There is no one-size-fits-all approach to developing a mentorship program that supports young people living with HIV. In 2017, ViiV Healthcare first provided funding to a cohort of organizations across the country seeking to either pilot or expand a variety of programs approaching medical mentorship in different ways through the Positive Action for Youth (PAFY) initiative. The PAFY initiative was developed in response to the disparities young people living with HIV face as well as the rising rate of HIV diagnoses among youth, with the goal of supporting more young people navigate into and stay engaged in adult healthcare via mentorship. Advocates for Youth was also funded to conduct a collaborative co-creation process that would leverage the voices and expertise of the community as well as best practices, learnings and recommendations for medical mentorship shared by the first PAFY grantees.

The Toolkit includes a variety of sections and resources on creating a mentorship program and infusing a youth-adult partnership model lens.