World AIDS Day was first observed in 1988. Each year, organizations and individuals across the world bring attention to the HIV epidemic, endeavor to increase HIV awareness and knowledge, speak out against HIV stigma, and call for an increased response to move toward Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S.
The theme for the 2022 observance is “Putting Ourselves to the Test: Achieving Equity to End HIV.” Together, as a community, we can end HIV stigma, promote access to treatment and prevention by working to create a world that is equitable for all.
This Toolkit includes a variety of resources, images, sample social media, and publications to support you in amplifying the voices and experiences of young people living with HIV and young leaders who are committed to Achieving Equity to End HIV!
Landscape of HIV/AIDS at a glance:
- Only 26 states mandate HIV education.
- In 2019 only 9.4% of US high school students were ever tested for HIV.
- A 2018 study found that young people are less likely than adults to use medicine to prevent HIV. Barriers include cost, access, perceived stigma, and privacy concerns.
- In 2018 21% of young people living with HIV reported needing, but not receiving, transportation assistance services.
Let’s Stop HIV Together Campaign is a part of the CDC national Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S initiative. The campaign’s messaging promotes testing access, treatment, prevention, and putting an end to HIV stigma. This messaging is designed for community members.
Here are three things you can do this World AIDS Day. :
- Raise awareness about HIV testing and treatment and ways to challenge HIV Stigma by sharing Let's Stop HIV Together infographics on social media. (see links below)
- Encourage young people to get tested for HIV. Share this link to the CDC HIV Testing Locator Tool, which lists community organizations and clinics that will allow young people access to free testing, PrEP, and other sexual health resources.
- Create meaningful and intentional spaces for young people to ask questions, learn, and talk about the impacts of HIV and their community.
Remember with each post caption use the hashtags #StopHIVTogetherAFY22
SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM | OPTIONAL TEXT | IMAGE/VIDEO |
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter | Every day is a new opportunity to take charge of your health. Knowing your HIV status is the first step. #StopHIVTogetherAFY #TransHealthMatters #WorldAIDSDay | |
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter | Everyone’s sexual health journey is different. What are some things you do to protect yourself and your partner(s)? #StopHIVTogetherAFY #WorldAIDSDay | |
Facebook & Twitter | Knowing your HIV status helps you make informed choices about your sexual health. #StopHIVTogetherAFY #WorldAIDSDay | |
Facebook & Twitter | There are multiple HIV prevention options to choose from. Pick the HIV prevention method(s) that work for you. #StopHIVTogetherAFY #WorldAIDSDay |
If you and/or your organization is interested in becoming a Let's Stop HIV Together Ambassador Partner, please reach out to Char’lee King @charleemarie.king@advocatesforyouth.
Young people ages 13-24 have always known a world with HIV. Although ongoing scientific advances in prevention and treatment have cut the numbers of new infections substantially, young people remain disproportionately affected. 1 in 5 new HIV diagnoses in the US were among young people in this age group, and only half know their status. Young people also have low rates of HIV testing and are least likely to be connected to HIV care after testing positive.
Young people living with HIV are also less likely to remain in care or to have viral suppression. Young people living with HIV typically enter adult care by the age of 25. However, they often face a variety of barriers during and after the transition, which may include concerns about confidentiality, privacy, and trust in the adult setting.
Advocates for Youth has partnered with young people living with HIV, pediatric and adult care providers, and a variety of community-based and AIDS service organizations to design Medical Mentorship for Young People Living With HIV: Toolkit and Guide, created specifically for organizations and individuals dedicated to supporting youth, ages 13 to 24 living with HIV, to smoothly transition to and navigate adult care.
The Toolkit includes a variety of sections and resources on creating a mentorship program and infusing a youth-adult partnership model lens.
The REPEAL HIV Discrimination Act (H.R. 6111) would require the federal government to assess and recommend changes to state and federal, criminal and civil laws that discriminate against people living with HIV. The Health Not Prisons Collective has launched a campaign to get this important piece of legislation passed, and we need you to join the fight!
This toolkit was created for people with any level of advocacy experience who want to get involved in the fight against HIV criminalization. It contains all you need to know to be a fantastic advocate for the REPEAL HIV Discrimination Act.
Check out Equality Federation’s Equality Tracker for updated information about HIV Descrimination laws and policies and ways to take action in your city and/or state.
Urge your legislators to support the Repeal HIV Discrimination Act in the U.S. House (H.R.1305). This bill would modernize laws and policies to eliminate discrimination against those living with HIV and AIDS. Fill out this form and we'll automatically generate a letter for you to send to your members of Congress! Feel free to edit it and add your own thoughts.
Please see below for overarching messages related to AIDS Awareness Week
Accounts You Can Tag:
CHANNEL | PROJECT |
| |
SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORM | OPTIONAL TEXT | IMAGE/VIDEO |
‼️Tell your member of Congress to REPEAL HIV CRIMINALIZATION LAWS NOW ‼️ This #WorldAIDSDay, we’re calling on Congress to pass the REPEAL HIV Discrimination Act - a new piece of legislation that would modernize laws and policies to eliminate discrimination against those living with HIV and AIDS. In fact, President Biden endorsed this concept when running for office - now it’s time he fulfills his promise. Federal and state laws, policies, and regulations should not place a unique or additional burden on individuals solely as a result of their HIV status! Fill out the form in our bio and we’ll automatically generate a letter for you to send to your members of Congress, calling on them to pass this legislation that is so essential to the health and well-being of young people living with HIV. (ADD LINK TO BIO or LINK.TREE https://actionnetwork.org/letters/repeal-hiv/) | ||
Twitter, Facebook and Instagram | 🤦♀️Biting doesn't transmit HIV 🤦♂️Spitting doesn't transmit HIV 🤦♀️HIV cannot be passed via saliva, period. And yet in 11 US States, those acts are ILLEGAL if you have HIV. w. t. actual f? This #AIDSAwarenessWeek tell Congress to fix it: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/repeal-hiv/ | |
Twitter, Facebook and Instagram | Caption Needed #WorldAIDSDay #StopHIVTogetherAFY | |
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc | Every day is a new opportunity to take charge of your health. Knowing your HIV status is the first step. #StopHIVTogetherAFY #TransHealthMatters #WorldAIDSDay | |
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, etc | Everyone’s sexual health journey is different. What are some things you do to protect yourself and your partner(s)? #StopHIVTogetherAFY #WorldAIDSDay | |
Twitter and Facebook | Knowing your HIV status helps you make informed choices about your sexual health. #StopHIVTogetherAFY #WorldAIDSDay | |
Facebook & Twitter | There are multiple HIV prevention options to choose from. Pick the HIV prevention method(s) that work for you. #StopHIVTogetherAFY #WorldAIDSDay |
TITLE | DESCRIPTION | URL/LINK |
Message to Providers video | Armonté Butler speaks with Johns Hopkins infectious disease expert, Dr. Allison Agwu, about the importance of medical mentorship for young people living with HIV as they transition to adult care. | |
Kikis With Louie: How to Get Tested | Kikis With Louie talk shares one way folks can get tested for HIV and STIs. | |
Amaze: What Is HIV? | This video defines Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and its effect on the body’s immune system. It also dispels common myths regarding HIV, and goes over the ways HIV is transmitted through bodily fluids The video also mentions products that can prevent someone from getting HIV, such as condoms and PrEP medication. | |
Amaze: HIV and Health Disparities | This video considers how HIV or human immunodeficiency virus can affect people’s bodies in the same ways, while affecting communities differently. HIV affects people’s bodies in the same way by attacking people’s immune systems and making it difficult for people to fight infections. | |
Amaze: How To Protect Yourself and Others | This video defines HIV and AIDS and explains the way HIV can weaken the body’s immune system to make a person vulnerable to other infections. It clarifies that HIV can only be spread through contact with bodily fluids, not casual contact. It also goes over ways to protect yourself against HIV. The video also highlights PrEP. | |
PrEP and PEP: HIV Prevention | This video defines HIV and AIDS and clarifies that HIV can only be spread through contact with bodily fluids, not casual contact. The video emphasizes getting tested regularly for HIV and other STDs, either at your doctor’s office, a family planning clinic, or using an at-home test. | |
THE ABCS OF HIV | This 90-second animated video was created in partnership between the Human Rights Campaign and Advocates for Youth. "The ABCs of HIV" helps middle school-age students understand the basics about HIV, how it is transmitted and how it can be prevented, in age and developmentally appropriate ways. | |
How You Can Support Young People Living with HIV | ECHO Member, Gregory shares his story and how participating in ECHO impacted his life | |
Unpacking HIV Laws | That’s Discrimination 101, and it must end. Hear from our youth activists Lisa, Tyunique, and Tyreese about why it's time to repeal HIV discrimination laws. | |
Publications by Advocates for Youth Staff and Partners
TITLE & LINK | TYPE |
Toolkit & Guide | |
Toolkit | |
Toolkit | |
On All Sides: How Race, Ethnicity & Gender Influence Health Risk for Transgender Students of Color | Report |
Building Cultural Responsiveness for Youth-Serving Professionals | Toolkit |
Report | |
Toolkit |
TITLE | TYPE | WHERE TO WATCH/ACCESS |
Paris Is Burning (1991) | Documentary | Netflix |
Pariah (2011) | Movie | Hulu |
Blackbird (2014) | Movie | Amazon Prime & ALLBLK |
Movie | HBO Max | |
Movie | YouTube | |
Movie | Pluto | |
Movie | Amazon | |
Movie | Pluto | |
Movie | HBO Max | |
Movie | HBO Max | |
Movie | Kanopy | |
TV Show | HBO Max | |
TV Show | HBO Max | |
TV Show | HBO Max | |
TV Show | HBO Max | |
Documentary | Paramount + | |
TV | Hulu | |
Killing Patient Zero (2019) | Documentary | Tubi, Sundance, Amazon Prime |
Podcast Series | All podcasting platforms | |
How to Survive a Plague: The Inside Story of How Citizens and Science Tamed AIDS (2016) | Book | https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29429295-how-to-survive-a-plague |
Black on Both Sides: A Racial History On Trans Identity (2017) | Book | https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34850447-black-on-both-sides |
Book | https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35068748-the-house-of-impossible-beauties | |
We Are Everywhere (2019) | Book | |
Book | https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52580373-all-the-young-men | |
Legendary Children (2020) | Book |