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Two University of South Carolina
(USC) School of Library and Information Science researchers have helped
incarcerated teenaged students write a 30-page graphic novel titled “AIDS in
the End Zone.” The 15- to 19-year-old incarcerated students are from the South
Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice. The students created the fictional story
of a high school football player who will do anything to recoup his starting
quarterback position, including attempting to get his rival infected with HIV.
USC Assistant Professor Karen Gavigan, Associate Professor Kendra Albright, and
illustrator Sarah Petrulis all worked with the students to write the novel. “We
wanted the book to be written by the target audience…[and] in the local
vernacular,” declared Albright. The book is written by and for South Carolina
teenagers to educate other teens about HIV/AIDS and to prevent the spread of
the disease.
Gavigan and Albright worked with the
teenagers to build the story line, create the characters, and fine-tune the
dialogue. The book includes facts about HIV/AIDS intertwined into a graphic
novel format. The researchers hope it will help improve understanding and stop
the spread of HIV among South Carolina’s youth population. South Carolina ranks
eighth in the United States for new HIV cases, while Columbia, S.C., ranks
sixth nationally among metropolitan areas. Young black males make up the
highest at-risk group in South Carolina.
The researchers will expand the
project to young adults at public libraries through an Association for Library
and Information Science Education grant. Their next step will be to work with
the Richland County Public Library System to determine the books’ success in
increasing teens’ understanding of HIV/AIDS. “AIDS in the End Zone” contains
HIV prevention, testing, and treatment information. Gavigan and Albright plan
to survey teens before and after reading the book to see if the teens’
knowledge and understanding of the disease changes. The two eventually want to
test the book on students in at-risk schools, with the ultimate goal being to
bring the book to a national and international audience, with each book written
in the culture and language of its audience.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
