ADVOCATES FOR YOUTH

Youth to Speak out at National AIDS Conference

Ryan White National Youth Conference on HIV and AIDS Begins Today

Dallas, TX (February 14) More than 600 youth leaders in the fight against HIV/AIDS meet today at the Westin Park Central Hotel in Dallas for the tenth annual Ryan White National Youth Conference on HIV and AIDS (February 14-17).

HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention have been hot topics in the media recently. After two years in office, President Bush highlighted HIV/AIDS relief as one of his top priorities in his recent State of the Union speech, calling for a substantial U.S. investment in fighting AIDS. While AIDS activists applauded his inclusion of AIDS as a priority, they expressed concern about whether the administration will attempt to incorporate its domestic "abstinence-only-until-marriage" policy into international HIV/AIDS prevention efforts. The on-going debate this approach and a more comprehensive one that includes both strong messages of abstinence and contraception will likely surface at the conference as young people weigh in with their opinions on this issue.

"Young people are especially hard hit by HIV/AIDS," said Monica Rusk, age 19. "Those of us age 15 to 24 make up half of all new HIV infections in the United States and around the world."

The Ryan White National Youth Conference on HIV and AIDS is the only national conference dedicated to building the HIV prevention health services and advocacy skills of young AIDS activists, youth peer educators, HIV-positive youth and those who work in support of young people. The conference is organized by the National Association of People with AIDS, with sponsorship from Advocates for Youth, AIDS Alliance for Children, Youth and Families, and Metro TeenAIDS.

"Worldwide, young people account for 2.6 million new HIV infections each year," said Shajine Gregory, 19. "That's five new infections every minute, over 7,000 every day."

The conference provides many opportunities to talk with young people who are on the front lines of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the U.S. and abroad. Youth available for interviews come from a variety of different backgrounds, such as:

• Charles, a 23-year-old HIV-positive youth who works as a peer educator in inner-Chicago
• Chanel, a 22-year-old and recent speaker for William J. Clinton Presidential Foundation event in Washington, DC
• Monica, 19-year-old dedicated to HIV/AIDS prevention efforts for over 4 years
• Vickie, 18-year-old high school student and peer educator in Minneapolis.

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Note to Editors and Producers: For more information or to set up an interview with a YOUTH leader at the conference, please contact Bill Barker at (202) 419-3420. For general conference inquiries, visit www.rwnyc.org or call the Westin Park Central Hotel at (972) 385-3000.

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