Safe Games 2010: Vancouver, Canada
SafeGames 2010 (www.safegames2010.com), a consortium of local, national, and international harm-reduction and advocacy organisations, is working to ensure that Vancouver residents and international visitors celebrate safely during the upcoming Winter Olympics.
Modelled after Salt Lake Cityʼs successful SafeGames 2002 initiative, SafeGames 2010 will employ a wide array of outreach and advocacy practices. SafeGamesʼ teams of 200-plus outreach workers will distribute SafeKits containing condoms, lube, lip balm, hand heaters, glow sticks, DVDs, and other incentives, as well as informational cards and referrals to local service providers and resources.
Stationing themselves at high-traffic pedestrian corners, special events, and areas adjacent to vendor tents, clubs, bars, and hotels, the intervention will reach large numbers of people.
The SafeGamesʼ outreach teams will be easily identified by their distinctive SafeGames hats and superhero alter egos, including Captain Condom, Methadone Man, Buprenorphine Babe, PInk Storm, Epidemiology Guy, Bi-Curious, and the Caped and Always-Protected Crusader.
With an estimated 500,000 people expected to attend the Olympic games, and many more flooding the city to celebrate, SafeGames 2010 will be kept busy getting its harm reduction message across. In addition to safer sex, SafeGames will be promoting responsible alcohol and drug consumption - including health and safe use information - and providing referrals to support groups as well as to public transportation information resources, to ensure that everyone gets to their destinations safely.
In addition to its street outreach teams, SafeGamesʼ website (www.safegames2010.com) will be a vital resource for locals and visitors to Vancouver. The website will provide a wide range of local resources and contacts to help inform and connect site visitors with informational videos and handouts, various harm reduction services available during the Olympics, and information on SafeGamesʼ consortium members. The SafeGames 2010 website will also be a key source for gaining first-hand information on
SafeGames-hosted presentations, film series, parties, and contests.
While SafeGames 2010 is looking to take advantage of the opportunity to educate people who may not be aware of the risks of their own behaviour, it is also designed to highlight the City of Vancouverʼs reputation as a global leader in innovative harm reduction policies and practices, and to support the ongoing work of the many organizations working to provide solutions to Vancouverʼs public health challenges.
For more information, visit www.safegames2010.com
Media Inquiries Contact:
Evolutionary Media Group
Alanna Navitski / (1) 323-658-8700 / Alanna@emgpr.com
Jennifer Gross / (1) 323-658-8700 / Jennifer@emgpr.com
SafeGames 2010
Luciano Colonna / (1) 801 635 7736 / colonna@safegames2010.com