World AIDS Week, November 24-28, is coming up! Come out to our events and show your support for our cause!

Things you can do to help:
*Stop by one of our tables to learn about our advocacy platform
*Go get tested for HIV! Walk-in, anonymous testing Nov. 25 6-9 pm and Dec. 1 1-5 pm, 5833 Sherbrooke
*Pick up the Dec 1 issue of the McGill Daily for a feature on male circumcision as a means of prevention
*Listen to “Health on Earth” at 8:30 PM on Tuesday Dec 2 for an interview with Dr. Kenneth Mayer (Director of Brown University AIDS Program), CKUT 90.3 FM
*Check out our art installation in the Redpath hallway Nov. 24-28

*Attend our events:

Mon November 24th
6:30-8:30, Arts Lounge
Film Screening: A Closer Walk
The stories of more than 50 women, men and young people in Uganda, South Africa, Haiti, Switzerland, India, Nepal, Ukraine, Cambodia and the US. Consider the underlying causes of AIDS and the universal need for action, compassion, and commitment to counter what has become the worst plague in human history.

Tuesday November 25
5:30-7:00, Lev Bukhman Room, 2nd floor Shatner
Being positive about positivity
Workshop: learn how to be an ally to those who are positive

Wednesday November 26th

7:00-8:00, Thompson House Restaurant

Coffee House, “Looking Forward: East African Perspectives”
Come hear from your peers:
Philip Osano (PhD candidate, geography, McGill): “Dynamics of HIV in Lake Victoria fishing communities”
William Tayeebwa (PhD candidate, communication studies, Concordia): “Civil society alternatives to global funding for HIV/AIDS”
Angela Ngaira (Graduate student, African studies, McGill): “HIV/AIDS in East African urban centers”
Stanley Riamit (Master’s candidate, anthropology, McGill): “Dynamics of HIV/AIDS in the Maasai community”

Thursday November 27th
7:00-10:00, Gert’s
Music and Movement
Come explore HIV/AIDS through art ($5 suggested donation)
Urban Groove Dance Project
Spoken word artists: Rachna Bohra and Paris Sea
Jazz ensemble
Folk-rock band Late for Dinner

Friday November 28th
12:30-1:30, Lev Bukhman room, 2nd floor Shatner
“HIV Drug Resistance: How does it work and how can we counteract these effects?”
Dr. Matthias Gotte, Associate Professor in Biochemical Virology at McGill

7:00-9:00, Redpath Museum Auditorium

Dr. Kenneth Mayer, Professor of Medicine and Community Health at Brown University, Director of Brown University AIDS Program, and the Chief of the Infectious Disease Division of Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island
*To be followed by a candlelight vigil with a performance by Soulstice

Hello MGACers and World AIDS Week People!

This year we have decided to take on a fundraising initiative called the Give A Day Campaign. Essentially, it is to encourage professionals to donate one day’s worth of their salary to Dignitas International. (There is more information on what Dignitas is in the attached letter) What I am asking you to do is to contact your professors and ask them to join us in our fight against AIDS. Ask them if they would be interested in allying with us and helping us to promote Give A Day to their fellow colleagues. The game plan is to have lunch meetings with different departments where we explain what the pandemic is and how Give A Day will help those in need. The lunch meetings will be planned between Nov. 17 and Nov 21. During the meeting we will encourage the professors to donate either during the meeting through cheque or online - the Give a Day website has a paypal account.

It is a great time of year - as Christmas is the time of charity. If you do decide to contact your professors please let me know which professors you intend on contacting so we do not ask the same professor twice. I can be contacted at: dasami.moodley@mail.mcgill.ca.

If done well, the success rate of Give A Day can be enormous. One law firm earned 90 000 dollars alone.  Other universities and hospitals across the country have done the project before and seen excellent results. If you have any questions regarding the project contact me, or if you have a professor in mind but are unsure of how to frame your email contact me as well.

If everyone contacted just one professor the campaign could make a big difference.

Thanks for your support,

Dasami

Click to view the Give a Day pitch (Word document, email template to send to professors). Right click and “save target as…” to download the document.
Give a Day pitch.doc

Wednesday October 29th

Trick or Treatment Bakesale!!!

MGAC is hosting our annual Trick-or-Treatment bakesale at the Education Building, McGill University, from 10:00-3:00!!

MSF McGill presents LEAVING ON A MISSION: A MSF EXPAT’S STORY featuring: Patrick Lemieux!
When: Monday October 20th 6PM

Where: Leacock 232

What: The story of Patrick, who has worked with MSF for 7 years and has been on missions to 12 countries including Kosovo, DRC, Burundi, Ivory Coast, Afghanistan and Chad! He was Manager, including Emergency Coordinator and Head of Mission, of emergency relief projects in the field and worked to coordinate finances, logistics and communications with government and non-government personnel, as well as supervise multidisciplinary teams of over 275 staff!

Learn about MSF, what it takes to leave on a mission and the challenges that are faced in the field! Come listen to a great speaker…bring your eyes, ears and mouths to take in this special event!
Refreshments will be served! Bring friends, and questions!

Symposium: Update on HIV Treatment in Africa: Practical and Research Perspectives

Presented by: ATARAO

When: Monday, October 20th from 10:00-16:00 (come for the sessions you are most interested in- or the whole day!)

Where: Conference room “Rights and Democracy”, 10th floor, 1001 Boul Maisonneuve East, Corner Amherst (Metro Berri UQAM)
See the attached poster for conference details!

Presented by ATARAO