Outreach to Vulnerable Populations

Gang involvement and HIV/AIDS are two critical issues facing young people on Long Island. Many young people affected by or at high risk for these problems face barriers to accessing the help they need due to fear for their physical safety and stigma. Long Island Crisis Center's Outreach to Vulnerable Populations Project will utilize a mass media campaign to reach two at-risk and hard to reach groups of young people: gang involved/affected teens and young men-who-have-sex-with-men. Video public service announcements (VPSA's) will be developed to raise awareness of these issues and the availability of assistance. The VPSA's will be aired on targeted cable networks: Music Television (MTV) and Black Entertainment Television (BET) in order to reach the largest numbers of youth. The VPSA's will direct viewers to a 24 hour/7 day hotline offering immediate crisis intervention, information and referral via phone, walk-in or on-line counseling. As a further outreach strategy, posters and key chains will be developed and distributed through the agency's Street Outreach Project. Progress will be measured by documenting the number of hotline callers who found out about the hotline through the VPSA's and/or posters and key chains. NCA/NCF