On World AIDS Day, December 1, 2003, the Ontario AIDS Network launched the Thousand Stories Project. The Thousand Stories Project is an ongoing initiative that seeks to fight ignorance, shame and injustice about HIV/AIDS. It enables people living with/affected by HIV/AIDS to share the power of their own experiences through personal stories, poetry, photography and artwork.

The website reflects the UN WORLD AIDS DAY theme of fighting ignorance, shame and injustice by bearing witness to our struggles and our hope. People living with HIV/AIDS, friends, family, AIDS Service Organizations, frontline workers, anyone affected by HIV /AIDS in Ontario is welcome to share their experience.

The shared stories will be presented throughout the year on the Ontario AIDS Network website. Contributions may also be used by the Ontario AIDS network in a written report that summarizes the project.

Together, we hope to create a picture of what a "day in the life of Ontario" is like as we move into the third decade of HIV/AIDS. By telling our collective story we can remind our communities that AIDS is not over and we continue to feel the impact of ignorance, shame and injustice in addition to the burden of our illness. The "Thousand Stories project" will serve as an eloquent and powerful statement to our communities that more than 1,000 people are infected by HIV in Ontario each year and our struggles continue.

CONFIDENTIALITY: The Thousand Stories Project will provide a safe and supportive place for people to share their story about how HIV/AIDS is affecting their life. No one is required to disclose their identity. Information on how to submit materials for scanning, posting on the website, as well as a consent form will be posted on the website and sent to OAN members by email .You may also wish to consider sharing the story of your own agency and the important role it plays in the fight against HIV/AIDS, ignorance, shame and injustice.

"The fight to end discrimination, fear and the increasing marginalization of people living with HIV/AIDS continues as the collective burden of the illness in Ontario continues to grow" *
(quote from the proposed Ontario AIDS strategy)