Advocates for Youth to Host Hill Briefing, Facebook Live Chat; Allied Organizations to Hold Events across the Country to Raise Awareness of Role Young People Play in HIV and AIDS Fight

Washington – In honor of National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day (NYHAAD) on April 10, Advocates for Youth, an organization that champions efforts to help young people make informed and responsible decisions about their reproductive and sexual health, will partner with youth activists to raise awareness of the impact of HIV and AIDS on young people. The day will feature a briefing on Capitol Hill and a Facebook Live chat, as well as events sponsored by more than 20 allied organizations in cities throughout the country to talk about the prevalence of HIV and AIDS among young people and highlight their work to fight the disease and the stigma surrounding it. Mariah Johnson, a student at Tidewater Community College and NYHAAD Youth Ambassador will be leading testing efforts on campus, distributing free condoms, and hosting events around sexual health.

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“National Youth HIV AIDS Awareness Day is important to me since close to 25% of new infections are between the ages of 13-24,” said Daniel Driffin, co-founder of THRIVE SS, a Georgia based organization that works to stop HIV stigma in the south. “I learned my HIV status at 22, and with the advancements of treatment as prevention, we can significantly decrease other young people from becoming positive.”

Daniel also recently spoke at the Democratic National Convention, the first positive speaker in 12 years, and addressed how HIV disproportionately affects black and Latino gay and bisexual men.

in five new HIV infections occur in people ages 13 to 24, making youth activism imperative in the fight for an AIDS-free generation. On National Youth HIV &AIDS Awareness Day, young people will ask their peers and policymakers to sign the National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day Bill of Rights that calls for the right to live free from oppression, the rights to education, prevention, treatment and care, and the right to live without criminalization, discrimination and stigma.

EVENT DETAILS:

Capitol Hill Briefing:

What: Briefing to raise awareness of the impact HIV and AIDS has on young people and their role in combatting stigma and fighting the disease

When: Monday, April 10 at 11:30am EDT

Where: US Capitol Building HC-8 Meeting Room

Who: Advocates for Youth; Sponsored by Congressman Jim Hines

Panelists

• Amber J. Phillips, Advocates for Youth
• Daniel Driffin, cofounder of THRIVE SS
• Dylan Brooks, Compass LGBTQ Community Center
• Juanluis (Pepis) Rodriquez, Lawyer, Center for HIV Law and Policy
• Anthony Leon, Co-Creator, Gran Varones

RSVP: http://bit.ly/2mIMsgJ *press is required to RSVP

 

Facebook Live:

What: National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day Facebook Live Event on HIV positive young people, their lives, and what they need to effectively fight the epidemic

When: Monday, April 10 at 6:00pm EDT

Where: Facebook.Com/Advocates4Youth

Who: Advocates and HIV positive young people; Daniel Driffin will be among the participants

Events across the Country:

• Institute of Women and Ethnic Studies, New Orleans, LA
• Texas Rising, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX
• FeministXS UnidXS, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Brownsville, TX
• Faith Immanuel Outreach Program (FIOP), Delaware, PA
• Project Ark/The SPOT, St. Louis, MO
• Piedmont Care, Spartanburg, SC
• Pride Alliance, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA
• Student Government Association, Tidewater Community College, Virginia Beach, VA
• Sophisticated Queen Events, Asheboro, NC
• Embodied Health, Calera, AL
• Collegiate Health Service Corps – Health 360, Western Connecticut State University, Brookfield, CT
• AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI
• GSA+, San Diego, CA
• Louisiana Youth for Truth, Xavier University of Louisiana, New Orleans, LA
• Herunivercity, Brooklyn, NY
• PALS at Valley High School, Santa Ana, CA
• Gwinnett, Newton and Rockdale County Health Departments, Conyers, GA>/li>
• Ross School on Long Island, Sagaponack, NYZ
• School Wellness Program, Battle Creek, MI
• Department of Health of Indian River County, Vero Beach, FL
• HERS – Health Education Resource Solutions, Riverdale, GA

Please note that youth speakers, policy experts from Advocates for Youth and president of Advocates for Youth, Debra Hauser are all available for interviews. Please contact Kayla Ermanni at Kayla.Ermanni@berlinrosen.com to schedule an interview or for more information on the above events.

More information on how to host your own event can be found here and please follow along on social media use the hashtag #NYHAAD.

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About Advocates for Youth:

Advocates for Youth is a 501(c)3 organization that champions efforts that help young people make informed and responsible decisions about their reproductive and sexual health. Advocates believes it can best serve the field by boldly advocating for a more positive and realistic approach to adolescent sexual health. Advocates focuses its work on young people ages 14-25 in the U.S. and around the globe.