SUBJECT: Presentation of SIDACULT-network.

Project of the Regional Office for Culture in Latin America and the Caribbean of UNESCO, in the framework of the Programme A Cultural Approach to the Prevention and Care of HIV-AIDS

Dear colleagues:

I have the pleasure to present the Project for the establishment the network SIDACULT-net, which is a regional network of professionals and institutionsunited by culture and art in the struggle against AIDS, and that constitutes a new action by our regional office in the framework of the Programme “A Cultural Approach to the Prevention and Care of HIV-AIDS”.

In annex 1 you will see the nature of the network and its work objectives, as well as other information that will give you an overall view of the Project, which was conceived as from consultations and meetings with specialists and creators of different artistic manifestations developed in our Office (see annex 2).

We submit the proposal of SIDACULT-net for your consideration and to receive your suggestions and proposals as well as to identify relevant professionals and institutions from your respective countries that could be invited to become a member of this regional network through the information contained in annex 1.

We will highly appreciate the distribution of the information contained in annex 1 for the registration of professionalsinterested, in the country under your responsibility, working on the subject of the cultural approach and to return them to us by 15 September.

Warm regards,

Herman van Hooff

Director

ANNEX 1

SIDACULT-net

Project of the Regional Office for Culture in Latin America and the Caribbean of UNESCO, in the framework of the Programme A Cultural Approach to the Prevention and Care of HIV-AIDS

REGIONAL NETWORK OF CREATORS, PROMOTERS, MANAGERS, COMMUNICATORS AND CULTURAL, SOCIAL AND COMMUNICATIONAL HEALTH INSTITUTIONS, UNITED BY ART IN THE STRUGGLE AGAINST HIV/AIDS

What is the Network?

SIDACULT-net is a non-profit making associated group that gathers individuals and institutions from Latin America and the Caribbean, devoted to the multidisciplinary struggle against HIV/AIDS from a cultural approach, through the development of projects and artistic creation, creativity and cultural promotion.

Which is the purpose of the Network?

The network intends to become a wide space of concerted action, visibility, promotion and multidisciplinary exchange of experiences and information for professionals and institutions devoted to the struggle against HIV/AIDS in their different areas of action, through the artistic creation, creativity and cultural promotion, based on the characteristics of each region, country, territory and community. All this centered in the implementation of working projects, individual or collective ones, aimed at the development of different proposals of artistic creation and its dissemination among different publics.

Based on the potentialities of art, The Networkhas the purpose to establish operative relations among cultural creators, promoters, managers, communicators, cultural, communicational, sanitary and social institutions of different profiles as well as among different governmental, non-governmental and social institutions with different profiles involved in the establishment and efficient follow-up of artistic creation processes and its relevant dissemination, directly or indirectly linked with the prevention work, care and efficient social response-giving to the impact of HIV/AIDS and its projection in the contemporary society.

In this respect, The Network should work in the synergy of joint projects of professionals and institutions of the region, which will be expressed in the development of an agenda of high quality cultural proposals and a wide spectrum of artistic manifestations and promotional actions, contained in a solid programme with the necessary funds for its relevant dissemination.

The Network also wishes to stimulate the systematic and integrating work, to facilitate the development of specialized communicational and training strategies, taking into account the possibilities of cultural promotion, creativity and projects of artistic creation in the activation of specific means and ways of relating with different segments of the population.

Considering the unequal social, economic and technological development of each territory, The Network will try to multiply its contacts in order to reach all the instances and persons related with our work, through different means and strategies, of communication and exchange, between the members of The Network.

As a space for consultation and exchange of information and experiences, The Networkintends to become a forum containing the current stage of the working processes of its members and of other relevant sources, so as to ensure the exchange of knowledge and regularization of the results obtained and applied methodologies in the exercise of creative work and cultural promotion, to obtain appropriate options with a wider renovated cultural approach of the problem of HIV/AIDS.

In this way we shall be able to structure specialized mechanisms in the monitoring and evaluation of the impact of artistic creation in the socio-cultural behavior variations of different segments of the population and in the adequate social address to HIV/AIDS, as from the knowledge and support of projects presented by members of The Network.

On the Members, the Structure and the Functioning ofThe Network.

The Networkwill de integrated by professionals and institutions from different areas related to artistic creation, cultural promotion, health, communication and representation of governmental bodies and NGO´s, as well as by numerous social organizations of different profiles, working systematically in the prevention and care of HIV/AIDS, its causes and effects, as from a multidisciplinary cultural perspective.

Those interested can become members personally or institutionally.

The Networkwill have the following structure:

oGeneral Coordinator: will be responsible for establishing links between the members and to give follow-up to concept, implementation and management of working projects and programmes as well as of the relations with other relevant organizations.

oConsultative Council: formed by the General Coordinator and tour representative members, in charge of evaluating and recommending as well as living new working strategies ensuring the development of projects presented by the members of The Network.

oMembers: Professionals and institutions of the region and from other areas interested in our working subjects.

The Network will work with a selection and permanent information register containing coverage of the working objectives in Latin America and the Caribbean, for its dissemination and contact. Based on this, an evaluation will be made of the permanent actions aimed at a meeting among professionals and institutions in different areas and the exchange of experiences support to projects of creation and dissemination, as well as to unite joint proposals validating results that could be extended to other contexts.

Likewise, a web site will be established to facilitate updated information, exchange, consultation and follow-up of working projects and programmes agreed upon among the members of The Networkand other bodies, with whom we will share the efforts to make of art, creativity and cultural promotion, main paths in the reduction of the effects of HIV/AIDS in our region and other parts of the World.

How to become an active member of The Network?

Those interested in becoming part of The Networkcan directly contact the Coordinating Committee by sending the information related below. One can become a personal or institutional member, with no cost and can participate through the presentation of personal projects or by supporting other projects or actions liked to the profile of association.

NETWORKMEMBERSHIP FORM

□ Individual

□ Institution, Organization or Entity

  • Name of the person
  • Profession or work
  • Name of Institution, Organization or Entity
  • Institutional profile
  • Telephone
  • E-mail
  • Web Site
  • Fax
  • Postal address
  • City
  • State
  • Country

Type of Project:

  • Description of the Project:
  • (specifiy an artistic manifestation, creativity project or cultural promotion)

In every case, a brief description of the project and its working programme, as well as other information of general interest must be enclosed.

Requests should be sent to Mrs. Helena M. Domech, at the Regional Office for Culture of UNESCO/Havana to the following postal and e-mail address:

ADDRESS: Calzada No. 551, esquina a D, Vedado, Ciudad de La habana, Cuba. Apartado postal 4158 Email:

With the creation of The Networkits website will be presentedSIDACULT-net that will contain up-dated information of the members and their projects, cultural agenda of the Network as well as other sections enabling the exchange of experiences among professionals and other institutions linked to the cultural work and the prevention and care of HIV/AIDS.