Unity Now

Volunteer for Unity Now! Call Ann B. Mumford (253) 383-2565Unity Now! is an HIV/AIDS education and prevention program that focuses on young women of color who live in Pierce County. The Unity Now! program began operating at the Pierce County AIDS Foundation in 1997 with one part-time staff member providing outreach at community fairs. In response to the explosion of HIV in communities of color, the program has expanded its services. Today, Unity Now! is a full-scale volunteer peer education program through which women are recruited to act as "gatekeepers to health" in their communities. Unity Now! is a community driven program through which volunteers and Pierce County AIDS Foundation staff work together to develop activities that will increase HIV awareness and decrease the incidence of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases in communities of color.

What do we do?

Community Outreach

Educate the community about HIV transmission, prevention, testing and treatment
Raise HIV awareness through participation at health fairs, community festivals and organizing special events

Peer Education Workshops

Recruit and train women of color to be "gatekeepers to health" in their communities
Facilitate discussion groups focusing on the skills necessary to maintain sexual health

Community Collaboration

Develop relevant programming through collaboration with community advisory committee members and other agencies serving communities of color
Coordinate faith-based efforts such as the Black Church Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS each March

Media Campaigns

Develop multimedia campaigns that draw attention to the HIV/AIDS crisis in communities of color
Sponsor community participation in activities such as poster contests and talent shows to develop greater awareness

Why do we exist?

African American women and Latinas over age 13 comprise eighty percent of reported AIDS cases among women in the United States
Teens and young women now represent about half of all new infections reported in young people in the United States
Over thirty percent of AIDS cases in Pierce County are among people of color, almost double the statewide figure
Sixteen percent of all Pierce County AIDS cases are among women, which is more than twice the statewide percentage
Studies demonstrate tat HIV prevention does work and that peer education is one of the strongest methods we have

Get involved!

Volunteers are the backbone of Unity Now!

Call Ann Mumford (253) 383-2565

Services

Peer education workshops
Discussion groups
Speakers bureau
Safer sex/abstinence education
Condom/latex barrier distribution
Referrals for free anonymous HIV counseling and testing
Partnership with faith-based communities
Community outreach
Collaboration with other organizations serving communities of color