The 2010 International AIDS Conference, July 18-23, is almost here!  Check out the Vienna YouthForce website for more information about the conference and youth-specific activities.

What is the Vienna YouthForce?

The Vienna YouthForce is a global platform for international, regional and local youth organizations that focus on HIV and AIDS, as well as on youth sexual and reproductive health and rights, to work together to organize youth activities and advocacy campaigns prior to and during the International AIDS Conference.   The Vienna YouthForce organizing partners include ten youth organizations, including Advocates for Youth, Community Forum Austria, Global Youth Coalition on HIV/AIDS (GYCA), International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations (IFMSA), the World AIDS Campaign, Youth Coalition on Sexual and Reproductive Rights, YouAct, Y-Peer, CHOICE for youth and sexuality and Youth R.I.S.E. 

This year, the Youth  Programme Working Group and the Vienna YouthForce are working closer than ever to act as a common body for young people at this year’s International AIDS Conference.  Activities implemented prior and during the conference include an advocacy campaign, a youth Pre-Conference, the Youth Pavilion, and media and communications.   To learn more, visit the Vienna YouthForce web site at: http://youthaids2010.tigweb.org/. 

How did the YouthForce begin and how long has it been active?

Advocates for Youth is a founding member of the YouthForce, an initiative created in 2002 at the Barcelona International AIDS Conference (IAC) to foster youth participation at the conference and create opportunities for young people’s voices to be heard.   Advocates for Youth and Family Health International joined forces with over 40 other organizations to foster increased youth attendance at the conference and run a visibility campaign, focused on “Where are the youth?”

In preparation for the IAC of 2004 in Bangkok, the YouthForce worked with local Thai youth and conference organizers to ensure that youth programming was integrated into the main conference. As a result, organizers provided space and opportunities for the YouthForce and more focused conference policies and programming to increase the participation of young people. In addition, the YouthForce sponsored the first youth pre-conference to support young people’s active participation in the main conference. The pre-conference provided capacity building, skills-based training, and a space for peer networking and learning.

At the 2006 IAC in Toronto, the YouthForce continued its work to further institutionalize youth issues and activities within the IAC and increase youth attendance.  Additional core partners included the Global Coalition on HIV/AIDS and TakingITGlobal.  In Toronto, the efforts of the YouthForce resulted in a doubling of the number of youth delegates at the conference.  Organizers also worked with the International AIDS Society and Local Host directly---allowing for greater support and linkages between the IAC and the YouthForce.  In fact, for the first time, a youth program coordinator position was established within the conference structure to support youth-focused activities. The YouthForce also developed an advocacy campaign that moved beyond a sole focus on youth participation and included specific asks of conference delegates and stakeholders.  The YouthForce continued to implement activities such as the pre-conference and supported a youth reception and the youth pavilion, within the global village venue at the conference.

In 2008 in Mexico City, the YouthForce expanded collaborative partnerships to also include Ave de México, the Youth Coalition, the World AIDS Campaign and Youth R.I.S.E.  The YouthForce secured youth speakers both at the opening and closing plenaries, fostered increased participation of HIV positive youth, and implemented and supported YouthForce hallmark events, including the pre-conference, which became an official conference-affiliated event for the first time ever; the advocacy campaign; the youth reception; and the youth pavilion, in collaboration with the International AIDS Society’s Youth Programme coordinator and support staff.  

Now it’s 2010 and the YouthForce is working hard with the Youth Programme to elevate and mainstream young people’s issues within the conference. Don’t forget to check out this year’s advocacy campaign, Make It Happen.  Advocates for Youth and Youth R.I.S.E. co-chaired the YouthForce advocacy sub-committee, which spearheaded an e-consultation to develop the advocacy campaign messages.  The campaign materials, designed by Advocates for Youth, will be visible on posters, a post card, as well as banners at the conference.  Check them out at the Vienna YouthForce web site, http://youthaids2010.tigweb.org/.