- Source: The Mpowerment Project
The Mpowerment Project is a model community building and HIV prevention program designed specifically to address the needs of young adult gay/bisexual men ages 18 – 29. It is the first documented HIV prevention intervention for young gay/bisexual men to succeed in reducing sexual risk behavior. The program has been developed, evaluated, and continually refined by prominent behavioral scientists from the University of California, San Francisco's Center for AIDS Prevention Studies, the largest research center in the world dedicated to social, behavioral, and policy science approaches to HIV.
In 1999, it was one of the first programs to be included in the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's Compendium of HIV Prevention Interventions with Evidence of Effectiveness. It is the only program included that is designed specifically to address the HIV Prevention needs of young gay/bisexual men and other young men who have sex with men (MSM). The Mpowerment Project uses outreach, a drop-in center, and community-building efforts to strengthen young gay men's self-esteem, positive relationships, and social support. The project addresses HIV testing, PrEP, condom use, and staying on one's medications if one is living with HIV. Additionally, the project addresses interpersonal and social factors that affect the lives of young gay/bisexual men.
History
Recognizing the critical need for HIV prevention programs for young gay/bisexual men, Dr. Susan Kegeles and Dr. Robert Hays (1955-2001), research psychologists at the Center for AIDS Prevention Studies (CAPS) at the University of California, San Francisco, applied for funding to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) to design, implement, and evaluate a community-level HIV prevention program for young gay/bisexual men. Their five-year grant was awarded in 1990.
They pilot tested the program in Santa Cruz, CA. Based on encouraging results, they refined the program and implemented it in a second community (Eugene, OR), where it was named the Mpowerment Project. Following the program's success in Eugene, it was replicated in Santa Barbara, CA. In 1995 Drs. Kegeles and Hays received a second five-year grant from the NIMH to further develop the program for use in major metropolitan areas across the U.S. Dr. Greg Rebchook, a research psychologist who had worked at a department of public health and at a community-based organization, joined the team in 1996. This new grant enabled them to implement the Mpowerment Project in Albuquerque, NM – where the project was called MPower (1997–1998); and in Austin, TX – where the project was called Austin Men's Project / AMP (1999–2000). Since 2002, numerous organizations have implemented the program with varying success.
The Mpowerment Project is cost-effective compared with many other HIV prevention strategies. The cost per HIV infection prevented is far less than the lifetime medical costs of HIV disease. In 2005 the RAND Corporation developed a mathematical model of the cost of a wide variety of HIV prevention interventions. The Mpowerment Project is listed as the most cost-effective intervention.
Project structure
The project is made of the Core Group, volunteers, and the Community Advisory Board (CAB).
The Core Group consists of 10-15 members who represent the demographics of that particular project's local gay and bisexual men's community. Volunteers are those who cannot devote as much time to the Core Group, but would still like to contribute. Volunteers are what help the program be as cost effective as it is.
The Community Advisory Board (CAB) is available for the Core Group and volunteers. Consisting of members of the LGBT community, the CAB provide relevant advice for the Core Group and volunteers of GBT young adults.
The Mpowerment Project manual
The Mpowerment Project manual was released in 2002 and updated in 2010. The project manual is a free download on the Mpowerment Project website. The individually bound modules cover the following program components:
Module 1: Overview
Module 2: Community Assessment – Knowing your community
Module 3: Implementing Agency
Module 4: Coordinators
Module 5: Core Group & Volunteers
Module 6: Project Space
Module 7: Formal Outreach – Social outreach events and outreach team
Module 8: Informal Outreach
Module 9: M-Groups
Module 10: Publicizing the Mpowerment Project
Module 11: The Community Advisory Board
Module 12: Monitoring and Evaluation
Module 13: M-Group Facilitator’s Guide
Module 14: M-Group Meeting Guide
Adaptation of the Mpowerment Project to African American / Black gay and bisexual men/MSM
Adaptation of the Mpowerment Project to Latino gay and bisexual men/MSM
Spanish translation of the Mpowerment manual
Mpowerment Projects in the United States
= Alabama
=Birmingham - MPowerment
= Alaska
=Anchorage – AMP Anchorage Men's Project
= California
=Orange County - Somos OC
San Diego – MPowerSD
San Diego – In The Mix
San Francisco - BRIDGEMEN
= Florida
=Ft. Lauderdale – M Project
Wilton Manors - SOMOS - Latinos Salud
Orlando - The Gathering Center
= Georgia
=Atlanta – Evolution Project
= Idaho
=Pocatello – Genesis Project
Boise - mpowermentBOI hosted by Allies Linked for the Prevention of HIV and AIDS
= Illinois
=Champaign-Urbana – Mpowerment CU
Charleston-Mattoon - Mpowerment Charleston-Mattoon
= Indiana
=Bloomington – IlluMENate
= Iowa
=Iowa City – Mpowerment Iowa City
= Louisiana
=Lafayette – FM Project
New Orleans – reVision, ME + U
= Michigan
=Detroit – MPowerment Detroit
Detroit - R.E.C. Boyz
= Minnesota
=Minneapolis – PrideAlive
= Missouri
=St. Louis - Mpower STL
Springfield - Haven MPowerment
= New Jersey
=Asbury Park - Project R.E.A.L
Trenton – E=MC2: Empowering Men 2 Create Change
Camden - Project K.I.S. Keeping It Safe
= New Mexico
=Albuquerque – MPower
Albuquerque - MPower New Mexico Alumni
= New York
=Long Island - MPowerment LI
Manhattan - MPO
Queens - Holatinos
Bronx BxMpowerment
= North Carolina
=Raleigh – M Club
= Ohio
=Cleveland - Beyond Identities Community Center
Columbus - Greater Columbus Mpowerment Center - [1]
Dayton – Mu Crew
Toledo - Toledo Mpowerment
= Oregon
=Portland - Pivot
= Pennsylvania
=Harrisburg/Lancaster, Pa - Mpower Pa
= South Carolina
=Charleston - CHAMP CHarleston Area Mpowerment Project
= Texas
=El Paso – The M Factor
Austin – The Q Austin
Dallas - United Black Ellument
Dallas - Fuse
= Utah
=Salt Lake City – The Village
= Vermont
=Brattleboro – The Men's Program
Burlington – GLAM www.GLAMvt.org
= Washington
=Olympia - Mpowerment Olympia
Seattle – The MPowerment Project
Spokane - Inland Northwest Men's Experience (INMx)
= West Virginia
=Morgantown – Morgantown Mpowerment Project
See also
Advocates for Youth
List of LGBT community centers
References
External links
Official The Mpowerment Project website
The Center for AIDS Prevention Studies at the University of California San Francisco
Effective Interventions.org: Centers for Disease Control Effective Interventions Site
Rand Corporation.org: "Cost-Effective Allocation of Government Funds for Preventing HIV"
Kata Kunci Pencarian:
- The Mpowerment Project
- List of LGBTQ medical organizations
- University of California, San Francisco Medical Center
- Chan Zuckerberg Biohub
- UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital
- UCSF School of Medicine
- Langley Porter Psychiatric Institute
- Industry Documents Library
- University of California, San Francisco
- Gladstone Institutes
