PASA LA VOZ
Discussion GuideFacts & Resources
Meet the Filmmakers
Documentary for Health & Social Justice
"So she told me, 'Look, I could get clean needles for you.' That same day she brought me a box. That's when I started spreading the word." - Film Participant
Synopsis
PASA LA VOZ (SPREAD THE WORD) - Set in the trans-border community of El Paso, Texas and Juarez, Mexico, PASA LAVOZ (SPREAD THE WORD) explores how Mexican and Mexican-American women work in solidarity to reduce the spread of HIV through a unique peereducation program entitled Pasa La Voz: Mujer a Mujer.
Mujer a Mujer engageswomen from diverse backgrounds and experiences-some are housewives, others engage in sex work or use intravenous drugs-through peer-to-peeroutreach and education around HIV. These women then become the "seeds"who then educate and pass resources to other hard to reach women intheir social circles.
Despite sometimes adverse individual circumstances and living in social conditions where gender disparity,violence, poverty, and cultural discrimination constrain the choices they have, these women sustain an arrangement of compassionate community activism that promotes understanding and awareness aroundHIV/AIDS, provides access to resources to reduce risk of transmission,and creates a powerful trans-border social support network for healthand well-being.
Use the accompanying Discussion Guide below to help foster discussion about the specific health issuesaffiliated with living in a Border Town, specifically when it comes to outreach efforts to raise awareness and share resources to reduce HIV transmission.
Discussion Guide
Use this guide to help conceptualize and discuss the specific health issues affiliated with living in a Border Town specifically when it comes to outreach efforts to raise awareness and share resources to reduce HIV transmission.Themes
- Peer-to-peer education as a way to do HIV outreach and prevention in hard-to-reachcommunities
- HIV transmission in the context of trans-border communities, poverty, limited resources, gendered roles, and stigma.
Discussion Questions
- What are some of the motives behind engaging members of different social networksinto HIV prevention activities?
- How is the personal woman-to-woman contact effective?
- Describe the challenges and assets unique to doing HIV education and outreach in this trans-border community.
- In what ways does socio-economic status affect a person's ability to make health positive choices?
- How can sex education help prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS?
- What is the relationship between patriarchal family structure and female disempowerment and/or disease?
- What are examples of "cultural stigmas" and how can they lead to disease?
- What are the benefits and challenges of needle exchange programs?
- In what ways can the collaboration of several non-profit organizations lead to a greater thread of communication between more individuals?
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Resources
Border AIDS Partnership (International)
(505) 997-9383
Camino de Vida Center for HIV Services
Toll Free: 1-800-687-0850
Centro de Salud Familiar La Fe/La Fe Community Center
(915) 772-3366
Families & Youth, Inc, MUACES
(505) 589-1653
International AIDS Empowerment
(915) 590-2118
Programa Compañeros, A.C.
(656) 611-3792
Women’s Health
(915) 532-5454
National AIDS Fund
(202) 408-4848
www.aidsfund.org
General Resources:
• The Well Project www.thewellproject.org
• HIV InSite http://hivinsite.ucsf.edu/
• The Body: The Complete HIV/AIDS Resource www.thebody.com/
PASA LA VOZ: Meet the Filmmakers
Ryan Byrne, Amara Dan and Jessie Garcia
RYAN BYRNE
Originallyfrom Huntington Beach, California, Ryan is currently finishing hisundergraduate degree at San Francisco State University in both LatinAmerican History and Holistic Health. With family roots sprouting fromMazatlán, Mexico, he realizes the necessity of diversity as wecollectively envision a community of social equality. A lover of food,bicycle rides, music, culture and books, he hopes to travel the worldin order to meet fellow transformative leaders as we organize andcollaborate a paradigm that recognizes the importance of socialintelligence, constructive communication and health equity.
AMARA DAN
Born and raised in San Francisco, California, Amara is currently completingher undergraduate degree in cinema at San Francisco State University. Her love for short stories extends to short films, and documentariesremain the highlight. As a first generation Cambodian-American, shegrew up with a family business- the first Cambodian restaurant in SanFrancisco. Hoping to carry on the business one day, she plans toreturn to Cambodia to learn more about its history, people, culture,and most importantly FOOD, where she will be carrying on traditionwhile preparing for a much more personal account for her nextdocumentary.
JESSIE GARCIA
A California native, I, moved to Guadalajara, Mexico at a young age. Ilived in Mexico for 10 years, completing elementary, middle, and highschool. Upon graduating, I moved back to the US. I attended SanFrancisco State University as a Cinema major. Living between twocountries has granted me different perspectives that I am thankful for.My Mexican-working-class background is what informs what kind offilmmaker I aspire to be. My background has cultivated a deep desire tomake films that deal with social/political struggle. I hope to continueworking with the community and to make significant contributions to thesocial justice, visibility, and representation of the common manthrough art and filmmaking.
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