Ferdinand Strijthagen, Schorer director:

‘In 2008, for the second year in a row, Schorer worked according to its 2007–2011 long-range plan for the health and well-being of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and transgenders. Schorer participates in a network of health-promoting institutes, social and scientific organisations, advocacy groups and other partners active in promoting health and fighting HIV and STI. As a source of knowledge and information, this network helps Schorer fulfil its mission, which primarily involves providing access to up-to-date information and facilities that enable healthy sex.

‘In 2008, for example, the website mantotman.nl was launched as the key instrument for the national HIV/STI prevention programme. On the website, men who have sex with men (MSM) can receive custom-made advice about healthy sexual practices. The website is one of the results of MAN tot MAN, a long-term collaborative project with the municipal health departments of Amsterdam and Rotterdam (GGD Amsterdam and GGD Rotterdam-Rijnmond). With the MAN tot MAN project, Schorer is working on increasing the cohesiveness of HIV/STI prevention throughout the entire country. In Amsterdam, with it Safer Sex Venues project, Schorer has already succeeded in making far-reaching collaborative agreements with the managers of bars and bathhouses that offer spaces for their customers to have sex.

‘Schorer has also had an active voice in socially relevant topics such as ageing, interculturalisation, youth and upbringing, and volunteer or peer-based care. Interculturalisation was the comprehensive working theme in 2008 and as such it received special attention at ‘SchorerNu!’ [SchorerNow!], the third informative event that Schorer has organised for the general public. ‘SchorerNu!’ highlighted numerous aspects of Schorer’s work, ranging from multicultural young people with homosexual feelings to HIV-prevention projects in the global South. It was also the occasion of the very first Riek Stienstra Lecture, instituted to keep the intellectual legacy of our former director alive.

‘On an international level, Schorer has supported its 17 collaborative partners in developing interventions on the basis of the needs assessments carried out by each individual partner organisation. Schorer’s international programme is essential, whether it concerns the International AIDS Conference in Mexico City, providing support to foreign partners or strengthening HIV/STI prevention for sexual minorities. Schorer achieved a lot this past year, but we owe all of that to the efforts of our employees, volunteers, partners, funding agencies and sponsors.’