Escouade Cul-de-Sac

An Innovative Approach to Curbing the Spread of STI and BBI

In order to reach out to 15- to 24-year-olds and make sure the message is not forgotten, you may need to use twice as much imagination. And if the discussion is about sex and sexually transmitted infections and blood-borne infections (STI and BBI), you will also need perseverance. In regard to the Escouade Cul-de-Sac and its founder Vincent Quesnel, a master’s student in sexology at the Université du Québec à Montréal, we can indeed say mission accomplished!

Established in response to the increase of STI and BBI over the past ten years, the Escouade Cul-de-Sac goes out into the community with the aim of raising awareness primarily among college students of the sharp increase in sexually transmitted infections. “For example, there are thousands of cases of genital chlamydiosis every year. In 2005, over 12,000 cases were diagnosed, twice as many as ten years ago. Gonorrhoea is an infection that has increased by 67% in ten years. Herpes and HPV (human papilloma virus), two infections that do not benefit from epidemiological monitoring, affect one person out of five. There is therefore an undeniable need to take action,” Vincent Quesnel vigorously asserts.

So how do they do this? Simply by going a step further than an ordinary ad campaign and meeting directly with youngsters on their home ground and initiating open, spontaneous and person-to-person discussions. The secret to their success? They use a modern sandwich board man with prior training from a sexologist who gives out condoms to people who fill out a questionnaire.

“It’s a flash sequence type of intervention that is highly appropriate in the fast paced lives of students. When the Escouade approaches someone, they do it in a concise, structured and friendly manner. The visual aspect of the Escouade members, with their backpacks, placards and overall look, can leave no-one indifferent,” maintains the project’s founder.

By visiting cafeterias during lunchtime and attending various events such as improvisation evenings, concerts and festive events, the team have already handed out several hundred condoms. “The approach is of course appealing because of the entertainment aspect but it is intended above all as a means of transmitting educational messages to young people. This method enables us to personalize the whole question of prevention of sexually transmitted infections,” confirmed Francine Duquet, professor at UQAM’s department of sexology.

According to the vision of its founder, in the long run Escouade Cul-de-Sac could become a key concept in Québec high schools and colleges. By recruiting Escouade team members within the institutions themselves, the project will leave behind a permanent legacy. Indeed, by ensuring a regular presence, the message is repeated several times. The resources are the guarantee of an on-going presence and continuous support, increasing the chances of success of this awareness campaign. Furthermore, the numerous visits to the Sainte-Thérèse college and Collège Lionel-Groulx attest to the project’s relevance and bear witness to the success of the concept, which never fails to arouse interest.

Escouade Cul-de-Sac