CAMPINGsafe- What’s it all about!

What is the CAMPsafe program? What do you do? Those are just a few of the questions that CAMPsafe outreach workers have been asked recently. So, what is the program all about? What is CAMPsafe? What does it do?

CAMPsafe is an HIV prevention program that serves the gay/bi male community in Eastern Sussex County. CAMP Rehoboth was granted a contract in 1998 by Delaware’s Department of Public Health. This contract was to work with gay/bi men in Eastern Sussex County. Since 1998, the CAMPsafe program continues to grow with each passing year. The program started by offering outreach services only during the summer and now provides them all year round.

CAMPsafe serves the community by creating programs that are focused around the gay/bi community. The program is run by gay staff who are aware of the many complex issues that gay men face when dealing with sexual decision-making.

During 2001, CAMPsafe provided services to over 1,000 men through its programs. Below is a run-down of the programs offered by the CAMPsafe program and how many men we reached through it during 2001:

HIV Testing and Counseling

Knowing your HIV status is one of the most important things you can do if you are a sexually active gay/bi male. CAMPsafe offers free and anonymous HIV Testing and Counseling at its office on Baltimore Avenue by appointment or walk-in during the week. Along with the Sussex County AIDS Committee, CAMPsafe offers testing on Thursdays from 3-6pm. During 2001, we tested 120 individuals who came in to access this service.

Sexual Health Counseling

Sexual health counseling was begun by the CAMPsafe program because we saw the need for gay/bi men to know that there is a place they won’t be judged because of their sexual practices. CAMPsafe offers Sexual Health Counseling for gay/bi men who have questions about sexual health, or needs someone to talk to about issues they have around sex. Counseling is free and is offered by staff in a non-threatening environment. During 2001, 65 men were counseled through this program.

Condom Distribution

The outreach program of CAMPsafe is the program that allows us to be visible in the gay/bi community. During 2001, CAMPsafe supplied 12,000 condom packets to venues that the gay/bi male community frequent in Rehoboth. During the summer months, you can find CAMPsafe staff at these places, and on the beach during the weekends. On certain weekends, CAMPsafe holds special safe-Tea dances at Cloud 9. During 2001, we talked with over 500 men at our outreach events.

Social Marketing Campaign

The social marketing campaign of CAMPsafe is perhaps one of the most widely known programs. During the summer season, collectible safer sex postcards can be found at many of the places gay/bi men frequent. The postcards are very sexy and campy and provide important safer sex messages that can be found on them. 8,000 cards were handed out during 2001. Another aspect of our campaign is through Letters. Letters has donated space to the CAMPsafe program so that we can publicize our many services and create awareness around our program.

CAMPchats/M-Groups and the Community Advisory Board

These programs usually occur off-season and are geared towards the local gay/bi population. CAMPchats and M-Groups provide a group setting for gay/bi men to learn risk-reduction skills around sex and other health issues. The Community Advisory Board has become the heart of the CAMPsafe program this year. The CAB is a group of men who come together to talk about the CAMPsafe program and help evolve it to a community centered program. This allows the community members to have more input on how the program should reach out to the community.

Internet Outreach Program

CAMPsafe was given a pilot grant in December of 2001 to do outreach online to men who frequent the Internet chatrooms to find sex partners. Online staff is talking with many men who are visiting the area or who live here.