BLOC Goal

The goal of the BLOC program is to increase the number of Persons of Color Living with HIV who are prepared to engage in leadership roles and activities related to HIV service delivery.

Successful applicants will be asked to identify opportunities to engage and participate meaningfully in decision making bodies and planning boards that serve people living with HIV. Participants will be expected to participate in monthly webinars, conference calls, attend a three day in person training, and actively engage in your local community to improve health outcomes for people living with HIV.

Within 60 days of completion of the three-day training, you will be expected to engage in the planning process with a local community group serving persons living with HIV. A Ryan White Planning Council, Planning Council Committees, TGA’s Consortiums, Community or Consumer Advisory Board and their committees are all examples of the types of meetings in which we will expect you to participate. Your participation is to ensure persons of color living with HIV are active participants in supporting the planning and decision-making process that impacts their quality of life and health outcomes.

The BLOC program and its partners are committed to racial justice and health equity with a focus on those communities disproportionately vulnerable due to injustice and discrimination based on race, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, or HIV status. In our approach, the BLOC program considers jurisdictional HIV data when selecting both the training participants and the sites for regional training locations in order to ensure trainings are offered in the heavily impacted service areas. Our trainings are designed to uplift and enhance the voices of those communities that are over represented in the number of new cases of HIV, but under-represented in current leadership.

The BLOC program’s training learning objectives include:

  • Leadership Development for community engagement including defining traits and characteristics of leaders
  • Developing a community lens on the forms of stigmas including enacted and layered stigma
  • What are and how to use health numeracy, measurement tools, and patient support tools for planning
  • Developing skills to effectively be engaged in surveillance, evaluation, calculations, data analysis, and performance measurements as a community leader
  • Increase knowledge of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program and other planning bodies for involvement
  • Identifying meaningful opportunities for involvement
  • Develop individualized action goals and goal statements for seeking leadership opportunities

Key Commitments of Regional Attendees

  1. Actively participate in all activities i.e., training, webinars, surveys, conference calls, and homework, etc.
  2. Remain in contact with staff, mentors, and network peers.
  3. Return home and be actively engaged in HIV-related service delivery.
  4. Seek and engage in leadership opportunities to improve care for persons living with HIV.
  5. Be available for pre/post training evaluations (six month and one-year follow up)
  6. Be available and willing to devote a minimum of three three-day sessions for on-site trainings.
  7. Be comfortable with disclosing your status as a PLWH.
  8. Participate in evaluation activities such as brief surveys and/or interviews about your experience in the program.
  9. Work with NMAC and partners in coordination for follow up mentoring and coaching support post training.
  10. Inform the training and project team of changes in your availability once you learn of them.

Key Commitments of TOT Attendees.

NMAC expects the following of all recipient and community team members:

  1. To work with a local team Member of Color Living with HIV to deliver BLOC trainings in your local community.
  2. Partner with a local Ryan White Part A or B grantee
  3. Team members should have basic training skills to conduct training workshops
  4. Teams will have to commit to attend a five-day training of trainers to learn the local BLOC curriculum.
  5. Teams will commit to conducting three-four BLOC trainings for Persons of Color Living with HIV in their jurisdiction (can be done in multiple sessions) within six months after the TOT training.
  6. Teams will attend bi-monthly follow-up webinars and continuing education opportunities for up to six months.