a referee, set up/ take down or promoter. Please do so by clicking the links below and filling out a volunteer form or a team/individual participant form. Please act quickly because we only have a limited amount of spots for teams and individual players.

Participant form: Click here

Volunteer form: Click here

I would like to give an enormous thanks to everyone who came out and supported the UofT Dignitas Youth Chapter on Thursday the 9^th in MSB Stone Lobby and Friday the 10^th at Hart House.  The 12 hour UofT Race for Dignity Bike-a-thon was a huge success and we have our wonderful executive team, members and UofT staff and students to congratulate! We were able to raise over $4000 dollars as well as awareness about Dignitas’ goal of delivering essential medicines to those burdened with HIV/AIDS in underserved areas in Africa.

“Why choose a bike-a-thon to raise awareness for a healthcare cause?”

Despite the promotion of health benefits from exercise we chose the bike-a-thon event due to its history at UofT. This event was initially inspired by a Torontonian tri-athlete, Scott Simpson. When he became diagnosed with AIDS he attempted to bike across Africa to raise awareness. Unfortunately, he did not make it as an individual. But he made it as a collective group, when fellow University of Toronto Students came to together and rode the rest of the miles for him on their stationary bikes. Scott Simpson’s attempt to bike across Africa in conjunction with UofT’s honouring race for dignity has set an example of the great achievements that can be accomplished through communal support. This is essentially what we hoped to remind UofT of with the continuation of this annual event.

Despite our success the event did not always run smoothly. However, we were able to overcome such obstacles and surpass our monetary and advocating goals, which is what makes our team so great. On the first day of Race for Dignity we were planning on setting up 9 stationary bikes. Unfortunately, five bikes did not fit onto the bike stands and we were unable to use them. Thus, we were down to four bikes. After eating away our grief by indulging in delicious brownies from our bake sale we regained our strength and decided that we would not let this glitch deter us from our goal, and remained enthusiastic about our event. With only four bikes, we were still able to lure students to jump on a bike and ride for the Dignitas’ cause with our big smiles and outgoing attitudes.

Our bake sale, which was held concomitantly with the stationary bike-a-thon, was one of the finest UofT has seen. Cheesecake brownies, cupcakes, apple pumpkin spiced muffins, banana muffins, banana bread, and every type of cookie you could imagine covered an entire table. It was so good, in fact, that we would like to take this time to apologize to Tim Hortons and Starbucks for taking their customers that day.

The rest of the Race for Dignity event was held at Hart House to reach a total of 12 hours of bike riding. We had more bikes to provide to eager riders and with some motivational music and our wonderful red ribbon decorations we attracted many students who rode for long periods of time. In fact, our president, Yi-Min rode for 3 hours straight! I was riding beside her for the last hour and a half and I must say her dedication was truly inspiring.

The entire event was amazing! It really opened my eyes to the impact that a small group can have on society. Although it takes a lot of planning and teamwork, spreading awareness and raising funds for a great cause is possible. We exceeded our expectations and hope that this event will propagate our message throughout our university. Overall, I hope we have inspired more people to take small steps in helping us make big changes in global healthcare.

Sincerely,

Dana

Even though the winter holidays are over, we’re kicking off the new year with our annual Race for Dignity 2012 event here on U of T campus! A 12-hour bike-a-thon spanning over the course of 2 days will be held at the following locations:

Day 1: 10am-4pm, MSB Stone Lobby

Day2: 2pm-8pm, Hart House Cycle Fit Room

Registration Instructions:

1) Send an e-mail to dignitasyouth.uoft@gmail.com and register individually or a team to participate.

2) Simply  indicate which times you and/or your team would like to come race during our event hours.

3) Click here (DY R4D Pledge Form) to find our pledge forms you can download and print for those sponsoring yourself and your team. You only need to raise a minimum of $10 to participate!

4) Come and race for dignity for those affected with HIV/AIDS in Africa!

On Day 1 you can expect a full day of bake sale to the public, free snacks and water to keep our participants well nourished and hydrated, and information booths of other campus groups supporting our event that raise awareness of HIV/AIDS.

How did Race for Dignity begin?

Dignitas’ Race for Dignity was originated with Scott Simpson, an HIV+ Canadian who intended to cycle 13,000km across the continent of Africa to raise funds and awareness about the inequities in access to HIV/AIDS medications. In preparation for this immense challenge, Scott participated in a series of endurance events, including an Ironman triathlon, but the accumulation of gruelling training began to take its toll on his body. It was during the Ironman that Scott’s body gave out as he collapsed during the race and was rushed from the course by ambulance. Scott’s dream of cycling across Africa to help other, less fortunate HIV+ people ended that day.

While speaking publicly at the University of Toronto about his ordeal, a U of T student was inspired and knew immediately what needed to be done: “We need to finish Scott’s Race for Dignity.” And that is exactly what 220 post-secondary students at three different campuses set out to do on December 1st, 2005 – World AIDS Day. Spinning on stationary bikes, these students ‘traveled’ 1,300km and raised over $9,200. Today, universities across Canada hold this annual event on their own campuses. We continue on this tradition that first began on our St. George campus to create living results.

We hope to see you come out and race!

Cheers,

Yi-Min

President

It has been quite a dramatic week for the fight against AIDs and with it comes both good and bad news. Let me begin by highlighting the UNAIDS World AIDs Day Report for 2011. It is with pleasure that I would like to highlight the great progress and achievements that organizations around the world have been able to contribute to this world. From the report there has been an astounding 21% decrease of AIDs-related deaths from the peak that was reached in 2005. Not only have the deaths decreased but the UNAids estimates that 700,000 deaths were averted last year. One of the main reasons for this improvement is the fact that all the treatments have been more accessible. Ultimately, this accessibility is helping reduce new infections of HIV to an estimated amount of 30-50% now than without this access to treatments.

However, with this extraordinary progress comes a reality that there is still much to do and that complacency is not an option. This has been increasingly evident since also this week there have been reports of decreased funding for the fight against AIDS, TB and Malaria. The target this year was $20 billion but the fund had only received $ 11.5 billion, which was even lower than the minimum amount of funds that was needed to maintain the programs until 2014. The reasons for this have stemmed because of doubts the money is actually reaching its proper targets.

I find really unfortunate that such a drastic decrease in funding has occurred just when it was becoming more evident that the programs were working. Though, the global fund may be getting less money for the next couple of years it is good to keep optimistic. The world is finding a winning formula and this is seen evident by the major decreases in the death rates and infection rates. Now it is just time to inform the rest of the world and keep on the fight. In this way, the donors will realize that the funds are reaching the targets. However, it is clear that there is much to do and that the fight still continues but now we are on our way to holding the advantage against AIDS.

With Hope,

Heldder Gutierrez

Vice-President

The UNAIDS World AIDS Day Report 2011 is available to read online.

Highlights in Publication on Sub-Saharan Africa:

• In 2010 68% of all people living with HIV were living in Sub-Saharan Africa (pg. 7).
• In 2010 Sub-Saharan Africa accounted for 70% of new HIV infections (pg. 7).
• In 2010 almost half of AID-related deaths occurred in Sub-Saharan Africa (pg. 7).
• Since 1998, AIDS-related deaths have slowly decreased, largely due to the improvement of access to essential medicines (pg. 7).
• Antiretroviral coverage increased 20% in Sub-Saharan Africa between 2009 and 2010, and increasing coverage is essential to further progress (pg. 14).

General Idea - AIDS Installation at the AGO

While in the audience during the Q&A session for Triage: Dr. Orbinski’s Humanitarian Dilemma, I sat intrigued as director Patrick Reed posed a challenging question to the audience: “What is the psychology of humanitarianism? What pushes people to bear witness to genocide and other unspeakable atrocities?” While there were many different answers put forth by the audience, one particular response resonated with me. Essentially, it proposed that humanitarian action and experience are analogous to an artist’s statement. This human witness documents the most profound human suffering in order to allow others to contemplate and learn from their experience; to inspire others to become involved and to make statements of their own. This documentation can be written or merely felt, but the point is that it eventually leads to a collaborative effort to confront human tragedy and suffering through collective experience and the retelling of experience through various means, including artistic.

(L-R) General Idea's AIDS logo (1987) inspired by Robert Indiana's LOVE logo (1966)

This answer compelled me to think about how various art forms and initiatives have attempted to confront humanitarian issues and causes, and specifically the HIV/AIDS crisis. I recently visited the AGO exhibit General Idea: Haute Culture – A Retrospective (1969-1994) which contained various pieces from the group’s now infamous “Imagevirus” series: the transformation of Robert Indiana’s 1966 “LOVE” logo into “AIDS.” This altered logo was reproduced on posters, sculptures, rings, paintings, wallpaper, and even in neon lights in Times Square. This controversial movement angered many: who would conflate love with AIDS? As Gregg Bordowitz explains in his book about the artistic movement General Idea: Imagevirus, “Great works of art [...] have attested to the proximity between love and death” (2). Through the viral tactic of inserting the AIDS logo in various and unexpected public spaces, “Imagevirus” could “infect” observers with emotions and ideas about the AIDS crisis and its relation to the concept of love in order to facilitate the artistic transmission of compassion in the face of immense suffering caused by both the virus itself and the stigma attached to it.

While many critics have dismissed the piece as the superficial exploitation of a serious issue, the group’s three members AA Bronson, Jorge Zontal, and Felix Partz were personally affected by the disease; in 1994 both Partz and Zontal died from AIDS-related causes.

As I stood in the AIDS installation room in the AGO, I felt both allured and disoriented by the repetitive neon AIDS wallpaper; I wanted to stay and keep looking but an ever-increasing sense of vertigo induced by the patterned walls made me mildly uncomfortable and compelled me to leave. This particular effect of the exhibit on my visual perception shed light on the dichotomous reaction of the general public to the AIDS crisis; the tension between confrontation and cowardice. Do we stay and deal with the issue, as uncomfortable as it is, or is it simply too overwhelming to bear?

Want to see the artwork featured in this blog entry? Check out General Idea: Haute Culture – A Retrospective (1969-1994) at the Art Gallery of Ontario. The exhibit runs from July 30, 2011 to January 1, 2012. AGO admission is free Wednesday evenings between 6 and 8 PM.

Have you seen the exhibit and wish to share your opinion? Have any ideas about AIDS and the arts? Leave a comment below for this blog entry.

Links of interest:

ArtSlant – “Love: Imagevirus and Mixed Message” (Aldrin Valdez)

AGO General Idea: Haute Culture – A Retrospective (1969-1994) Homepage

Triage: Dr. Orbinski’s Humanitarian Dilemma Homepage

Gregg Bordowitz – General Idea: Imagevirus Homepage

Ciao for now,

Spencer
Webmaster

This year we are very fortunate to be collaborating with Health, Arts, & Humanities Program here at the University of Toronto to screen Triage: Dr. James Orbinski’s Humanitarian Dilemma. Director Patrick Reed will be present and staying for a Q&A session following the film. Triage really gets to the heart of not only to Dignitas Youth, but also our head organization Dignitas International. We hope that many of you will come out to find out the inspiration behind our co-founder, Dr. James Orbinski, and the reason why Dignitas Youth still exists to this day. Many of our team members will be present with more information about us. We’ll also be staying to watch the film. Don’t be shy to say hi to any of us!

Details of the screening:

Free Admission

Location: Innis Town Hall, Innis College

Date: Tuesday November 15, 2011

Time: 6:30pm-9pm

Cheers,

Cinema Against AIDS, 2011

Welcome to Dignitas Youth! As the President of 2011-2012, I invite you to
frequently visit our website to read our weekly blog posts that myself and
Dignitas members will be blogging about. The latest news on HIV/AIDS
treatment and happenings in Malawi and other African countries, events we
are hosting on campus and what we’re up to, resources that may interest
you, and local opportunies/events that you can attend free of charge!

About two months ago, (September), I attended the Cinema Against AIDS held
at Carlu. A black-tie gala in support of Dignitas International and amFAR
hosted by Kim Cattrall, and Kathy Griffin as the evening’s MC. They were
joined by Dignitas’ Co-founder James Orbinski and James Fraser, amfAR’s
Chairman Kenneth Cole, Vincent Roberti, and John Legend. It’s the first
year I attended and helped such an amazing cause. As the President of
Dignitas Youth at the University of Toronto St. George, I knew I was
representing our student body and couldn’t have been more thrilled. It was
nice to see that such those that came to attend had the compassion in their
hearts to donate and support these two organizations in other ways.

Kim Cattrall helped raise money during the live auction of her play
“Private Lives” here in Toronto and a lunch with her following a shopping
spree at Tiffany’s . In the spur of the moment, she also generously decided
to auction something else… her Vivienne Westwood dress that evening!

Kathy Griffin’s upcoming show in Toronto was also up in the live auction, a
weekend stay in Fairmont Royal York, dinner at Scarpetta, and of course
with a post-show meet and greet.

The best after all the auctions was being able to sit and enjoy John Legend
close the evening with “Redemption Song” and his most well-known “Ordinary
People”.

How much did we all raise? $800, 000 with over 500 guests.

What an amazing night.
Click here for some photos of the night:
http://curelecoeur.wordpress.com/2011/09/26/cinema-against-aids/

Next year, more of our members will be involved with this event so if you
want to be part of, be sure to join us (dignitas@utoronto.ca)! Stay tuned
for the next Dignitas Youth post.

Cheers,

Yi-Min
President

Welcome to Dignitas International Youth Club.

Stay tuned as we update our website!