Our Manifesto

The Staying Alive Manifesto

Be Passionate

Complacency over HIV and AIDS is still killing people.
We’ve come a long way in our fight against HIV in the last 30 years, but we still have no cure and millions of people are still at great risk. We can’t take our foot off the gas now. So we’re maintaining our passionate, proactive approach to beating HIV, even if it upsets a few apple-carts in the process – an approach that we know can change the course of the epidemic.

Be Preventative

The smartest way to fight HIV AND AIDS is to cut it off at the source.
We push hard in pursuit of PREVENTION – stopping HIV before it’s even started – by equipping young people with the knowledge required to keep themselves and those around them safe from HIV. We will not just wait for a cure.

Be Open

Campaigns won’t work in isolation.
We need a multi-pronged approach in the fight against HIV – a combination of smart and relevant content, creative on-the-ground activity and global education/awareness campaigns. That means making sure that many disparate components work properly together; engaging content and ideas distributed globally, with smart community action taken locally. We’re looking at the whole picture, not just the parts that are in the sharpest or most obvious focus.

Be Creative

Staying Alive is fighting HIV AND AIDS the smart, creative way.
We’re not sticking to any predefined rules in our fight against complacency. We’re ready to break boundaries, confront taboos, and challenge orthodoxy in our pursuit of creative ways to beat HIV – a provocative but productive approach that has been yielding great results since we joined the fight. By being creative, we’re keeping the world’s attention on HIV – the only way to make sure that we can beat it.

Philosophy

At the MTV Staying Alive Foundation, we believe in doing things differently when it comes to young people and HIV. We shake things up – and until this epidemic is history, we’ll never stop.

We fight HIV the smart way. We’re supporting innovative programs on the ground, in areas that need it most by funding the creative and ambitious young leaders that run them. Those we fund are at the core of understanding what needs to be done to make a positive change in the face of the epidemic.

At the same time, we’re creating and distributing challenging, entertaining and ground-breaking content across MTV channels and with third-party broadcasters – helping to spread awareness around the world and preventing the spread of HIV from starting in the first place.

There are strong ties between our funding strategy and the programming we create – and it’s this combination of smart action being taken locally, and clever content and ideas being distributed globally, that makes us stand out from the crowd — presenting an effective, united message. Our approach is already proving that it has the potential to change the course of the epidemic.

Mission

To stop the spread of HIV before it starts.

Globally, we will produce ground-breaking, original content that delivers vital HIV prevention messaging to a young global audience. Locally, we will give the right tools to the right people in the right places – the young people with the influence, drive and determination to help protect their generation and beyond. Our mission won’t stop until this epidemic is over.

Vision

Today, it’s impossible for many people to see an end to the epidemic. But we can.

Staying Alive’s vision is an empowered, smart, and educated MTV generation equipped with the tools and knowledge to protect themselves and their peers from the HIV epidemic. With our help, we believe they can become key players in the fights against HIV and AIDS.