There are many innovative ways to make condom usage more appealing. Exotic flavors, ultra-thin latex, and textured condoms “ribbed for pleasure” all make condoms more exciting.

However, their rate of usage remains inconsistent.

Launching the Condom Design Contest

Faced with this challenge, Say It With A Condom partnered with Frannie Peabody Center to help make condoms more fun.

Frannie Peabody Center, a nonprofit in Portland, Maine, invited a class of students at the Maine College of Art to design condom packaging that raises awareness of testing and prevention on World AIDS Day.

Donna Galluzzo, the Executive Director of Frannie Peabody Center, sees World AIDS Day as an occasion to honor those lost during the AIDS crisis while raising awareness for modern prevention methods.

Creating the Condom Designs

For the graphic design class, this was an opportunity to gain real-world design experience. “This class treated us, Frannie Peabody Center, as their client,” says Galluzzo, “It’s a very real-world experience for them. We all meet together, they interview us, and they talk about what we are looking for.”

The more visually interesting a condom package, the more likely someone will pick it up to find out what it is. Frannie Peabody Center understood this, so they instructed the design students to combine positive messaging with unique patterns and colors.

After giving the class direction at the beginning of the fall semester, they had a mid-semester meeting to present their drafts and receive constructive feedback. This feedback culminated in the students’ final designs.

“We wanted the designs to be attractive and colorful, but they also had to spread the right message, respect our clients, and appeal to a large variety of groups,” Galluzzo notes, “That was a very fine line to walk, but I think the folks at Say It With A Condom really understood that. The class really got it as well, the designs all had something unique about them but they were all very respectful.”

Rocking the Vote

Once the entries were submitted, Say It With A Condom developed an online voting platform that allowed the community to vote on their favorite design. Not only did Frannie Peabody Center send people to vote online, they also went to events throughout Portland to conduct in-person voting sessions.

“It was really fun to engage the public,” says Galluzzo, “people of course were picking up the condoms and reading the messages. We got to hear what their thoughts were in real time. Some thought it was all about the style, while others thought it was more about the positive messaging. We even got to see parents explaining condoms to their kids right in the moment, so it was definitely quite the engagement!”

In total, over 850 votes were cast. The competition was close, but Hayden Jones’s “Every Connection Counts” design won!

Who Was Frannie Peabody?

Frannie Peabody, the namesake of her eponymous nonprofit, began her work as an activist at the age of eighty following her grandson’s AIDS diagnosis. “I wish that I had met Frannie,” says Galluzzo, “every time I talk to someone who did know her, she becomes a larger than life figure.”

Following the death of her grandson, she became involved in visiting support groups to meet with others who lost friends and loved ones during during the AIDS crisis. “She became an incredibly staunch advocate for people living with HIV and AIDS in the state of Maine,” Galluzzo says, “she went on a longstanding community campaign to raise awareness, to engage her personal community, to give, and to help.”

Asked what Frannie Peabody would have thought of the contest, Galluzzo says that “I’m sure she would have loved it.”

Visit Frannie Peabody Center’s Website, Facebook, and Instagram

Email contest@sayitwithacondom.com to Launch Your Own Condom Design Contest!

The post Frannie Peabody Center Hosts Condom Design Contest appeared first on Say It With A Condom.

Everything is black at this subversive soft-serve parlor, from the tinted windows to the interior décor. The edgy theme stands in stark contrast to the pastels associated with traditional creameries. Suzanne Serwatuk, the owner of Perverted Ventures, says that “we don’t serve vanilla cause we are not vanilla.” For Perverted Ice Cream, this is their X factor.

Since it opened last May, the shop has offered custom creations like “Beg For S’More”, a chocolate soft serve with cocoa, chocolate sauce, graham cracker and toasted marshmallow.

This October, Perverted Ice Cream launched its newest custom cone: “I Will Always Glove You.”

This date night special is made with cream ice cream, Oreo crumble, black chocolate drizzle and bourbon-soaked cherries.

It’s perfect for spooning!

For an extra $2, the cone is garnished with a condom on top, which can also be added to any of their existing flavors. The custom foils are complete with a black latex condom, consistent with Perverted Ice Cream’s ebony theme.  

Visit Perverted Ice Cream’s website, Instagram, and Facebook page to view their other custom cones! Visit our website to create your own custom foil.

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Revolución Con Don P Reaches a New Audience

The ubiquity of social media has created duality in health promotion. Raising awareness through traditional tabling methods remains crucial, but no campaign is complete without a visible online presence. Social media allows healthcare providers to overcome barriers in disseminating information to patients, and can also drive patient uptake for organizations like Fenway Health. Fenway Health is a healthcare, research, education and advocacy organization in Boston, Massachusetts whose mission includes serving the LGBTQ community. As social media grows more integrated in daily life, some providers have evolved their digital strategy to reach new audiences. Ricardo Holguin, the Bilingual Outreach Navigator at Fenway Health, has revolutionized outreach to the Latinx MSM (Men that have Sex with Men) population by developing an approachable persona on Snapchat.

Holguin built his campaign with a federally funded grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The grant’s name is “Llegando a Cero,” which translates to “Getting to Zero” in English. This project was awarded to Fenway Health to enhance targeted outreach, social media marketing, and on-the-ground navigation services in order to help increase awareness of HIV and substance abuse prevention services, in part through the creation of Holguin’s current position as Bilingual Outreach Navigator. “Many campaigns adopt a very serious tone which can scare people away,” Holguin notes. “I asked myself how I could best engage with 18-24-year-old Latinx MSM.” Holguin knew that the best way to spread information is through social media, but he wanted to create something different. After weeks of deliberation, Holguin had a genius idea: Revolución con Don P. “Condom in Spanish translates to condón,” Holguin explains, “I separated the word and realized it translates to ‘with Don.’ In Spanish, Don is the male form of a courtesy title placed before the first name of someone as a way of showing respect. The name Don P is a play on words. Revolución Con Don P means ‘Revolution With Condoms.’” The “P” in Don P is variable, it can mean prevention, precaution, or even PrEP.

Don P is the face of Holguin’s social media campaign, which spans across Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and dating apps such as Grindr. The persona primarily targets young Latinx MSM , a population that’s disproportionately affected by HIV. Research from the CDC projects that “one in four Latino gay and bisexual men will be diagnosed with HIV during their lifetimes.” Holguin’s goal is to reduce the stigma surrounding HIV while providing them with links to needed services. The anonymity and transience on Snapchat provides Holguin’s followers with a sense of privacy and freedom, emboldening them to ask questions they may otherwise feel uncomfortable asking.

Holguin acquires followers through word of mouth, but he also spreads awareness of Revolución con Don P by attending outreach events in person. As he began attending more events, Holguin realized he needed a memorable way to stay in touch with people. Fenway Health already provides safe sex kits, but Holguin needed something that included information about where people can get tested.  Holguin says that “as I began researching potential options, I found Say It With A Condom! It was exactly what I was looking for.”

After enlisting their services, Say It With A Condom connected Holguin with Gilberto Perez, the manager of the company’s graphic design team. “What I like about Ricardo is that he knows exactly how to approach the target demographic,” says Perez, “I found that his Snapchat campaign is a great way to interact with young people.” Benjamin Sherman, the founder and CEO of Say It With A Condom, remarked that “We’ve worked on a lot of campaigns, but this one is something that’s really special and what I hope will be very successful. It’s a lot different than everything else that has come to us or that we’ve designed.” The design, which includes Don P’s snapcode image on the back of the trifold, makes it easier for Holguin to gain followers.

“If people don’t want to give me their information, I have them follow Don P on Snapchat and let them know that they can always speak to him confidentially,” says Holguin, “Once that happens, I can build rapport with them and gain their trust. The more I start posting, the more people relate to the content.”

Add Don P on Snapchat by Using this Snapcode

The Don P condoms have already helped drive patient uptake. “People love the engagement,” says Holguin, “I get lots of people asking where they can get tested. Fenway Health has already had an influx of Latinos aged 18-24 coming in for testing since we launched the campaign.” Holguin hopes that by providing a space for people to engage his health expertise anonymously, he’ll be able to prevent risky behavior. Additionally, the campaign was created to bring more resources to the large population of Spanish speakers throughout Boston. By providing culturally sensitive care, Don P is able to confidentially connect more people from the Latinx MSM community to the resources that they need to protect their sexual health.

The post Fenway Health Maximizes Outreach with Custom Condoms appeared first on Say It With A Condom.

 

President Trump attended a groundbreaking ceremony in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin earlier today for a planned Foxconn factory that has sparked controversy throughout the state. Foxconn, an electronics company known for producing Apple products, was given $3 billion in incentives by Wisconsin to build the factory. While proponents of the plant hope that it will spark job-growth and redefine the Milwaukee area as a digital technology hub, critics believe that Governor Scott Walker authorized the tax incentives to aid his re-election bid.

One Wisconsin Now, a progressive outfit based in Madison, believes the plant is not worth the multi-billion-dollar investment. The organization wanted to create a unique way to protest the proposed plant at the state’s Democratic Convention, and after some deliberation, they settled on custom condoms. While the condoms were a hit, they also provoked the local news media to ask whether the condoms “had gone too far.”

I spoke with Analiese Eicher, One Wisconsin Now’s Program Director, who created the custom condoms on our website. Analiese told me about the plant, the implications it has on Wisconsin’s economy, and her reaction to the blowback her condoms created in the local news.

Scott Walker, Donald Trump, Terry Gou, and Paul Ryan break ground for Foxconn’s planned facilities in Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin on June 28

Tell me more about this proposed Foxconn Plant and the controversy it’s stirred in Wisconsin

It’s a re-election year for Governor Scott Walker, he’s running for a third term despite his shortcomings as governor. Part of his re-election plan was to cut a deal with a Taiwanese manufacturer called Foxconn, and the deal involved handing over a significant amount of our taxpayer dollars to bring them here. There were a lot of unanswered questions regarding labor; we didn’t know if Wisconsin companies were being used to build the plant or whether or not Wisconsinites would be hired to work in the facility.

But one of the most shocking things was looking into other plants that Foxconn runs. The CEO of Foxconn has called his workers animals. Some of their plants actually have suicide nets outside of their buildings because of the terrible working conditions. Lots of concerns were raised, and there was a lot of opposition from our constituents. But, Governor Walker wanted to be able to say that he’s brought jobs into Wisconsin during an election year. We later found out that this was the largest give-away to a foreign company by a state in all of American history, at a cost of 4.5 billion dollars to taxpayers.

How did the idea for condoms originate and where were they distributed?

We were thinking about how we can push back against this plant and bring attention to the deal. We were preparing to table at the Democratic Party of Wisconsin’s convention. There are ten people who have made the ballot to challenge Governor Walker in this August’s Democratic Primary. One Wisconsin Now loves to have fun, so we were brainstorming in one of our morning meetings when Scot Ross, our Executive Director, said out of the blue that we should get condoms because “we’re all getting screwed.” Scot tasked me with figuring out the plan moving forward, so I started googling “custom condoms,” which is how I came upon your website! We started there and began thinking about what we would put on them and how Scott Walker’s image and our Twitter handle could be tied in, and that’s how the Foxconndoms came to be.

The condoms were very popular among all age groups. Our booth happened to be adjacent to the Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin table which also handed out condoms, and someone joked that our condoms won the condom straw poll.

How did you first hear that the condoms were reported on by the local news?

We’re pretty aware of what’s said about us and the things we’re doing online. We actually provided all of the press covering the convention with packets containing the Foxconndoms. This way, they could see what our booth was handing out while also learning about our economic agenda. We were hoping to draw attention to the latter, but everyone wanted to talk about the Foxconndoms! This led to the Facebook post.

I thought it was funny that they asked whether or not the condom went too far considering that contraception is an important part of sexual health. There are some who would like to see greater access to contraception and others that would like to see it eliminated, so we definitely don’t think it went too far. We found some of the backlash from the commenters pretty entertaining, but at the end of the day it drew attention to the issue of Foxconn and this 4.5 billion dollar handout that they were given by the state. That was our goal.

It seems like a major point of contention among the comments is that the plant will bring jobs to the state. How would you respond to these comments?

There’s really nothing in the proposal that guarantees the workers at this plant come from Wisconsin. This plant is going to be very close to the Illinois border, so we expect that many of the workers will come from Illinois. We’ve also seen in other Foxconn plants that human workers are being replaced with machinery and robots. There are no guarantees of long-term employment, that the workers will be paid a living wage, or that they will even have jobs. There’s a lot of uncertainty surrounding this proposal.

To learn more about One Wisconsin Now, visit their website

The post One Wisconsin Now Creates “Foxconndoms” to Raise Awareness for Controversial Plant appeared first on Say It With A Condom.

Below is a lightly edited transcription of an interview we did with Brett:

What exactly is WeHo Life?

WeHo Life is a program that is specifically targeted to gay men’s and transgender women’s health.

The overall organization targets much more than that, but it is divided up into specific branches in order to implement the most effective strategies in advocating for LGBT rights. The entire program is actually funded by the city of West Hollywood, and they are very proactive in making sure that everyone is receiving the proper care they need.

What are some services offered by the center?

The program offers services for testing, PrEP, mental health services, programs targeting homeless youth, transgender services, and more.

This organization really is all encompassing. WeHo life specifically also offer strip surveys, which is a unique and fun way to interact with the program. For every question on the survey someone answers, a porn star takes off one article of clothing. Who wouldn’t want to participate in that?

How has this organization influenced the West Hollywood area?

People have learned to become more accepting to this culture. The gay population in WeHo is a very prominent one, and being able to advocate for them has allowed people to become more open-minded and accepting to this community.

Our online programs have reached people in all fifty states, and even different countries. People in Russia are watching our videos, and it’s incredible because gay men there don’t have a safe haven like this, but we can give them that through our online program. It’s amazing what technology can do nowadays!

What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced while working with the Los Angeles LGBT Center?

West Hollywood is not a very diverse area. It consists of mostly caucasian people, and the majority of the gay population here is muscular, white males. However, there is a latino population as well, and they do not receive the proper attention that they need due to their background.

The LGBT Latino population between the ages of 19-25 still has a disproportionately higher rate of HIV, but it is something that the Los Angeles LGBT Center is actively working to change!

How did your partnership with Say It With A Condom help enhance the delivery of your message?

The customized condom foils provided by Say It With A Condom are terrific and actually very popular. People want to take them because of the creative packaging. And that accomplishes our goal of making sure people have access to and are making use of these tools.

Where do you see the program going in the future?

I am focusing on pushing the use of condoms despite the introduction of PrEP. I also want to make sure that there is a continued sense of awareness surrounding the LGBT community and HIV. People need to stay informed so that they don’t feel ashamed. Inclusion is key, especially in West Hollywood considering the discrimination people face due to their body type or ethnicity.

The post Getting People On PrEP With Brett Holland of the LA LGBT Center appeared first on Say It With A Condom.

Formerly called BEBASHI (Blacks Education Blacks About Sexual Health Issues), Bebashi Transition to Hope was founded in 1985 as the first full-service HIV/AIDS organization that caters primarily to people of color in Philadelphia. Bebashi aims to address the AIDS crisis among disadvantaged populations in their community by providing resources for sexual health education, HIV prevention, hunger relief, and other needed social services.

Dr. Rashidah Abdul-Khabeer, the founder of Bebashi, was struck by how undermined the black community was amid the growing AIDS crisis. “There was very little acknowledgment nationally or locally about the impact that HIV was having on our community,” says Abdul-Khabeer. Drawing from her experience as an activist in The Civil Rights Movement, Abdul-Khabeer believed that more needed to be done, which culminated in the foundation of Bebashi. In the words of Philadelphia Senator Vincent Hughes, “Bebashi was the first in the nation to walk into a space that everyone else walked away from.”

Bebashi serves approximately 21,000 individuals annually and provides a comprehensive array of services that empower low-income individuals to improve their health and overall well-being. Gary Bell, the Executive Director of Bebashi, believes that his organization is uniquely poised to spread culturally sensitive, health-related information in his community. “I think that’s what separates us,” says Bell, “because aside from the mission itself, there’s a cultural competence that we have that could reach folks with a message they will listen to and understand.”

A More Modern Campaign

Led by Brenda Alexander, Bebashi’s Communications Specialist, Bebashi took hold of its own marketing campaign. Alexander felt that Bebashi needed to implement a more modern approach to their marketing, so she employed the services of Say It With A Condom. While Bebashi has provided condoms to their community for decades, with Say It With A Condom, they will now be able to provoke a conversation about their initiatives while doing so.

The Custom Trifold Condoms, designed by Tiffany Mercer-Robbins (CEO of The Mercer Suite), combine a compelling message with eye-catching artwork that provides Bebashi with the tool they were looking for.

“People come into our offices every single day for condoms,” Brenda exclaims, “And the power of the Trifold, I think, is that it is more than just a condom; it is a weapon of education and information that will hopefully grab people’s attention.

 

Bebashi – Transition to Hope

Since being founded in 1985, Bebashi has expanded its community-based initiatives with a broad array of projects. In 2014, Bebashi founded the Resource Navigation program, which helps low-income individuals achieve self-sufficiency. In 2015, Bebashi launched an initiative to pay for state photo ID cards for those in poverty. In 2017, Bebashi initiated Trans Necessities, a resource where transexual individuals can obtain clothing, wigs, prosthetic breasts, binders and many other necessities.

Bebashi also boasts a committed body of volunteers who serve to make their organization more visible. “We are in the community. We like to be in the community. We don’t like to sit behind the desk,” says Antonio Adolphus, Bebashi’s Assistant Supervisor of Prevention Education, “I always like to talk about my coworkers, they’re always out there in the streets. We go to churches, we go to schools, we talk to the kids, we talks to the seniors. This is what makes Bebashi special.”

For more information about Bebashi, please visit their website at www.bebashi.org

The post Learn How Bebashi of Philadelphia Advertises Their Community Initiatives with Our Custom Condoms appeared first on Say It With A Condom.

Happy October. Do you guys know what that means? It means it’s national breast cancer awareness month!

What is breast cancer? It’s a malignant tumor, and it starts in breast cells. Unfortunately, breast cancer is the second leading cause of death among women. This is why it is so important for people to get educated on how to check for symptoms and learn their options. It’s also necessary that people know what their options are regarding genetic testing. Although rare, it is a form of cancer that can also affect men.

There are a variety of risk factors that people should be aware of. Some risk factors are in one’s control (ie. smoking) while others are not (ie. genetics). The National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc. provides a vast amount of information surrounding this topic so check them out now!

Learn about the risk factors of breast cancer here. There’s no better time to get educated than right now!

Awareness initiatives are an extremely effective way to raise awareness and education about a multitude of health-related topics. Here at Say It With A Condom, we believe that it is necessary to take the time to acknowledge all of these efforts. This is why we make it a priority to continuously update all of our various awareness campaigns! Check out some of our custom designs for all of the strong, powerful women out there!

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We’re back with our second ‘back to school’ edition article! Keep reading to learn more about how condoms have been implemented on college campuses all over the country to effectively raise awareness and spread important messages! This time we’ll be talking about the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Tufts University, UCLA, and California State University Northridge.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison has an amazing organization on campus called ‘Sex Out Loud‘ This organization is meant to promote sexual education in an open, healthy way. The organization provides students with the proper education and tools necessary to make smart decisions. The organization also has many programs all over campus, and stays really involved with the student body. Say It With A Condom was able to partner with The University of Wisconsin-Madison. The University started a contest on campus to allow students to create their own condom designs centered around consent. They did a great job, and we’re so happy to have worked with such a wonderful student body. #consentissexy

Tufts University wants to ensure that all of their students have the proper education needed to make healthy life decisions. They wanted to spread pro-consent messages throughout campus, so Tufts University partnered with Say It With A Condom to modify one of our pre-designed Consent Condoms. They are able to hand condoms out on campus while also delivering an important message. Tufts believes in spreading awareness, having proper resources, and education. Keep up the great work Tufts! We can’t wait to see what we can do together in the future.

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) has a very diverse campus with lots of opportunities. They have a large variety of clubs and extracurriculars to keep  students engaged beyond the classroom setting. They started an organization in 1965 that is knows as the Campus Events Commission. This organization was actually able to partner up with Say It With A Condom, and together we designed condoms to allow the Campus Events Commission to spread awareness for their events. They wanted to promote the activities and entertainment they provide on campus, and what better way to do so than with a custom condom?!

California State University, Northridge (CSUN) is a public university located in a neighborhood of Los Angeles. The university provides students with the opportunity to engage in many extracurricular activities. The CSUN Young Democrats were able to go above and beyond by partnering with Say It With A Condom. Together, we raised awareness about the events that they hold on campus. These efforts were successful, and they have ordered custom condoms from us several times over the past few years. It’s great to see young students making a real difference by starting a conversation and raising awareness about activities that they are passionate about. Keep up the awesome work CSUN!

It’s wonderful to see that these custom condoms are being used for all types of important causes all over the nation. We can’t wait to further our work with these amazing universities, and we wish them all the best of luck during this upcoming school year!

The post Back To School: College Spotlights Part 2 appeared first on Say It With A Condom.

Elizabeth Schedl is the Deputy Director of the Hudson Pride Connections Center located in Jersey City, New Jersey. Her organization partnered with Say It With A Condom to spread awareness on PrEP as part of their preventative service program. The Hudson Pride Connections Center caters to the LGBT community within Hudson County, and gives this community a home and a voice. Hudson Pride Connections Center has made some major changes to Hudson County, so read on to learn a bit more about what they do!

Elizabeth Schedl

Condoms Designed by Say It With A Condom

What types of services does the Hudson Pride Connections Center offer?

“We offer so much, but some of our most popular services are peer led social support groups, public events such as the youth prom and holiday dinners, drug and alcohol preventative services and workshops, residential housing, and HIV and PrEP services.”

We can see why so many people consider the Hudson Pride Connections Center a second home.

Luckily enough, this center also has a very good relationship with the police department. The police department offers their time and services at no cost to accompany employees when they do their ‘Ryan White’ HIV late night outreach program. “We’re lucky to have such a good relationship with the police. It makes us feel more safe when we’re doing our work, and considering many of our clients are from the inner-city, they feel a lot more comfortable too. They feel as if they are being accepted.”

How did you get started in this line of work?

“It’s something i’ve been interested in for quite a long time. I actually started the first ever LGBT organization on my college campus, and it received major support. We ended up winning an ‘organization of the year’ award within the first year. Then I worked for the Victory Fund in D.C. before moving back to Jersey. I’ve been working at the Hudson Pride Connections Center since then, and I’ve worked my way up to where I am now.”

It’s great to see that the employees at this center have a comprehensive background and are really devoted to their work.

What have been some major obstacles your organization has faced?

“Thankfully, Hudson County is very accepting of the LGBT community. However, it is very frustrating to see that there are still people out there today that will not acknowledge this community, or do not even know that they exist.”

We agree Elizabeth, especially with technology being at our fingertips every second of the way. Google.com is a beautiful thing.

How did your partnership with Say It With A Condom help enhance the delivery of your message?

“People love the PrEP condoms created by Say It With A Condom. They’re very informative, and I think it’s extremely important that people are being handed a direct solution to some of these issues we’re trying to combat.”

We’re happy to hear that our PrEP condoms are raising awareness and starting important conversations.

What do you hope to see happen in the future?

“I would love to see more awareness regarding PrEP. It is fairly new, but not new enough that people shouldn’t know what it is. People need to get educated and know their options.” Elizabeth also talked about how topics such as bullying and HIV need more attention.

“People still have a 1980’s understanding of HIV, but we’ve come so far since then.”

We cannot wait to see what new campaigns we can launch with the Hudson Pride Connections Center and other LGBT organizations in the future. Stay protected, and Say It With A Condom!

The post Say It With A Condom & Hudson Pride Connections Center On PrEP appeared first on Say It With A Condom.

Florida International University, located in Miami, FL, does an excellent job at promoting healthy living and safe sexual practices both on and off campus. The university runs a variety of campaigns that involve different departments within the university. We were able to talk to two influential figures at FIU: Wendy Ordóñez, the outreach coordinator for ‘The Victim Empowerment Program’ and Sofia Fernandez, the project coordinator that works to promote safe and healthy practices within the greater Miami community.

How does FIU promote sexual health and awareness on its campus?

Wendy: “FIU is extremely proactive when it comes to providing students with the tools necessary to combat any issues they may face regarding sexual health. We have multiple departments that work together to strategize and create effective campaigns on campus. The program I work with deals with consent and issues related to alcohol use.”

Sofia: “The department I am in works very closely with the health clinic to provide free HIV and STD testing for students. We also work with different student run organizations in an attempt to create a partnership and a connection with our students. Because we are a locally and federally funded project, another cool thing we get to do is community outreach. We are actually able to work with the local middle and high schools to give them the information necessary to make responsible, mature decisions when it comes to their health.”

What sorts of strategies do you use to engage the students on campus?

Wendy: “We like to use a variety of approaches to tackle our mission. We give out about 100 presentations a year on consent and responsible alcohol use as part of our ‘freshman experience’ program. We also have many tabling events throughout the year where we give away free gifts and prizes. Something that has been very effective for us is doing talks in the elevator. This way, we can catch students as they’re going about their day. One of our favorite events of the year is our sex carnival, and everyone seems to enjoy it because it’s fun for the students but also creative and interactive on our end.”

Sofia: “Since we are able to partner up with student organizations, we are able to go to their meetings and give presentations. We have also done so in classrooms and at our dorms. Since we have lots of opportunities, and we are not just based on campus, we have unique opportunities such as horse therapy, or the mindfulness project. We have been thinking of innovative ways to allow our students to cope with any issue that may arise. Also, we actively promote free HIV and STD testing on campus every Monday and Wednesday. We also have a weekly outreach program on campus with the health clinic where we are able to go and hand out information.”

How did you get started in this line of work?

Wendy: “In 2004, I was a freshman at FIU and sat in on a program about consent and responsible alcohol use. The talk really sunk in and I became really interested in the topic, but I was studying graphic design at the time so I did not know how to incorporate the two. However, after entering the workforce, I saw that I could use my creative mind to create campaigns that resonate with students, and that’s what I’ve been doing ever since.”

Sofia: “I have always been interested in this type of work. I studied social work at Florida State University and got my masters degree. I then decided to enroll in the doctoral program for social welfare at FIU, and I am currently working towards that goal. I was also lucky enough to be able to come on board as a project coordinator at FIU. I’m able to further my education while also working and helping the youth at FIU and the community around us.”

How has creativity helped enhance the message behind your campaigns?

Wendy: “Being a graphic designer, I think creativity is important in almost everything. People get tired of seeing the same, boring messages again. That’s why I created a mascot for the project I’m working on. ‘Kiwi the Alien’ is a mascot that everyone on the FIU campus knows and loves. He is just as popular as our school mascot now, and the idea behind him is to create a fun way to spread health messages in a way that students will remember. And who won’t remember a giant green alien?”

Sofia: “After seeing how successful Kiwi was, Wendy has helped me create ‘Cody the Camel’, a mascot that is now used for my specific project. FIU has a lot of different organization, programs, and events, but these mascots allow students, faculty, and staff to remember us and the work that we’re doing.”

                      ‘Cody The Camel’                                                      ‘Kiwi The Alien’

How has partnering with Say It With A Condom enhanced the delivery of your message?

Wendy: “It’s given us a creative outlet to talk about controversial, sensitive topics. Humor works wonders, and Say It With A Condom has allowed us to use that to talk about issues like consent or alcohol related incidents in a fun and approachable way. The ‘You Mustache For My Consent” condoms made the students laugh but also allowed us to send out our message. It was a win-win situation, and we really are starting effective conversations with condoms.”

Sofia: “After seeing how Say It With A Condom has positively influenced Wendy’s campaign, we decided it would greatly benefit us as well. We’re currently in the process of creating our own campaigns to start conversations with condoms, and we’re excited to see our partnership benefit my department as well.”

We can’t wait to work with you guys more either! Keep doing what you’re doing and accomplishing great things at FIU. Thanks so much Wendy and Sofia, we’re excited to see what you both accomplish next.

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