|
December 2007 update on new publications, actions you can take, and more!
Advocates for Youth's e-News Update
For Youth, By Youth
Organizing World AIDS Day on a College Campus
In this article Colin describes his own experience organizing for World AIDS Day and provides guidance on how other student leaders can raise awareness on their campuses.
World AIDS Day has been observed on December 1st every year since 1988. On this day governments, international organizations, and charities recognize the pandemic that is HIV/AIDS. More than 25 million people have died of AIDS, and currently over 40 million people are living with HIV/AIDS, there is no known cure.
I am the 2007 World AIDS Day organizer on the campus of Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. Kent Ohio is a suburban area with a population of 30,000, the nearest city is Akron, and the nearest major city Cleveland is 40 miles north.
Read more about how Colin's campus awareness events for World AIDS Day
WHEN PEOPLE WITH AIDS ARE UNDER ATTACK WHAT DO WE DO?!
ACT UP! FIGHT BACK!
By Brian Ackerman, International Policy Associate, Advocates for Youth
I am still a little surprised I had any voice left after I participated in the DC World AIDS Day rally on Friday afternoon on the eve of World AIDS Day 2007. Hundreds of students from local universities and dedicated activists from various local, national, and international organizations marched through downtown Washington--signs in hand and voices blaring--to in front of the White House to demand that our government "cut the red tape" that blocks the adoption of effective HIV/AIDS policy.
Read more about the rally
Other World AIDS Day events:
- Spelman College, Atlanta, GA: HOTGIRLS (Helping Out Teen Girls in Real Life Situations) threw a big HIV prevention party on campus where they passed out hundreds of informational fliers on getting tested, safer sex, emergency contraception, and the REAL Act, the federal bill to fund comprehensive sex eduation.
- Kent State University, Kent, OH: Eta Sigma Gamma rocked World AIDS Day with a REAL Act Petition Drive, where they highlighted their semester-long campaign to obtain 1,000 student signatures in support of the REAL Act. Their student outreach has included presentations to student organizations, tabling at student events, and giving talks in classrooms. They also hosted a slammin' Advocacy march and organized a Body-less Die-In to portray the millions of people who have died during the AIDS pandemic.
- American University, Washington, DC: The Women's Initiative hosted a week-long program for World AIDS Day. One of the events, "Intelligent Discussion: The RED Campaign," was a panel discussion on the pros and cons of the RED Campaign in addressing the HIV/AIDS pandemic. As you know, the RED Campaign has become a celebrity-driven, consumer project to raise funds to help fight global HIV/AIDS. While some believe that the campaign has raised the visibility of the issue, many young activists believe that the easy commercialism of the project has lulled people into a false sense of making a difference. Both sides were heard from in a very lively discussion. In addition, Advocates for Youth's Youth Activist Network (YAN) Coordinator, Mimi Melles, conducted a training on domestic and international policy issues. To wrap up the week, the Women's Initiative hosted a Dance Marathon where they raised $20,000 for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation!
- Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA: The Alliance for Gender and Sexual Diversity participated in an Atlanta school coalition event called "Red Shirt Day" to commemorate World AIDS Day. In local solidarity, students in the schools wore red shirts to symbolize the on-going fight against the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The Alliance also organized a discussion on a much ignored topic - - young people and HIV/AIDS that was well attended and very inspirational.
- Charleston College, Charleston, SC: The Peer Health Educators organized an amazing march to bring awareness to World AIDS Day. The Peer Health Educators passed out fliers on their campus to advertise the FREE HIV Testing being offered to students! As peer educators who visit classrooms and host health forums, they have also raised awareness about the need to fund comprehensive sex education through the REAL Act.
- West Indies University, Kingston, Jamaica: Approximately 200 students from the Mary Seacole Hall of Residence, the Guild of Students, Guild Councillors (student representatives) University of the West Indies Student Emergency Response Team (UWISERT), other Halls of Residence, and students from the Faculty of Medical Sciences marched around the famous ring road which stands close to the main areas of the University and touches all Faculties and most of the Halls of Residence. Students shouted messages such as, "Having Sex: Use a Condom", and "Abstinence: Mek (Makes) Sense!" At various Assembly points different facts about HIV/AIDS and its impact on the Caribbean and youth population were delivered. A huge red ribbon was laid on the grass in front of the University's Chapel with candles placed at a number of points. The candles of marchers were also lit after positive HIV messages were delivered.
Of particular importance is that at the final lap of the march, Roger Bent, Vice President of the Guild of Students, on the advice of Andrew, a member of Advocates' International Youth Leadership Council, addressed the University of the West Indies' HIV/AIDS Policy and the need for students to demand the necessary services, programs and initiatives to fight HIV/AIDS on the Mona Campus. On the Thursday of World AIDS Week, 144 students were tested for HIV and received HIV Counseling.. This was a collaborative effort between JA-STYLE, UWISERT, the Jamaica Red Cross and the Preston Hall of Residence. Students were also given pamphlets containing information about knowing their HIV status, the effectiveness of condoms and the ABC model of prevention. They were also charged to be safe and to create safer spaces themselves.
Say What?!
Teen Birth Rate Rises for the First Time in a Decade
Statistics released by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in early December showed that for the first time in more than ten years, the teen birth rate has risen. Between 2005 and 2006 over 435,000 young women, aged 15-19, gave birth. More teens in all racial/ethnic groups are giving birth, with the largest increases reported among African American/black teens. The teen pregnancy rate had fallen by 34 percent since 1991 before this year's rise.
The federal government has spent over $1.5 billion on ineffective abstinence-only programs which prohibit educators from providing young people with complete and accurate information about contraception. "I think the decade of progress may well be coming to a screeching halt. And we have to ask the question, 'Why is the federal government not educating young people fully about sex?'" said Advocates for Youth president James Wagoner.
Read the full statement by James Wagoner
Presidential Hopeful's Ignorance
By Cherrell, a member of the Young Women of Color Leadership Council
In 1992, Governor Mike Huckabee said the following: "If the federal government is truly serious about doing something with the AIDS virus, we need to take steps that would isolate the carriers of this plague. . .It is difficult to understand the public policy towards AIDS. It is the first time in the history of civilization in which the carriers of a genuine plague have not been isolated from the general population, and in which this deadly disease for which there is no cure is being treated as a civil rights issue instead of the true health crisis it represents."
Fifteen years later, rather than recanting his statement, he merely explained that he might phrase it differently, but he stood by the statement.
Read the full article
My Voice Counts!
What do YOU think of Our Newsletter?
Advocates for Youth believes that the voices of young people are an important part of bringing positive change to issues of sexual and reproductive health. Our newsletter is a way to highlight those voices. We need feedback from you about what policy issues you want to hear about and what we can do to make the newsletter more relevant to your activities.
So, how can we make our newsletters more interesting for you? Please fill out this and tell us what you think! We really need to hear from YOU, because your voice counts!
Dating Violence, Sexual Harassment and HIP HOP
HOTGIRLS (Helping Out Teen Girls in Real Life Situations) has received a lot of media for their efforts in using Hip Hop to combat the harassment that many girls receive from boys who mimic the lyrics they hear from many artists. To read a New York Times article that was influenced by and quoted them, read more here.
Start the New Year Off Right! Here's How...
Make One of Your New Year's Resolutions a Commitment to Youth Activism!
Tell us what YOUR 2008 commitment will be to change policies for young people on sexual and reproductive health! YOU may be featured in our next edition!
Need a little help? Here are some examples:
Click here to fill out the form.
Emergency Contraception: Access Denied!
In America, where up to 95 percent of the annual 800,000 teenage pregnancies are unintended and quality sexual health services for young women are often limited, activists like you must take action to make emergency contraception more widely available for ALL women.
Advocates for Youth and Choice USA urge you to Take Action! It has been one year since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) ruling to make over-the-counter sales of EC available only to women ages 18 and older.
Sign our petition and demand that the FDA rescind its decision and make EC available without a doctor's prescription for ALL women, including young women under age 18.
Our goal is to collect 50,000 signatures by the 2nd anniversary of the FDA's restrictive decision in August 2008.
You can help Advocates for Youth with a contribution today. To donate, visit http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/about/donatetoday.htm
Read previous issues from the Archive of e-News Updates >>
|
Send this page to a friend