Grant: Planning Grants - Priority Announcement: Infection and Immunity

This project is aimed at exploring some of the issues affecting African immigrant and refugee male youth living in Winnipeg between the ages of 18 to 30. Specifically this research team hopes to facilitate a number of discussions around sexual health, STIs and HIV/AIDS for an under-represented and socially and economically marginalized group living in urban Canada. We are interested in what effect, if any, social stigma, discrimination and racism have in the lives of this population and how it might impact how vulnerable to sexual health, STIs and HIV/AIDS they might be. It has come to the attention of this research team that in Winnipeg there is a lack of messaging especially when it comes to HIV/AIDS. In Africa issues around sexual health, STIs and particularly HIV/AIDS are openly discussed. On the African continent where the prevalence of HIV/AIDS and STIs is so exceptional the messaging around awareness, risk behaviour and treatment are all extremely visible. We are requesting these funds to help finance a series of four meetings that will help us ascertain a much better understanding of some of these issues within this population. Focussed discussions with the targeted research community will ensure that there is a collaborative and participatory methodology at work from the outset. A final online report and oral presentations will be used to disseminate the information as widely as possible. This research has far-reaching implications as no work has been done with this group in this field here in Winnipeg. In addition, possible research may be gathered that could be used to better target future public health campaigns or methods of treatment and care.