By: Ilesha Prabhudesai
“Three hundred red scarves were left for people to take in North Bay, Sturgeon Falls and Mattawa as part of World AIDS Day event.” (Holmes, 2019)
The heavy stigmatization of HIV hinders informative and productive discussions surrounding its causes, methods of contraction, local resources, avenues of treatment, ways of prevention, and availability of social support. Education is key to driving rates of contraction and transmission to a low. Still, it holds an even greater significance in creating accessible routes for navigating one’s journey with this disease. Communities that are more open to a conversation can produce more social support programs, testing stations, and clinical care, and can advocate for more funding for HIV treatment.
With these ideas in mind, in 2012, the Regional HIV/AIDS Connection decided to disperse hundreds of red scarves around Stratford and London, Ontario, ahead of December 1st, World AIDS Day, with the help of their volunteer team (The Red Scarf Project, 2017). Each scarf would come with an ‘information tag’ that details a message about HIV/AIDS intended to spark conversation and reduce stigma (The Red Scarf Project, 2017). Thus, the name ‘The Red Scarf Project’ emerged due to the hand-knitted or crocheted, warm, red scarves that citizens would find tied to trees, lampposts, benches, and fences, eagerly waiting to be taken and talked about.
This initiative took off– over 350 scarves were distributed and well-received by citizens of London and Stratford in its first year. In 2013, they included a red ribbon with the red scarf, encouraging receivers to pass the ribbon along to another individual, and with it, stimulate meaningful conversations about HIV/AIDS. The ‘Big Red Scarf’, knitted by Pat Sole at St. Andrew’s Church, was donated to the organization and became a recognizable anchor of HIV awareness for The Red Scarf Project’s media presence (The Red Scarf Project, 2017).
The Red Scarf Project is running in numerous communities throughout Canada and continues to thrive today due to the hard work of its volunteers and the contributions of those who donate. In the North Bay area, many community members express their appreciation and emphasize the importance of getting tested.
“Getting tested is incredibly important. Now we can do this really quick test, and even better, there is a really good treatment for HIV. So, if you come and get tested, it is no longer having to tell you ‘I’m so sorry we have to tell you that you have this horrible illness and we can’t do anything about it.’ It is ‘Here is your diagnosis, but there are good treatments available.’” - Nurse Saskia Hildebrandt (Holmes, 2019)
Another main concern in the North Bay communities was the unsafe drug usage practice adopted by many citizens, leading to HIV transmission. The Red Scarf Project encourages individuals to not only reach out and get tested but also makes them aware of how accessible resources for, and education on safe drug practices can be (Holmes, 2019).
“[...] our emphasis is on ensuring people know we have harm reduction supplies in our agency, as well as other needle exchanges in town, and we can assist you with trying to reduce the harm and doing your drugs as safely as possible.” - North Bay Local AIDS Committee executive director Stacy Mayhall (Holmes, 2019)
The Red Scarf Project allows for community building, the de-stigmatization of HIV, and promotes HIV testing, all while granting a warm scarf for the Canadian winter. Moving forward, individuals can knit or crochet a red scarf of a minimum length of 6”x60”, or make a donation to the Regional HIV/AIDS Connection or the AIDS Network to support this initiative and help raise awareness (The Red Scarf Project, 2017). Those interested can also become volunteers at the AIDS Network and participate in more projects like this one.
References
Holmes, L. (2019, November 29). Red Scarf project opens up dialogue about HIV and AIDS. BayToday.ca. https://www.baytoday.ca/local-news/red-scarf-project-opens-up-dialogue-about-hiv-and-aids-1891291
The Red Scarf Project. Regional HIV/AIDS Connection. (2017). https://www.hivaidsconnection.ca/community/aids-awareness/red-scarf-project
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