loveLife billboards return after five-year absence

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The billboards are placed in communities across South Africa and have short, punchy taglines and striking black and white imagery.

While young South Africans still need ongoing and comprehensive healthy sexuality and positive lifestyle information, they also need motivation to act on this knowledge to stay HIV-free.

"The billboards and related public service announcements (PSA) on SABC television stations will run throughout 2012," says loveLife's head of broadcasting, Botha Swarts. "In each PSA, the viewer can see a clear 'Nakanjani' moment where the lead character decides to get up and tackle whatever difficult circumstance he or she faces."

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Getting tested

In 'I Challenge My Fears', the lead character confronts his fear of getting tested for HIV and takes the test. This highlights the importance of addressing challenges and encourages youth to take steps to better all aspects of their lives.

'My Future is Up to Me' focuses on how to take control of the future. "It puts the spotlight on a determined teenage girl, who maintains a positive mind-set by deciding to keep going to school despite having to deal with the responsibilities of heading a home," explains Swarts.

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Rolling out towards the middle of the year, 'I Won't Quit, My Time is Now' portrays a young man as he perseveres to find a job. "It's about deciding to be resilient and keep trying - again and again - despite all the odds stacked against you."

Moving messages

Aside from featuring on SABC television stations and billboards in townships, rural areas and cities across South Africa, the campaign messages and images will be on other platforms including bus wraps and 10million cellphone vouchers to be distributed nationally.

This campaign is designed to link youth to the toll-free counselling service and to encourage them to engage with the organisation's comprehensive behaviour-change programmes. In addition, the campaign also uses face-to-face interaction between youth and groundBREAKERS (peer motivators and community mobilisers who implement loveLife programmes), who promote the campaign's messages.