by Ian O'Brien, Youth Activist Network Coordinator

“Change can't happen if we're not involved in it.” Lawrence Stallworth's words synthesized the sentiments expressed by panelists at a panel on youth activism in the global HIV/AIDS movement during the 2012 International AIDS Conference.

The coolest part about this panel was that youth were involved, and people were listening.

Stallworth joined four other youth activists in a discussion about the work of young people on the front lines in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

Ronnie Cho, President Obama's Liaison to Young Americans, acted as moderator for the panel. He opened with a reaffirmation the President's commitment to seeing an AIDS Free Generation and the belief that change “does not come from the top down, but from the bottom up.”

Well, the bottom is causing a ruckus, and they are ready for the top to start paying attention. These five youth described the incredible work they and their peers are doing.

Karachi Opara is a current intern with Advocates for Youth and has worked with the organization’s Young Women of Color Leadership Council since 2009. She was a part of DIVAS for Action, a campus organization that helped empower fellow women of color. Opara's note at the end of presentation was particularly insightful in efforts to mobilize young people towards activism: “No one should feel like they can't do anything. If you have spoken out against HIV/AIDS, you are an activist.”

“When the media isn't talking about young people, young people are creating these stories for themselves.” Ernesto spoke about the role of social media in youth movements, and his work at the Cascade AIDS Project in Oregon. Ernesto talked about the innovation of young people in using tools like facebook and twitter to organize efforts to disseminate information and resources in unconventional routes to avoid suppression by adults, citing a particular instance of condom distribution at a college campus. He also mentioned Advocates for Youth's recent call for a Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day and how young people were integrated into the process. “What was awesome about this message was that instead of sending out a press release, it was announced at a small venue full of young people. And then young people started sending out this message, tweeting about it, posting on Facebook.”

“So you can get busy living or you can get busy dying.” Lawrence Stallworth opened with a quote from The Shawshank Redemption that he said convinced him to start doing activist work after he learned he was HIV positive. Lawrence works with AIDS Taskforce of Greater Cleveland in Ohio where he serves as an Outreach Coordinator and Educator. Lawrence spoke of the importance of continuing to voice the stories of young people to policy makers and invested organizations in order to make sure that youth's issues are not being pushed to the side. He challenged the audience: “If they aren't hearing from us, how are they going to make things better?”

Talking about the Red Card Project in her home country of Nigeria, Kikelomo Taiwo mentioned the current successes that youth have had with local policy makers. By connecting and mobilizing young people and strategically reaching out to key stakeholders, The Red Card Project has been able to make sure that fighting stigma against HIV/AIDS is present in the minds of policy makers. Kike also spoke about how helpful her work with the International Youth Speak Out Project and the Red Card Project have been in helping her find her own voice and take hold of her life, and how doing so has helped her to inspire others.“The moment you decide to break out of your silence, you are setting the stage for others to follow.”

Falin Patel spoke about his work on Advocate's for Youth International Youth Leadership Council in DC and the role youth play in domestic and international lobbying efforts. “Being given the chance to see the documents and processes behind these policies first hand helps secure my understanding of what is being done and where I fit in” Falin recounted about his experiences lobbying both the United Nations and United States Congress. Falin drove the point that it was necessary for youth to be a major part of policy efforts. “40% of new HIV infections occur in young people under 25. Young people should be involved when these decisions are being made.”

Apathy was a topic that kept appearing during discussion, with multiple mentions by the panel and several questions about it from the audience. Ernesto spoke about the lack of connection between young people and the history of HIV/AIDS. He said that gay men, particularly gay men of color, do not have visible role models – or sometimes, role models at all – to help them relate to the impact HIV/AIDS has had on our communities since it first appeared. Lawrence offered himself up as that connection: “When it comes to complacency, I'm the example.” Being in public spaces, speaking out about these issues, as young people who are gay/black/positive/undocumented/trans or members of other marginalized and silenced groups makes this work relevant, and makes the impact tangible.

And sometimes apathy can be fought with inspiration from our adult allies. It was an honor to have Congresswoman Barbara Lee, a staunch supporter of youth rights, LGBT rights, and HIV prevention, attend the panel, and put in her support for the call for a Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day. Lee remarked: “Young people elected our first African American president... You are who we need to move this fight forward.”

Young people are doing amazing work on HIV/AIDS around the world. Our work is valuable because we are valuable. It is essential that our stories, our lives, and our activism be given the venue and attention we deserve. Bring us to your events. Invite us to your coalitions. Listen to us. Fund us. Reach out to us. Help us network – networking and connecting with other young people was echoed as invaluable by all of the panelists. I think it was Ernesto who got straight to the heart of the matter, both in relationship to logistics and young people's metaphorical relationship with activism: “Bring food. We're hungry.”