Dr. John B. Chittick (Ed.D.)

Executive Director, TeenAIDS-PeerCorps

P. O. Box 7114, Fitchburg, MA 01420 USA

email:  chittick@post.harvard.edu

Solo Global Walk to combat Youth HIV/AIDS: 1999 to 2006

Curricula Vita

 

Education:
  
Harvard University, Cambridge, MA                                                                            1994
Doctor of Education in Human Development and Adolescent Psychology                        
Dissertation:  “Adolescents and AIDS: The Third Wave”
Specialization: Peer-led AIDS Prevention Education Programs for Teenagers

Harvard University, Cambridge, MA                                                                            1989
Master of Education: School-based AIDS Prevention Education
Specialization: Better Survey Communication with Teens 

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA                                   1980
Master of Science in Visual Studies:  Visual Technology and Education
Specialization: Film/Video and New Technologies

Yale University, New Haven, CT                                                                                1979
Summer Workshop, Documentary Film
                                                 
Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH                                                                               1970
Bachelor of Arts (Major: History; Minor: Government)
   
Deerfield Academy, Deerfield, MA                                                                             1966

 

Employment History:
 
Executive Director, TeenAIDS-PeerCorps, Inc. (International AIDS Prevention NGO)      1997 –Present

Consultant/researcher, United Nations AIDS, Youth Prevention, International                    1995 – Present

Lecturer, Harvard University and worldwide, HIV/AIDS Prevention Education                 1992 – Present

President/Owner, Paté Poste Adcards, Inc., Fine Arts & Advertising Publisher                   1985 -- 1992

Interactive Videodisc Designer (computerized education), Raytheon Company                  1982 -- 1984

Video/Film Teacher: MIT, Mass. Dept. of Youth Services, Art Institute of Boston             1978 -- 1981

Ethnographer and Filmmaker, South Pacific (Micronesia, Polynesia, Melanesia)                1975 -- 1977

Director, "Friendship Village" (Community Action for Inner-City Youth)                          1970 -- 1973

Political Consulting, Congressional elections (youngest elected official in Mass.)               1970 –- 1974

 

AIDS Conferences, Speeches and Presentations (a partial listing to show breadth):

 
Global Health Conference, Washington, D.C.                                                                      2007
Speech: “Grabbing Teen's Attention!  Expanding Youth HIV Prevention Education
through Interactive Webcasts”

First worldwide Webcast for teens about AIDS, Massachusetts                                           2006
Speech: Organizing a Global Teen Response through the Internet”

16th International AIDS Conference, Toronto, Canada                                                       2006
Speech: Empowering Youth cross-culturally to Fight Teen Hiv/AIDS”

Sahmyook University, Seoul, Korea (Korean Federation for AIDS Prevention)                 2006
Speech: “Peer-Led Education Works with Teens in every Culture”

University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan                                                                                 2006
Speech: “Why Peer-led Education Works for Youth in every Culture”

National University of Bogdan Hmelnizkiy, Cherkassy, Ukraine                                       2005
Speech: “Breaking Barriers to Share Best Practices in Peer-led Education”

 Global Walk to Train Teens as Peer Teachers; 200,000 trained in 75 countries                 1999 – 2006
Featured on ABC, Reuters, CNN, AP News, BBC Radio, CBS (see Lexus Nexus)

Keynote Address, Ile-Ife University, Medical School Conference, Nigeria                       2004
"The Need for Peer Outreach in our Communities"

INJU (Uruguayan National Youth Union), Montevideo, Uruguay                                    2003
Speech: "How to Address the Questions of Youths' Vulnerability to HIV/AIDS

14th International AIDS Conference, Barcelona, Spain                                                     2002
Speech: “Global Walk to Train Teens”

Hanoi National University, Hanoi, Vietnam                                                                      2001
Speech: “Why Vietnam Must Rely on Youth to Carry the AIDS Message”

13th International AIDS Conference, Durban, South Africa                                             2000
Speech: “Global Walk to Train Teens”

Caribbean AIDS Conference, Havana, Cuba                                                                    2000
Street Outreach and AIDS Sanitorium

Dhaka University, Dhaka, Bangladesh                                                                             1999
Speech: “A Global Youth Response on AIDS Prevention Initiatives Locally”

12th International AIDS Conference, Geneva, Switzerland                                             1998
Presentations: 1) International Migration Factors 2) Internet as Prevention Tool

4th International Summer School STOP AIDS, Portoroz, Slovenia                                 1998        
Workshops/Lectures: "Peer-Led Harm Reduction in Eastern Europe"

4th International AIDS Congress in Asia and Pacific, Manila, Philippines                      1997
Speech: "Impact of Cross-Border Migration on HIV/AIDS and Youth"

Workshops, Save the Children (SCF), HCMC Open University, Vietnam                     1995 - 2000

11th International AIDS Conference, Vancouver, Canada,                                             1996
Speech: " Cross-Cultural Aspects of AIDS Prevention for Youth"
   
3rd International Asian AIDS Conference, Chiangmai, Thailand                                   1995

10th International Conference on AIDS, Yokohama, Japan                                           1994
Abstract and Presentation:  "Adolescents and AIDS: School Programs"
 
6th National AIDS Update Conference, San Francisco                                                  1993
Presentation: "Better HIV Education for Youth"                                    

Speaker, World AIDS Day Ceremonies, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic            1992

“Adolescents and HIV/AIDS: It’s Here and Spreading,”                                               1992 – Present
Talks with Teens and Young People on Five Continents                                                                                              
BBC World Radio, "East Asia Today"  and “BBC Up All Night” Interviews               1995 - 2007
World AIDS Days and Updates on Global Walks

Papers (see Conferences)/Books:

Adolescents and AIDS: The Third Wave, Doctoral Thesis, Harvard                             1994

The Coming Wave of AIDS in Vietnam
Francois-Xavier Bagnoud (Harvard) & World Environment and Peace (Japan)            1996

Youth and AIDS in Vietnam                                                                                          1996
VNYU, Vietnam and John Snow International

Video Productions:

"Follow Me" (in conjunction with MIT's Interactive Media)                                           1997

"The Global Walks" (in conjunction with Harvard's documentary film department)       2006   

                                                             Website: www.teenaids.org

Dr. Chittick has attended and presented research at most International AIDS Conferences since 1994.  He regularly speaks and presents his work at university conferences and on television worldwide.  He is a leading youth HIV prevention and Peer training expert.

Publications: list upon request (including work for UNAIDS, Harvard, Vietnamese government, Korean government, Jordanian government, etc.

 

Informal Addendum:

*Educational Note:

I was fortunate to attend some of the finest universities in the world and an excellent Ivy League College. I was very lucky that my parents, Stan and Barbara Chittick, always encouraged me to be inquisitive and learn. And I did. I loved every school experience that I had. Because I believe that all these experiences contributed to my academic persona and personal character, I have included my early years at a public elementary school because it was my start. Edgerly School no longer exists but it was the teaching lab for the local state teacher's college. We had experts coming into the classroom regularly to observe the student teachers assisting the old time school marms. I owe a lot to these formative years. So I recognize that I should credit them on my CV, not just a Harvard. All my school experiences helped shape me do what I do best -- educating teens about a deadly threat that can be prevented.

** Professional Note:

Dr. John travels much of the year in the U.S. and overseas. However, the bulk of his time in 2005 and 2006 is spent building a better organizational structure with more effective programs that can replicates his work a thousand fold through the creation of the internet's best and most extensive training of volunteer PeerCorps to fight youth HIV/AIDS.

He owns a home in Fitchburg that houses the headquarters of TeenAIDS. Dr. John has lived and slept in the homes of many different people of varying nationalities, from abject poverty to wealthy surroundings. He lives modestly. TeenAIDS survives off the private donations it received from Dr. John's wide circle of friends and believers in his mission.

Dr. John considers himself a loyal guy. He speaks his mind yet is tolerant of other view points. He is a funny guy (according to most people) and he uses his humor to break the ice during his grassroots' AIDS Attacks. In most places where he walks and teaches, he rarely knows local people, often nobody, when he steps off the plane (boat, train or bus). Almost immediately after clearing customs (he also talks about his mission with these bureaucrats). He approaches any youth in his path with a smile and an out-raised hand. "Hi, I'm Dr. John from America and I'm here to tell you about AIDS. Have you heard about it?" Then he asks their names, guesses their ages (he's uncanny), and asks about their life situation and goals. Using this information, Dr. John delivers a heartfelt message in the context of their personal aspirations, stressing the medical facts while distributing his locally printed business cads translated in each indigenous language. Years later, Dr. John sill receives emails and letters from teens who have saved his prevention cards, often passed on to younger siblings or peers.

Applying the adolescent psychology he learnt at Harvard, he has become one of the world's leading experts on motivating youth to adopt and spread the stop-AIDS message to their friends. He has trained more youth about peer-oriented HIV outreach than any other AIDS educator (in 73 countries and 22 U.S. states as of the beginning of 2006). He considers this accomplishment a sign of his good intentions, luck and faith.

Some people question why he does this kind of direct outreach. Isn't he ever scared? Dr. John says. "I say a prayer every morning that asks for protection and a good workday -- if I am doing right. I must be doing the right thing most days. Yet, sometimes, rarely, my luck runs out in a foreign land where I've been occasionally robbed, injured or arrested. But that's the exception to the rule because I find people will welcome a stranger into their midsts who bears life-saving information and is volunteering his energies for this humanitarian mission.

What role does spirituality play in his work? He has always admired Albert Schweitzer and Mother Theresa for the passion they devoted to their work. Dr, John has been a member of Christ Episcopal Church in his hometown since childhood but regularly visits worship services in other countries of his host families and PeerCorps volunteers. He does this out of respect for their culture and faith. "I'm an equal opportunity kind of guy," he states. "I know what I believe in and what I hold dearly in life. However, I find it difficult to abide rude and intolerant behaviors when it comes to people proselytizing for their faith only. You know the type (I'm right and you're wrong). It's not cool. It's a bit ignorant and a lot arrogant."

Dr. John proclaims, "Every teen has the human right to hear this critical information. I know of no teachings in any holy book in the world that says it is okay to deny maturing adolescents the necessary medical information to protect themselves from HIV and death by AIDS." Yet censorship of medically correct information is gaining a disturbing toehold in some areas. "People who favor censoring this lifesaving information are often well-intentioned but misguided. In truth, they are responsible for ever increasing HIV transmission and death by AIDS among young people. They should be ashamed of themselves but are too righteous and rigid to see the errors of their way."

On a hopeful note, Dr. Chittick tells teens that they must take responsibility to learn the facts and tell their friends. His phrase, "Shy = Die" signifies that if a teen who is undergoing sexual maturation doesn't talk with a friend or partner, they could die out of ignorance. He adds, "If you love your friends, you must tell them about AIDS."

Thank you for visiting this site and reading about our Founder and Executive Director. Please visit the pages of the Board of Directors, the Global Advisory Board, and the Staff listings to get a really good idea of who we are.

More personal information:

His elderly mother, Barbara, is in her young 90s and until recently, has lived with a nurse-caregiver in the family home. Her husband of 62 years, Stanley, John's father, was a member of our Board of Directors until his death in 2001 at the age of 97. John's playful Yellow Lab "Jazz" is everyone's compadre in the neighborhood. When Jazz greets you, he wears a big grin that people can't really believe their eyes. He misses when Dr. John is away on assignment but Jazz knows his role is to protect Barbara. If you want to see more of John's personal life, please visit: www.chittickdrawings.com.

Introduction by Trustee Bink Garrison, October 9, 2001:


Heritage Award 2001 Deerfield Academy

The Deerfield Heritage Award is always given for outstanding  achievement and service. It is not usually awarded for heroism. Today, though, it will be.

When you think of the word "hero", what image comes to mind?  After the past few weeks, it may well be the image of a New York firefighter or policeman. Or maybe it's Mother Theresa.

I'd be surprised though if, when you close your eyes and try to visualize a true hero,  the image you conjure up is a varely five-foot-tall, cherubic, silver-haired, 50-plus year old Deerfield alumnus. But that's okay, because true heroism has absolutely nothing to do with image and appearance, and everything to do with actions.

Heroes take on jobs that regular people would never dream of doing. Heroes don't worry about themselves; they worry about others. Heroes say things others fear to say, and go places others fear to go. Tell a hero he can't  do something, and you can bet he'll get it done. If fact, heroes accomplish things other people can't even imagine. Put another way, heroes do the kinds of things John Chittick does.

We are here to honor John Chittick's work by bestowing on him the highest recognition the Deerfield Alumni Assocation can confer-the Heritage Award. For John's work is surely worthy of his Deerfield heritage. Indeed, it adds considerable luster to that heritage.

On behalf of all the alumni of this remarkable academy, particularly the members of the  Class of '66 who are proud to have graduated with John, it is my privilege to present the 2001 Deerfield Heritage Award to Dr. John Chittick - my classmate, my friend and most definitely, my hero.


Bink Garrison, Board of Trustees
October 9, 2001

The Award:


John Chittick:

Your predisposition for challenge, debate, and persuasion, while relaying a simple yet effective message in your pursuit of involvement with social causes began at Deerfield Academy from which you graduated in 1966. From there you matriculated to Dartmouth College where your passion for community action continued. While a college senior, you were elected to the Fitchburg City Council in 1969 thus becoming the youngest elected official in Massachusetts. Two years later an unsuccessful attempt at becoming mayor took you out of the political arena but did not quell  your activism on the part of social causes. A solo trip to the South Pacific where white men are rarely seenand where you lived with indigenous native islanders in out of the way coral atolls in Micronesia opened your eyes to people living a native lifestyle.

Returning to the US inspired with a vision to make a difference, you entered M.I.T. seeking a masters degree in the combination of video with emerging computer technology with the goal of educating "hard to reach" youth. While completing your doctoral work at Harvard University in human development and psychology, you also worked for the Raytheon Corporation promoting the use of videodiscs for missile training tapes. Your graduate degrees from both MIT and Harvard gave you the tools to use visual technology via interactive videodiscs to facilitate greater cross cultural cooperation in countries where your message could not be understood just by the spoken word.

The mid-80s were the watershed on your career path. Your art publishing company, Paté Poste, became the largest specialty art publishing company in New England where you became recognized for donating printing to AIDS organizations. The realization of how serious the AIDS pandemic was, made you decide to focus your career on AIDS prevention, particularly youth HIV/AIDS. You discovered that programs geared for teenagers were almost nonexistent. Your doctorate at Harvard proved to be groundbreaking as you predicted how serious teenage AIDS would become.

You presented these findings at the International AIDS Conference in Japan in 1994 which set you on the path of speaking at conferences in places such as South Africa, Cuba,  Switzerland, Slovenia, Vietnam, Thailand, the Dominican Republic and Australia.  Your predictions have proven true as today 50 percent of all new cases of HIV globally are occurring among 15 to 24 year olds.

Since the 90s you have devoted your life to educating teens, not necessarily in a traditional classroom setting but more often in slums, rural areas, brothels, drug dens and hospitals. In many areas you head right to the streets to find young volunteers to help you with your mission. Be it in Bosnia, Israel, Palestine, India, Bangladesh, or Cambodia you have successfully enjoined youth of vastly different religions, colors, social and cultural mores to come together to train fellow teens to help other teens avoid AIDS. You have been challenged by cultures insisting that sex is a taboo subject or that talking to foreigners is forbidden. You have been jailed for talking with teens and have been followed by police in China. And yet you have persevered, having just completed an AIDS walk to 40 countries where you have trained over 70,000 teenagers. People have sought you out due to your website on TeenAIDS - the oldest and biggest on the Internet. You have clearly made a difference.

Deerfield is proud to number you among its alumni and to honor you with the Heritage Award.