Name: Francesca Di Re
Faculty/Year: Faculty of management, U2 Committee Position: Co-Director of Sponsorship What is your experience with the HIV/AIDS community? What about this cause touches you and makes you want to create change? This is my first experience with the AIDS/HIV Community. I don’t believe that one must be directly affected by a cause to want to get involved with it. HIV and AIDS affect millions of people worldwide. Although drugs and treatments have been developed to help prevent death, a direct cure has yet to be found. My involvement, has more to do with the compassion and heartache I feel for those who are suffering rather than the cause of the suffering. With P[h]assion I saw the opportunity to help create a change within a community and took it. I hope that this year through sponsorship opportunities we can meet our greatest goal yet and donate $10,000 to AIDS Community Center Montreal. I am the type of person that looks to give back and be helpful to others. Knowing that this money will go towards the education for AIDS prevention, counselling, testing and research efforts is all I need to want to get involved as much as I can. Do you believe fashion has the power to affect positive change? Where do you believe fashion succeeds or fails to create real, tangible social action? I think the fashion industry does try to affect positive change but it can do a lot more. Of course, creating a collection and raising money for a cause is a great start but efforts shouldn’t stop there. These collections are often forgotten about along with the issue. Companies in this highly competitive industry should completely immerse themselves in a cause they believe in. They should constantly put efforts in this cause and remind consumers each year of its importance. That said, certain retailers such as H&M or ALDO have raised awareness for AIDS whether it be through the Fashion Against AIDS foundation or their own initiatives. They’re campaign ran for a year and then ended. As I said, these efforts should have been sustained to have a larger impact.. That is what P[h]assion aimis to do; use fashion to raise awareness and donations for a cause in need on a yearly basis. How have social initiates made an impact on your life, or someone close to you? It may be through the HIV/AIDS community or another social/personal issue. My grand-mother was not only affected by breast cancer but ovarian cancer as well. I think that if it weren’t for the support groups that are put into place through social initiatives she would have made it through. Being affected by such a powerful disease can be emotionally and physically draining. I’m more than happy that she had these people to turn to and to understand exactly how she felt. Whether it be cancer, HIV or AIDS, social initiatives make a difference in the lives of people who are affected as well as their families. If a sick person can get even an ounce of help or ease through these social initiatives then they have done their job.
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December 2017
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