Advocates for Youth Honors National Youth HIV and AIDS Awareness Day
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, as HIV programs face funding cuts and partisan attacks, Advocates for Youth honors National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day (NYHAAD) and the young people advocating for HIV prevention, treatment, and care nationwide.
A project of the national youth activism and reproductive and sexual health nonprofit Advocates for Youth, NYHAAD is commemorated annually on April 10th to urge policymakers and the public to take action regarding the impact of HIV and AIDS on young people, and to highlight the HIV prevention, treatment, and care campaigns of young people in the U.S.
Youth activists across the country worked with lawmakers in Reno, NV, Washoe County, NV, Chicago, IL, Fort Wayne, IN, Columbus, Ohio, Aiken, SC, and Orange County, NC to introduce National Youth HIV and AIDS Awareness Day proclamations. The proclamations highlight how HIV disproportionately impacts young people of color, condemn stigma and criminalization of HIV, and call on government officials to support youth-friendly and accessible health services.
“With continued attacks on funding for HIV services, it’s more important than ever to stand up for young people’s access to information and freedom from stigma and discrimination,” said Debra Hauser, President of Advocates for Youth. “Everyone deserves health care that allows them to thrive. We urge elected officials to step up to protect HIV prevention, treatment and care for people of all ages.”
Advocates selected over 50 youth activists for this year’s NYHAAD Ambassadors cohort. Each Ambassador leads an individual campaign highlighting the challenges faced by young people living with and impacted by HIV, explaining how youth combat stigma and discrimination at local, state, and federal levels, and raising awareness among physicians, policymakers, and youth-serving organizations’ staff about disparities in access to HIV services.
“Young people living with HIV are powerful and we will not be silenced,” said Jane Oluwaniyi, NYHAAD Ambassador and Engaging Communities around HIV Organizing (ECHO) activist at Advocates for Youth. “This National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day, we call on decision-makers at all levels of government to listen to youth shaping the future of the HIV response and to take action to protect HIV funding.”
For more information about National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day and Week of Action, please visit Advocates for Youth’s NYHAAD webpage.
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Advocates for Youth is a 501(c)3 organization that champions efforts that help young people make informed decisions about their reproductive and sexual health. Advocates for Youth boldly advocates for a more positive and realistic approach to adolescent sexual health, focusing its work on young people ages 14-24 in the U.S. and around the globe.
For Immediate Release: April 10, 2026
Contact: Eleanor Naiman, [email protected]