OSCC13 - Community HIV AIDS Resource Exchange CHARE Project
Channel: AvaCon Inc
Date: 2013-09-30

The real life and virtual mission of Community HIV/AIDS Resource Exchange (CHARE Project) is to provide capacity building, technical assistance, training, and social media marketing to enhance linkage and delivery of HIV/AIDS prevention, education and related services. The Kitely-based component of CHARE Project known as CHARE Village was established to increase the usability and application of OpenSim technology by HIV prevention providers, AIDS service organizations and other public health providers regardless of physical location. As with the real life CHARE Project, the objectives of the virtual-based program are to educate service providers as well as consumers; to enhance the delivery of HIV/AIDS services and resources; to expand the organization's outreach; to establish collaborative partnerships; to earn global recognition for the organization's programs; and to reduce HIV/AIDS stigma recognizing AIDS as a chronic disease; not a death threat.

As a consultant, instructor, and former HIV/AIDS project manager, Sally S. Cherry, MT(ASCP) is interested in the integration of virtual worlds and other social media platforms within real life and virtual-based health and wellness capacity building projects. Ms. Cherry's professional experience and interest in laboratory science lead to a diverse public health career as a laboratory coordinator, international medical consultant, national laboratory instructor, HIV/AIDS project manager, and STD/STI lab consultant. The interest in technology and social media fuel her professional and personal mission to integrate OpenSim technology into real life public health projects as well as providing social media capacity building, training, and marketing.

About the OpenSimulator Community Conference 2013:  The OpenSimulator Community Conference is an annual conference that focuses on the community around the OpenSimulator software.  The conference features two days of presentations, workshops, keynote sessions, and social events across diverse sectors of the OpenSimulator user base.  Organized as a joint production by the Overte Foundation and AvaCon, Inc., the first annual conference was hosted on an OpenSimulator grid specifically designed for the conference, and had 369 attendees.  

For more information see http://conference.opensimulator.org.