We recently announced that a coalition of partners are calling on President Obama, Congress, and HHS to formally recognize National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day.  Now, we need your help.  Call your Congressional Representative today and ask him or her to support the National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day by signing on to the letter asking President Obama to formally recognize the Day.

Click through for a sample script and contact information.

by Julia Reticker-Flynn, Manager, Youth Activist Network

On August 1, 2012, under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), private insurance plans will begin to cover the cost of birth control – meaning millions of women will no longer have to pay the up to $600 a year birth control can cost. 

Most young women with insurance will soon be able to choose among birth-control methods -- oral contraception, injectables, the ring, IUDs, and others. They will be able to select the method that best fits their needs and lives, without cost standing in the way of their decision. You helped make birth control with no co-pay a reality. You sent thousands of letters and participated throughout the year in a campaign urging President Obama and Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to stand firm and supporting them in the face of relentless attacks from social conservatives. And you were heard!

by Debra Hauser, President

These days we do not have many occasions to celebrate a victory in women’s health. But, today we can mark on our calendars. Today, most private insurance companies in the United States will begin to cover all FDA-approved forms of contraception, free of co-pays. This is a BIG step forward, especially for many young women, for whom the cost of contraception can be prohibitive.  Most young women with insurance will soon be able to choose among birth-control methods -- oral contraception, injectables, the ring, IUDs, and others.  They will be able to select the method that best fits their needs and lives, without cost standing in the way of their decision.  With this new mandate, making women’s preventive care affordable for those with insurance, we are inching closer to the day when all young women will be able to choose the type of contraception that is right for them; when they can take full control of protecting their health and planning for their futures.

Unfortunately, over the last few months, there have been many attempts to do away with or limit the preventive health services to be covered under the Affordable Care Act – attempts that are likely to continue.  

We have just wrapped up our work at the XIX International AIDS Conference (IAC) and wanted to share what an exciting couple of weeks it has been!  Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, UNAIDS Director Michael Sidibe, and many celebrities all made appearances; the conference was a constant bustle of activity, as high level meetings, workshops, receptions, fundraisers, and protests went on throughout.  An overarching theme of the conference was a call to join together, muster the political will, and pool our resources to end the epidemic.

Advocates participated extensively in the IAC.  From organizing the Youth PreConference, to recruiting volunteers and cosponsoring  the opening  ceremony of the AIDS Quilt on the National Mall, to sharing expertise and elevating the voices and experiences of young people on multiple panels and workshops.  Staff and youth activists worked tirelessly to ensure young people’s meaningful participation at the Conference. 

The week culminated in Advocates spearheading an effort by more than 15 coalition partners to create National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day and calling on President Obama, Congress, and HHS to formally recognize the day and demonstrate the political will necessary to ensure all young people’s rights to the sexual health education and services that can help them protect their health and save their lives.  

Hear more about our IAC activities after the jump! 

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.

by Trina Scott, Associate Director, Health Equity and Youth Empowerment

On July 23, surrounded by hundreds of youth activists from across the United States and around the world, a trio of Advocates' Youth Activist Network members announced the creation of National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day.

Show your support for National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day! Sign the petition TODAY!

At the AIDS 2012 Youth Reception, Lawrence, Brittany, and Ariel also called on President Obama and the U.S. government to officially recognize this day on April 10th each year — a step that would allow youth activists, government agencies, and the HIV and AIDS community to mobilize young people and their communities.

"If we put young people at the forefront — if we prioritize young people as key partners — we can get to an AIDS-free generation," Lawrence declared. "Young people have the power to prevent HIV, but we can't do it alone. All of us have to be in this fight together. Which is why in this place, at this time, at this crucial moment in our fight, we call on President Obama, Congress, and each and every one of you to declare April 10 National Youth HIV and AIDS Awareness Day!"

by Debra Hauser, President, Advocates for Youth

Tens of thousands gather this week for the 19th International AIDS Conference in Washington, DC.  Thousands of young leaders and activists in the fields of health care, public policy, and education are among them, all committed to keeping up the fight until we reach an AIDS-free generation.

Millennials represent the first generation that has never known a world without HIV and AIDS, and I fully believe that they will be the generation of leaders to finally and decisively turn the tide against this global pandemic.

One might expect resignation from Millennials that HIV and AIDS will always be a part of the global landscape - after all, for them it always has been - but, in fact, the opposite is true. For the first time in decades, we can finally see a path to a world with no new HIV infections, and young people are frustrated that our society has met this challenge with neither the full force of our financial, educational, and scientific resources, nor political will.

They have every right to be impatient and angry.

HIV and AIDS continues to disproportionately affect young people. In the United States, an estimated one-third of new HIV infections are among young people ages 13-29. Globally, young people ages 25 and under experience 40 percent of new HIV infections.

It is no surprise that those most vulnerable to many of society’s ills are also the most vulnerable to HIV.  Young women in sub-Saharan Africa are up to eight times as likely to be HIV positive as men.  A young Black gay man in the U.S. has a 1-in-4 chance of being infected by age 25. In the U.S. and around the world, young men who have sex with men face stigma and discrimination and also are at high risk of HIV.

Despite the devastating impact of this plague, Millennials are pushing for bold steps forward.

They believe government should play a stronger role:  63 percent of Millennials believe the government should spend more on HIV and AIDS vs 47 percent of Boomers and Seniors.  Half want public schools to do more to help solve the problem. And they want schools to provide comprehensive sex education that covers information about contraception and condoms.

Millennials also are taking responsibility to protect their own health: globally, HIV prevalence among young people is falling in 16 of the 21 countries most affected by HIV - a decline that has coincided with decreases in sexual risk-taking among young people. But, a lack of resources continues to fuel the epidemic among youth, including here in the United States.

Millennials are mobilizing their peers to pressure governments, corporations, and nonprofits to commit to an AIDS-free generation by increasing investments, shifting resource allocation, and garnering political will. And, not content with the pace of change, young leaders are creating new institutions and movements of their own.

As the oldest Millennials turn 30 this year, they are on the cusp of leading an even more profound cultural shift. Already, half of Millennials want more information on talking about HIV with kids, and they are beginning to raise their own children with a new set of values around HIV and AIDS. As Millennials ascend to positions of power and leadership in society, and as they become parents themselves, they have a unique opportunity to empower a widespread cultural shift regarding sex, sexuality, and sexual health.

Last week, young activists and leaders from around the world joined together in Washington, D.C., as YouthForce 2012. After more than a year of planning - nearly all of it led by youth activists themselves - these young people convened prior to the International AIDS Conference to finalize their policy platform, coordinate their advocacy efforts for the conference, and mobilize to ensure that young people’s voices, perspectives, and ideas shape the outcomes of the IAC itself.

But these young people cannot do it alone. We must have the courage to stand beside them to fight for societal recognition that young people have the right to accurate and complete sexual health information and confidential, affordable health care services; that all young people deserve our respect - and a seat at the table - for the role they are playing to end the pandemic; and that the U.S., as a leader in the global fight against HIV, has the responsibility to ensure that those receiving U.S. funds domestically and abroad provide young people with all of the tools they need to safeguard their sexual and reproductive health. Yet, all too often, young people are ignored or caught in the crosshairs of controversy and politics. Government policies and funding restrictions often stand in the way: in the United States the percent of youth receiving HIV education in schools has declined since 2005, while around the world only one-third of young people have comprehensive knowledge of HIV. Condoms are highly effective at preventing HIV, but in the United States and abroad, restrictions are placed on providing information about and distributing condoms to sexually active youth. Recent studies have found that early treatment of HIV reduces the risk of transmission by 96 percent, yet the vast majority of countries - including the United States - have no comprehensive plan to ensure that people living with HIV have access to the life-saving treatment they need. Our current approaches are too often limited in scope, short-sighted, and politically safe - and young people are paying the price. We must do better. Only by fully investing in young people - in their health, their education, and their leadership - can we create the “generational firewall” it will take to truly reach an AIDS-free generation and ensure young people’s overall well-being.

Which is why Advocates for Youth, along with eleven other founding partners, announce the creation of National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day and call on President Obama, Congress, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to formally recognize this important day in prioritizing young people in the fight against HIV and AIDS. April 10, 2013 will mark the first annual nationwide observance of the day. Each year, National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day will provide youth activists, public health organizations, and their allies an opportunity to hold our leaders accountable for realizing an AIDS-free generation.

Millennials are deeply committed to building an AIDS-free generation. They have the power and the will to prevent HIV. We can all help make this dream a reality. If we are smart enough, determined enough, and courageous enough to work alongside them.

To join the call of youth activists for President Obama, Congress, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to officially recognize National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day please visit:www.AdvocatesforYouth.org/YouthAIDSDay.

by Kate Stewart, Executive Vice President for Public Affairs

“It is not really a quilt, it is something more. It is hope and it is love.” – Bridget, 9 years old

“You can't describe the quilt. It is more than fabric, more than names in marker. It's hope. A bittersweet remembrance of those that have lost their lives. When someone hands you a piece of the quilt, you need to take good care of it. Because it matters.”--- Maya, 12 years old

This morning as the rain poured down, I woke my two daughters – Bridget and Maya. They protested – “Mom, it’s summer vacation!” “It’s raining!” But, today was an important day: the day that the AIDS Memorial Quilt returned to Washington DC for the first time in almost 20 years. And I want to share this moment with my daughters.

We arrived at the National Mall before it was even fully light. Despite months of planning, it was raining. (Some things are just out of your control!) The rain isn’t as hard as before – but constant enough that plans for the massive undertaking of unfurling the Quilt were being reevaluated. Volunteers slowly began making their way to the meeting place. The rain stopped for a bit; then started again. The opening ceremony begins and, with plastic tarp laid down to protect the Quilt, we are lucky to watch the panels as they begin to unfold.