The Grassroot Project

A Sports-Based HIV/AIDS Prevention Program Facilitated by College Athletes in Washington DC

CDC National HIV Prevention Conference

“Bringing HIV Prevention to the Campus: Recent Interventions for and by College Students”

Presenter: Tyler Spencer

Intro Clip

Adult HIV/AIDS Prevalence for Selected Countries

3.5

3.1

3

2.8

2.1

2.1

1.9

1

0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4

Senegal

Ghana

Angola

Ethiopia

Rwanda

District of Columbia

Nigeria

Congo

NCAA Athletes

There are over 380,000 student athletes, and most of us go pro in something other than sports.

Step 1: Athletes2Coaches Course (Training of Trainers)

Step 2: 8-week Grassroot Interventions (Programme Roll-Out)

Grassroots Education Model

Athletes as role models.

Games as learning metaphor.

Sports as hook.

Growth • 2009; 3 sites, 40 volunteers (1 university)

• 2010; 9 sites, 90 volunteers (2 universities)

• 2011; 25 sites, 250 volunteers (3 universities)

Pilot Results

• “Athletes are cooler than my parents, not as judgmental as my peers.”

• Significant improvements in HIV-related knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs.

• Planning a Cluster RCT in (hope to launch in January 2012).

Future Growth

• 3,600 students per year in 60 (of 77) schools that enroll 7th grade students

• 720 student athlete HIV/AIDS educator “Grassroot Coaches” from 5 Division I athletic programs in DC Metro Area

• Proven efficacy by CDC PRS criteria for Best-Evidence Interventions

Lessons Learned 1. Make being engaged in tough issues like HIV/AIDS, stigma reduction, sexual health fun.

2. Make college (and middle school!) students understand that they can have a unique impact on an important issue.

3. Understand what makes your volunteers tick.

– Athletes = competition, challenge, hard work rewarded

– Kids = nontraditional sex ed, fun, trusting relationships

Challenges

• As a program run completely by young people under the age of 25,we have learned that partnerships and capacity building support have been essential in scaling up our interventions.

MTV Staying Alive

Our African partner DC Department of Health

DoSomething.org Our Universities

Questions?