RIBBON ROUGE WHY? HOW? WHAT? WHO?

2006 – 2012 RIBBON ROUGE ARTS NIGHT: FASHION, ART, MUSIC TO RAISE FUNDS FOR HIV RELIEF IN AFRICAN COUNTRIES

2013 $15 EVENT TO $150 EVENT

2014 CATWALK FOR THE CURE & FUNCTIONAL ART SALES

2015 THE RIBBON ROUGE ART ILLUSTRATION MENTORSHIP

WHO WE ARE?

CURRENT ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE OUR BOARD IS FULLY VOLUNTARY THE BOARD IS ADMINISTRATIVE

CURRENT ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE MEMBERS AT LARGE EACH MEMBER IS REQUIRED TO JOIN AT LEAST ONE COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP FEE FOR FOUNDING MEMBERS - $0

WHO ARE OUR MEMBERS? ARTISTS - MUSICIANS, CLOTHING DESIGNERS, POETS, VISUAL & PERFORMANCE ARTISTS, HOPING FOR: MEDIA EXPERTS, FILM PRODUCERS, DIRECTORS, EDITORS, CINEMATOGRAPHERS BUSINESS OWNERS ART AFICIONADOS SELF DESCRIBED “COMMUNITY BUILDERS” SELF DESCRIBED “WOMEN’S RIGHTS ACTIVISTS”

WHY?

VISION: TO ACHIEVE SOCIAL JUSTICE FOR ZERO HIV GLOBALLY BY USING LOCAL ART AS A TOOL FOR PUBLIC SERVICE - CONNECT ART FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE WITH HEALTH CARE TO PROMOTE ACTION ON VARIOUS INTERSECTING DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH AS PERTAINS TO HIV: VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN, MOTHER TO CHILD TRANSMISSION, STIGMA/ DISCRIMINATION, FINANCIAL RESOURCE CONSTRAINTS, ACCESS TO DRUGS - FUND INITIATIVES TO GET TO ZERO HIV: DRUG RESEARCH, MOTHER TO CHILD PREVENTION

A CASE FOR RIBBON ROUGE Sometimes by taking up the problems of the Other, it is possible to find oneself (Édouard Glissant, Poetics of Relation, p.18)

HIV IN CANADA AN ESTIMATED 75,500 PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV IN CANADA IN 2014 ESTIMATED NET PRESENT VALUE OF THE LIFETIME ECONOMIC LOSS: $1,300,000 COST PER PERSON. THE NET PRESENT VALUE OF TREATING INDIVIDUALS WITH NEW HIV INFECTIONS WILL BE ABOUT $768,100,000 OVER THEIR REMAINING LIFETIMES (OR $250,000 PER PERSON) {ECONOMIC COST OF HIV-AIDS IN CANADA, A RESEARCH CONDUCTED BY THE CANADIAN AIDS SOCIETY 2011}

HIV IN CANADA ABOUT ONE IN FIVE PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV AT THE END OF 2014 WAS FEMALE. THE ESTIMATE OF 16,880 FEMALES LIVING WITH HIV (INCLUDING AIDS) REPRESENTS 22.4% OF THE NATIONAL TOTAL.

WOMEN & HIV IN CANADA 22.4%

HIV IN ALBERTA

WOMEN & HIV EXPOSURE RISK 42.8%

SOCIAL JUSTICE, EQUITY, CRITICAL DIVERSITY "ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL BUT SOME ANIMALS ARE MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS".

VULNERABILITIES IN WOMEN STIGMA RACISM & DISCRIMINATION FINANCIAL INSTABILITY GENDER BASED VIOLENCE HYPER-SEXUALISATION OF AFRICAN, CARIBBEAN & BLACK WOMEN IN THE MEDIA

ARTS & CULTURE HOW TO LIVE WITH HUMAN DIFFERENCE Exerpt from “What is art good for?” Rinaldo Walcott Associate Professor and Chair, Department of Sociology and Equity Studies Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto

ARTS & CULTURE ART FOR PUBLIC SERVICE

ARTS & CULTURE WE WANT TO WIELD THE INTRINSIC DYNAMIC POWER IN THE ARTS TO CHANGE PERCEPTIONS, VISCERALLY STIR SOCIAL CONSCIENCE, EDUCATE AND CREATE POSITIVE CHANGE.

HOW? EDUCATIONAL & ENTERTAINING EVENTS/PROGRAMS IN ALBERTA, THEN CANADA, THEN GLOBALLY BUILD A STRONG NETWORK OF COLLABORATORS (AS MANY CURRENT HEALTH, HIV & AIDS ORGANIZATIONS) BUILD A STRONG NETWORK OF ARTIST & CULTURAL GROUPS CONNECT HIV GROUPS & ARTIST GROUPS TO CREATE ART FOR PUBLIC SERVICE

WHAT WE DO – OUR OBJECTIVES SOCIAL BENEFITS: PROVIDE A SPOTLIGHT ON WOMEN AND HIV RISKS SENSITIZE OUR ARTISTS AND AUDIENCES WITH MESSAGES FOR PUBLIC HEALTH 244 INDIVIDUAL ARTISTS’ PLATFORM REVENUE: $45956 RAISED FROM ARTISTIC ENDEAVOURS

WHAT WE’LL DO? FUTURE: PROVIDE FUNDING FOR HIV RESEARCH FOR THE CURE AND ZERO MOTHER TO CHILD TRANSMISSION PROVIDE AVENUES FOR THERAPY/ EDUCATION/EMPLOYMENT THROUGH THE ARTS FOR WOMEN WHO ARE VULNERABLE TO CONTRACTING HIV AND THOSE LIVING WITH HIV WHEN POSSIBLE INFLUENCE THROUGH NEW MEDIA ART, FILM, SOCIAL MEDIA

WHAT MEMBERS DO? EACH MEMBER SERVES ON AT LEAST ONE COMMITTEE TOWARDS ACHIEVING OUR GOALS MEMBERSHIP & COMMUNICATIONS EVENTS & PROGRAM PLANNING FUNDRAISING & SPONSORSHIP CREATIVES & TALENTS

2016

…ON ACHIEVING SOCIAL JUSTICE IN THE FUTURE “SOCIAL JUSTICE IS A WAY OF LIFE, IT CANNOT BE A TYPE OF TRAINING, AND YOU CAN’T RUN SOCIAL JUSTICE WORKSHOPS AND TRAININGS, DESPITE THE EQUITY INDUSTRY’S CLAIMS. SOCIAL JUSTICE IS BOTH AN APPROACH TO LIVING LIFE AND AN ORIENTATION TO THINKING DIFFERENTLY ABOUT THE PRESENT AND THE PAST AS A WAY OF SETTING IN PLACE THE CONDITIONS FOR A DIFFERENT KIND OF FUTURE.” [RINALDO WALKOT, WHAT’S ART GOOD FOR? P3]

YOU ARE INVITED TO JOIN US

WHAT IS IN IT FOR YOU? A JOURNEY OF SIGNIFICANCE WITH CARING PEOPLE TOWARDS A GREATER GOOD OPPORTUNITIES TO AUTHENTICALLY CONNECT WITH LIKE MINDED PEOPLE AROUND A WORTHY GOAL CAUSE MARKETING FOR ARTISTS & BUSINESS OWNERS APPLYING SOME OF YOUR UNDER-UTILIZED SKILLS GIVING BACK TO OUR COMMUNITIES GAINING GOVERNANCE EXPERIENCE PERSONAL AND LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES

WHAT IS IN IT FOR YOU? IN THE FUTURE: DISCOUNTED EVENT FEES/ ACCESS PASSES

TO ZERO!