*For Black youth, the impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic is, at best disproportionate – and at worst, monumental. Of the nearly 21,000 cases estimated to occur each year among African Americans, one-third (34 percent) are among young people aged 13 to 24.
Black youth living with HIV face a number of challenges – with limited targeted outreach and few networks of support. There is an urgent need to adapt the HIV response to engage young people.
As in many areas, youth voices contribute and embrace innovative solutions and are the best resources to understand how to evolve HIV prevention and treatment strategies for today.
Aiming to understand and activate the nuances of reaching this new generation, ViiV Healthcare’s Positive Action for Youth (PAFY) initiative empowers youth to manage their own health, as well as raise awareness and reduce gaps in HIV care for other young people across the country.
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With the first PAFY initiative piloted in 2017, the past five years are a testament to ViiV’s commitment to youth – supporting mentorship programming, leadership development, safe spaces, prevention, and peer navigation programs for thousands of young people to amplify their voices within their communities – all backed by a $6.75 million investment to ensure sustainable change.
As a follow-on to this initiative, today, on National Youth HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, ViiV Healthcare released a new report “Our Own North Stars: Supporting the Next Generation of Leaders,” highlighting lessons learned from working with young movers and shakers in the HIV movement, as well as insights that could have a sustained and positive effect on young people’s, well-being and development.
As our society evolves to welcome a new generation of leadership, young people are off and running – joining and spearheading movements to reshape our world for the better. This includes young people committed to improving health equity, reducing the number of new HIV diagnoses, and reshaping the way we approach healthcare for adults living with HIV.
In 2023 and beyond, ViiV Healthcare is focused on building on these collective learnings with continued efforts to reduce stigma and close the gaps in HIV prevention and care for young people across the country.
We hope the report inspires funders and organizations to rise to the occasion – prioritizing youth-driven initiatives in an effort to move us forward and end the HIV epidemic once and for all. To learn more, read the full PAFY Insights Report here.
