As early as 1985, Advocates for Youth sounded warnings about the danger to young people from the developing HIV epidemic. In the ensuing years, Advocates for Youth has worked energetically to ensure that youth have the information and services they need to prevent sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV.

Almost half of all new STI infections in the United States occur in young people under age 25. Additionally, young people ages 13-29 experience 1/3 of all new HIV infections in the United States each year.  Moreover, in the United States, youth of color and gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (GLBTQ) youth are disproportionately affected by HIV and other STIs.

Strategies

• Working to Integrate and Connect Services in Communities—Advocates encourages AIDS-service organizations to focus on youth and youth-serving organizations to address sexual health among young people.
• Working to Assist Organizations to Address Young People's Sexual Health—Advocates offers technical assistance and training on youth-adult partnerships, HIV prevention education, peer education, and sexual health issues to assist agencies in preventing HIV, STIs, and teenage pregnancy among all youth.
• Promoting Partnerships in Preventing HIV/STI Infection among Youth of Color and GLBTQ Youth—The HIV department houses several programs that focus on youth of color and GLBTQ youth:
  • GLBTQ Initiative
  • Young Women of Color Initiative
  • Youth of Color Initiative

Resources

• Training and Technical Assistance—Addressing adolescent sexual health; science-based sex education; critical components of effective HIV/STI prevention education, including life skills; cultural competency; creating inclusive programming for GLBTQ youth; parent-child communication about sexuality issues; peer education; youth development as a prevention strategy; and youth-adult partnerships to promote youth involvement in prevention programs
• Web Sites—Including www.advocatesforyouth.org for publications, research, and statistics; www.ambientejoven.org, a Spanish-language site for Latino GLBTQ youth in the United States and Latin America; www.mysistahs.org for young women of color; and www.youthresource.com for GLBTQ youth
• Publications — Materials include issue briefs and facts sheets related to HIV prevention

Contact

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , Division Director, Health and Social Equity
P: 202.419.3420
F: 202.419.1448
Advocates for Youth
2000 M Street NW, Suite 750
Washington, DC 20036 USA