Monday, March 26, 2012

Contact: Rachel Cooke - 202.419.3420 x45

First-of-Its-Kind Analysis of PEPFAR's Youth Policies

In a newly-released report, Advocates for Youth examines the youth HIV prevention policies being implemented by the Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator (OGAC) and outlines a series of policy recommendations to help the agency and other policymakers make improvements. This first-of-its-kind, in-depth analysis assesses youth policies within the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), including its legislative authority, its most recent five-year strategy, relevant guidance documents, and all twenty-one PEPFAR country Partnership Frameworks currently available.

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Here at Advocates for Youth we believe that young people matter. A lot. When half of the world's population is under 25, it is to everyone's advantage — especially elected officials, decision makers, and members of the media — to listen closely to young people's voices. But what are the issues that matter most to them?

During the next few months we'll be posting blogs about Millennial viewpoints — who they are, what they do, and how their attitudes and beliefs are shaping our world. In fact, our first blog post was just published on Politico. Check it out, share it out, and comment. Also, please check out our new website section about Millennials. It's brimming with facts, polling data, and amazing infographics.

Millennials, young people 30 and under, are coming of age in a world vastly different from that of their parents and grandparents. The Millennial generation is diverse, technologically savvy, open minded, and committed to sexual health and rights. In fact, this generation may just be the most pro-sexual health generation in U.S. history and has the potential to put America on course to become a truly sexually healthy nation.

Friday, March 16, 2012

Contact: Rachel Cooke - 202.419.3420 x45

Young People's Voices Heard Loud and Clear

Statement from Debra Hauser, Executive Director, Advocates for Youth

Young women across the country are now one step closer to accessing birth control. Today the Obama Administration announced that student health plans will need to cover preventive services without co-pay or deductible. Starting in August, most student health plans will have to cover contraception. Schools that currently do not cover contraception will be given the opportunity to apply for a one-year waiver.

Since the beginning of the current health care debate, young people have been consistent in their vocal demand that the new health care law reflects their needs, and today's announcement from the White House is a result of their determination. From young people organizing across the country to Sandra Fluke's testimony before Congress, students have fought for contraceptive coverage to be recognized as basic health care - no matter where they go to school. The Administration has heard their voices and agrees.

March 10th is National Women & Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day – a time to educate, include and empower communities across the country about the impact that HIV and AIDS has had on women and girls.

This year’s theme is “Every Moment is a Deciding Moment” to show that you are greater than this disease and you have empowered yourself and your community to get educated, get involved, get treated.

Women have been hit hard by this disease and now it is time for us to confront it head on. 

So on March 10th we are asking that you join the movement with these steps:

#1: Bring Awareness on your Social Media Networks.

Step 1: Change your Facebook Profile Picture:



Step 2: Follow our Twitter account @ywoc_lc or @amplify

Step 3: Retweet Retweet to #NWGHAAD

by Ashley, Youth Activist and Amplify Blogger

Representative Tom Price (R-GA) does not believe any women have EVER had problems accessing birth control. Specifically, he stated, “Bring me one woman who has been left behind. Bring me on. There’s not one.”

I am a woman, a woman with a lot of privilege in my life. I have always had insurance coverage and many other resources, yet I have had challenges accessing birth control. I asked my friends on Facebook if they had experienced challenges as well. Many women responded.  You wanted to be brought women who have be left behind. Here we are, and here are the barriers we have faced.

Money 

In college my birth control cost 60 a month. That was about the same as my gas bill, or groceries for a week. Others have told me their birth control cost anywhere between two dollars to 100 dollars per month. In these tough economic times when students are burdened with increasing student debt and lack of access to good paying jobs with benefits there is little money young people can spare.

by Julia Reticker-Flynn, Manager, Youth Activist Network

by Sarah Audelo, Senior Manager, Domestic Policy

After last week's birth control hearing debacle (at which initially, no women were permitted to speak), House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has announced that the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee will be hosting a hearing on “Women’s Health” According to the announcement:

“The sole witness at the hearing will be Ms. Sandra Fluke, a third-year law student at Georgetown University, who was blocked from testifying at a recent Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing by Chairman Darrell Issa . Instead, Chairman Issa brought forward a panel of all men to testify on this topic.”

While great to give Sandra a space to testify (the story she shares is incredibly compelling-you can click here to listen to what she would have said last week at the Oversight hearing), I must admit that my initial reaction was disappointment in the fact that Sandra is the only person sharing testimony.

Why? Because there are many more perspectives Congress needs to hear from on the important topic of contraceptive access…especially when it comes to contraceptive access for women who use birth control to (get ready for it) prevent unintended pregnancy.

Here is a quick list of folks I’d love to see testifying before Congress on this important issue as well as a little background to show why their voices are so important (and why they’re so great).

Rev. Debra Haffner of the Religious Institute. Quoted from their own website, “Founded in 2001, the Religious Institute is a multifaith organization dedicated to advocating for sexual health, education, and justice in faith communities and society. The Religious Institute has emerged as the national leadership organization working at the intersection of sexuality and religion. “

Dr. Renee Jenkins, Professor and Chair of the Department of Pediatrics and Child Health at Howard University. Dr. Jenkins is an active member of the American Academy of Pediatrics, Chair of the Pediatric Section of the National Medical Association, member of the Institute of Medicine and serves on the Board on Children, Youth and Families of the National Academy of Sciences.