While many NGO’s, policymakers, health organizations, and national governments are doing their best to bring attention to the HIV/AIDS pandemic, the importance of children for the fight against HIV/AIDS can not be overlooked. There are 2.3 million children living with HIV around the world, and over half a million children became newly infected with HIV in 2006. This competition will empower children to be at the forefront of activism and awareness against the dreaded pandemic.
Because of the significant role that children can play in the fight against HIV/AIDS, the ARCHIVE Institute believes that art and creativity is a powerful vehicle for real change. As a result, the first in a four-part competition series has been launched in order to encourage children to use creative talents towards a social cause. This raises two central motivations for this project: (1) the ability to use art as a form of activism and (2) the ability to further encourage the role of art in education.
Poster competitions are an ideal way to channel these efforts and have enjoyed limited and sometimes great success in the past. The institute is seeking to build upon past competition models by providing a toolkit for educators which will be accessed from the competition website. Added to this, there is to be a traveling exhibit of selected entries following the announcement of all winners in January 2008.
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