Ready to make it happen!
This week young YWCA women joined other young people from over 90 countries to participate in the Vienna Youth Force AIDS 2010 Youth Pre-Conference. The Conference (July 14 – 16, 2010) is designed to equip young people attending the XVII International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2010) with the knowledge and skills to be able to get the most out of the main conference through their participation and presentations, advocating for human rights, health rights and harm reduction. The Conference also provides an opportunity for them to engage with high-level leaders to make commitments in the response to HIV, taking into consideration the needs of young people.
Tired and jet lagged, but full of spirit and enthusiasm, the youth activists gathered at the Medical University of Vienna ready to get as much out of the experience as possible. The event began on a regional level. The delegates gathered into groups that were based on their respective regions to discuss and share the challenges youth activists face, as well as to find solutions to these challenges.
The regional meeting was immediately followed by the opening ceremony in which Brigitte Schmied, the International AIDS Conference co-Chair, addressed the group highlighting why youth participation is important at such a high-level conference and why the voices of youth need to be heard. “Young people are the most vulnerable”, she said. She also noted that because young people are at a greater risk compared to other groups, their participation at the Conference is all the more important. Ms. Schmied also praised those who were present, stating that their presence there signaled their willingness to be a part of the solution.
The three-day programme allowed participants to attend plenary sessions around advocacy and comprehensive sexual education. Participants also attended various breakout sessions, such as: “What does treatment as prevention mean for young people?”, “What to expect from AIDS 2010”, “Condoms - beyond prevention, creating demand and increase use”, “More money for meds: Doing effective activism for universal treatment access in a recession”. These sessions presented interesting facts and startling statistics, and further strengthened and highlighted the importance of youth participation, as well as the necessity for those with the power to take immediate action.
Informed, challenged, and keeping in mind the slogan of the Vienna Youth Force, the young delegates are ready to “make it happen”!
The Youth Pre-Conference is one of the many pre-conferences being held in the build-up to the International AIDS Conference (July 18 - July 23, 2010) which will bring together activists, scientists and all involved in the response to HIV and AIDS.
- Read the last post of the World YWCA women Leading Change blog, 'Reflections on the Youth Force Pre-Conference'
