GYT: Get Yourself Tested Campaign
MTV, the Kaiser Family Foundation, Planned Parenthood
Federation of America, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other
partners are supporting National STD Awareness Month with the GYT: Get Yourself
Tested campaign to inform young people about STDs, encourage and normalize testing
for STDs, and connect young people to testing centers.
GYT is about creating a youthful and empowering social
movement around getting tested for STDs. It works within a framework that recognizes
a continuously high rate of HIV and STD infections among young people despite high
levels of awareness about HIV/AIDS and other STDs. For a generation accustomed to
communicating in shorthand, the GYT acronym presents STD testing in a context that
is familiar and relatable to young people. GYT encourages testing as an act of pride,
not shame, and promotes an open dialogue about STDs by encouraging young people
to get themselves tested and spread the word about the campaign.
Click for the GYT press release with a statement from with a statement from
Dr. Gail Bolan, Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's STD
Program. Consider using the media relations kit on the site to promote your GYT activities in the press
and assess your GYT efforts with our helpful evaluation toolkit.
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GYT Toolkit
Access the GYT Toolkit  to start spreading the word and organizing a GYT event.
The GYT Toolkit offers a number of materials that you can download and print to
promote GYT online through your Web sites and social networks and on the ground
in your clinics, campus, and community. Some of the GYT materials are
also available for order online. Help get young people tested for STDs across
the country. Check it out!
Bringing GYT To Your College Campus
Students share their experiences in the Bringing GYT to Your Campus webinars, Part 1 and Part 2 . These webinars help colleges and universities identify innovative strategies and tactics used to host a GYT STI/HIV testing event while engaging and empowering college students around the issues of STD testing and sexual health. For these webinars, presenters discussed easy steps for successfully implementing the campaign on campus and shared their lessons learned. Even if you are not affiliated with a college or university, you may find these success stories applicable to your own organization’s implementation of GYT.
GYT Provider Resources
The GYT Web site now offers resources for healthcare providers
to help them better serve their teen and young adult patients. Based on GYT’s familiarity
with youth, this site provides insight into what youth want to know about sexual
health and STD testing, which they may be too shy to ask. The GYT Provider Web site addresses young people’s common STD-related misconceptions
and offers simple answers to patients’ questions. The Web site also features quick
STD reference guides and charts (e.g., STD basics, who should be tested for what,
treatment guidelines), resources for talking to patients about sexual history and
STD testing, training resources, and GYT materials for their clinics.
Interactive Video
GYT created a new interactive video experience for youth, intended to promote and normalize open communication with partners, peers, and providers about STDs and testing. Viewers navigate a party scene, in which they can play with objects in the room, listen in on conversations between friends and partners, and explore hidden surprises. The video is filled with talking tips, a quiz , and key information for starting a conversation about STDs and testing.
Chlamydia Web Page
Included on the GYT Web site is an interactive
Chlamydia Web page for youth
that covers the basics about Chlamydia, including information about symptoms, transmission,
prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, and partner management.
GYT Radio and TV Public Service Announcements (PSAs)
Work with your local radio stations to promote GYT among
youth through radio PSAs.
If you would like to order GYT television PSAs (which can help youth deal with the process of STD testing, diagnosis, and disclosure) for local use, please contact: itsyoursexlife@mtv.com.
Additional GYT Resources
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