Strip carto()ns ' to warri' and:. inform
Nobody 'doubts the value of strip cartoons as a r:neans of , .. conveying o~alth . mes- sages to young;'people. So! why not use them in an effort to''preventone ofthe greatest threats to. young people's health - AIDS? For the Swiss artist berib. already 'well- known in Switzerland among connoisseurs of .. strip cartoons. the., question is no sooner asked than answered.
Setting aside his usual work for a time .• he decided to concentrate on creating an 88-page strip cartoon on AIDS prevention. Some 700.000 copies will be handed out freE). of charge next 'sp.ring to all Swiss youngsters aged 14 to 20. If the campaign succeeds. the distribution may be extended
t(); other countries of Europe 9nd the rest of the world.
·· The heroine of. the booklet is c9lled Jo .. and her. story is intended ,.to ... alern voung people to the dangers of AIDS that menace all of them , .. if they 'are not fully
informed. •
To .... get ihe best possible
impact he has formed a ''reading group" of 200 people who hayestudied t[\e scenario and who ensure that the 'storyfine ,;tait[\fully •.
reflects ,,,real life. "ThE).,Story concerns two young people.
Jo . and.,, Laurent," the arti~t
explains. "They ·,are. in love'' but have . to ; confront the hormr of this disease."
To finance thi.s ambitious project a group was formeg recently called .Foundation
forr;:Life. Sponsored . by per-
sonalitie~. from th,e arts ... sport ..
sci .. ence ···and politics. the
foundation has the lqpg7term' aim of training high·. school children who in ' turn can pass on the information to other youngsters. to families and, . to ~choqls ·and, other edu:cational. inst1!utiO[lS. Any profits from subs~quent sales of the strip cartoon will go to the. Four~dation. . ,.
f1s DE)rib says: "We,have to warn af')d informthe youth of today ·about. the thrE)at of. AIDS. Jn addition ,,-'and this is vital - we have,. to offer them a little hope; they have a right to such· hope - even if it's hard to find a silver
lining.'' ••
