Our activities
Youth Campaign
Because young people in Côte d’Ivoire are highly vulnerable, AIMAS has developed many communication campaigns to motivate them to adopt healthy and responsible behaviours. These campaigns were based on study findings highlighting the main reasons why young people do not use modern contraceptive methods (MCMs), including condoms. These include, among others: low perception of individual risk of HIV or unintended pregnancy, poor knowledge of MCMs, low self-efficacy and lack of social support… Among these campaigns are “T’es yêrê T’es cool” and “Take control of your life”, which ran for 4 editions.
The “T’es yêrê T’es cool” campaign
In the 2000s, the incidence of HIV/AIDS among young people and the high number of unintended pregnancies in schools led AIMAS to contribute to AIDS prevention among youth. Many studies had also shown that young people knew how AIDS is transmitted and prevented but were not motivated to change their behaviour.
The “T’es yêrê, T’es cool” campaign was therefore launched in 2002 and ran for 2 years.
The campaign invited young people to make behaviour change part of a lifestyle and philosophy captured by the slogan “T’es yêrê, T’es cool” (roughly “You’re smart, you’re cool”). According to AIMAS, a yêrê young person is well informed and street-smart. They don’t believe the myths others tell about sex and AIDS; they seek information and understand. Honesty and openness are central to their relationships. A yêrê person respects themselves and others. They are also cool, meaning tolerant: whether or not they abstain, they don’t judge those who are sexually active; whether or not they are HIV-negative, they respect people living with HIV. A cool young person is free of taboos and prejudice.
AIMAS produced six spots for the T’es yêrê, t’es cool campaign. Four promoted condoms, one encouraged abstinence and the last encouraged AIDS testing.
The campaign aimed to:
- increase young people’s knowledge of STIs/AIDS,
- increase the number of young people who see condoms as an effective tool against AIDS and STIs,
- reduce unprotected sex among young people aged 15 to 24,
- build the ability of young people aged 15 to 24 to assess their personal risk of HIV infection,
- encourage young people to get tested,
- improve young people’s ability to negotiate condom use,
- improve the image of Prudence condoms among young people
It relied on three types of strategy:
- media (TV and radio spots)
- below-the-line (posters, distribution of promotional items…)
- outreach communication (peer education and awareness activities in schools in Abidjan, Daloa and Yamoussoukro)
The “Take control of your life” campaign
Launched in 2015, this youth communication campaign aimed to increase correct and consistent condom use among sexually active young people aged 15 to 24 in urban areas. Its specific objectives were to:
- Increase perception of the risks of HIV infection;
- Increase perception of the risks of unintended pregnancy;
- Strengthen young people’s self-efficacy in using condoms correctly during sex;
- Improve young people’s knowledge of the dual protection offered by condoms against STIs, HIV/AIDS and unintended pregnancy.
With the support of the Ministry of Health and Public Hygiene (MSHP), the Ministry of National Education and Literacy (MENA), the Ministry for Youth Promotion and Youth Employment (MPJEJ) and well-known singers, the campaign took place in around one hundred secondary schools and in communities, supported by community health workers from our partner local NGOs.
The “Take control of your life” youth campaign included activities such as:
- Interpersonal communication through listening to radio sketches in classrooms, led by facilitators trained to use the communication materials (sketches and discussion guides);
- Mass communication through television, radio, billboards and social media (the campaign’s Facebook page) to broadcast sketches and produce radio shows with young people;
- A singing contest broadcast on social media and national television;
- A smartphone game called Digital Health Game (DHG) followed by a competition between schools.