The AIDS Network ~ Serving Hamilton, Halton, Haldimand, Norfolk & Brant

Vision
To prevent HIV transmission and to help people living with HIV/AIDS become informed, accepted and self-determined.

Mission
To recognize and respond to the stigma and challenges posed by HIV/AIDS on individuals and communities through education and support.

More
Education Services
PEMAP Volunteer Training Program
Women's Community Outreach

AIDS Education / Men4Men

The MSM Program Infrastructure Development Project has begun the programming part of its mission with the launch of the MEN4MEN program. The mission statement drafted by the project’s Advisory Group guides the work. MEN4MEN strives to enhance the lives of men who have sex with men by reinforcing self-esteem and personal empowerment through sexual health education and resources. The Project distilled the needs of the men who have sex with other men who may or may not self identify as gay or bisexual as outlined in the report released in April, 2010. MEN4MEN has taken the recommendations and put them into action for the men of Hamilton, Halton, Haldimand, Norfolk and Brant.

The website is now up and running and over the past three months has received over 4,000 hits. The site serves as a source of information about MEN4MEN and provides links to a variety of sexual health and community building resources. You can connect with our site at www.MEN4MEN-ontario.ca. A blog on the website offers conversation on issues impacting the lives of men who have sex with men in the service area of The AIDS Network as well as the larger men’s community. Please stop by the site and take a look around.

The next part of the project’s programming is underway as well. A training manual is being developed to train the real heroes of the MEN4MEN Team, the Program Volunteers. The Program Volunteers will be trained to talk with men in a variety of situations from bars and bathhouses to parks and private homes. The focus is both to prevent the spread of HIV and other sexual transmitted infections (STI’s) and to give men the resources to build their own self-esteem and a stronger community. We also address isolation based on HIV stigma both for those living with HIV/AIDS and those perceived to be at risk of infection. Details about the training program will be posted on the website, so please check back often.

For more information on MEN4MEN, go to www.MEN4MEN-ontario.ca or contact David at dgunton@aidsnetwork.ca or 905-528-0854 x231.