Young Women of Color Initiative
Mission
To address the alarming disproportionate rates of negative sexual health outcomes for young women of color, Advocates for Youth seeks to build the capacity of youth-serving, community-based organizations serving young women of color 13 to 24 years old to provide culturally appropriate, science-based prevention programming. Advocates also seeks to build young women of color leaders in reproductive and sexual health.
Strategies
- Promoting Partnerships in Preventing HIV/STI Infection among Young Women of Color—Advocates offers tailored technical assistance and training on cultural competence; parent-child communication about sexuality issues; peer education; science-based sex education and HIV, STI, teen pregnancy prevention programming (including life skills); creating inclusive programming for young women who have sex with women; and youth-adult partnerships to build the capacity of community-based organizations to address the reproductive and sexual health needs of young women of color. Advocates also provides seed grants to community-based organizations to create and implement HIV, STI, and teen pregnancy prevention projects for young women of color.
- Promoting Youth Leadership among Young Women of Color—Advocates promotes youth leadership through its Young Women of Color Leadership Council, composed of diverse young women of color from across the U.S. who have come together to fight the disproportionate effect of HIV/AIDS in their communities. The council members are working together to provide leadership for their peers as well as to affect decision makers about the HIV prevention needs of young women of color. The council provides their peers, national organizations, community-based organizations, and youth-serving professionals with information and resources by conducting:
- Workshops, Community Forums, and Media Outreach—Addressing the reproductive and sexual health needs of young women of color; culturally appropriate prevention programming; peer education; and youth-adult partnerships.
- Encouraging Young Women of Color to Work to Promote the Sexual Health of Their Peers—Recognizing that young women of color can often best help each other, Advocates for Youth trains young women as online peer educators. Peer educators undergo intensive training on reproductive and sexual health; they are knowledgeable about and sensitive to the issues that young women of color face.
- MySistahs (www.mysistahs.org)—An innovative, Web site created by and for young African American/black, Latina/Hispanic, Asian and Pacific Islander, and American Indian/Native American women to provide information and offer support on sexual and reproductive health issues through education and advocacy.
- Encouraging Young Women of Color to Practice Risk Avoidance and Risk Reduction Behaviors to Prevent HIV and Other STIs—Through an education campaign, Advocates works to promote risk avoidance and risk reduction behaviors as well as HIV testing.
- Offering Education and Outreach to the Entertainment Industry—Through the Media Project, Advocates works with the entertainment industry, encouraging depictions of responsible and positive sexual behavior for young women of color in television programming.
Resources
- Technical Assistance, Training, and Publications—Addressing cultural competence; parent-child communication about sexuality issues; peer education; science-based sex education and HIV, STI, teen pregnancy prevention programming (including life skills); creating inclusive programming for young women who have sex with women; and youth-adult partnerships, among others
- Publications— Materials include issue briefs, facts sheets, posters, teen pamphlets, and toolkits related to young women of color.
Contact
Program Manager, Young Women of Color Initiatives
P: 202.419.3420
F: 202.419.1448
Web: www.advocatesforyouth.org
2000 M Street NW, Suite 750
Washington, DC 20036 USA
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