National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day

April 10, 2014

The first ever National Youth HIV & AIDS

Awareness Day took place on April 10, 2013.

Protect Yourself1

The mission of Protect Yourself1 is to promote

personal responsibility and evidence-based

health education about HIV/STIs and related

conditions using STEM skills, music, art,

emerging technology, and media.

Our educational programs, events, and

activities educate youth on how to protect

themselves from HIV/STIs and decrease the

number of new HIV infections by reducing risky

behaviors among under-served, at-risk youth.

National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day

• Today's young people are the first generation who has never known a world without HIV and AIDS.

• In the United States, 34,000 young people ages 13-24 are living with HIV. One in four new cases of HIV are among

young people.

• Despite this harsh reality, young people and their allies are determined to end this pandemic once and for all.

FACTS

1,000 young people a month acquire HIV and

76,400 young people are living with HIV in the US

with 60% not knowing they are infected

National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day

The creation of National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day is a momentous step towards acknowledging and addressing the

needs of youth — and towards holding our leaders accountable each year as Advocates for Youth continues this fight. Only by

investing in young people in all aspects of the HIV and AIDS response will we achieve the dream of an AIDS-free generation.

WHAT WE DO

In response to the problem, PY1 implemented two programs in the Washington-Baltimore corridor.

Safe2LiveThe Safe2Live Program consists of state-of-the-art, culturally relevant, age-appropriate, and engaging educational productions to increase HIV and STI Awareness, Education and Prevention. The Safe2Live Program couples STEM skills development and evidence-based health education together and allows us to leverage youth‘s interest in technology, reinforce positive health behaviors while providing rudimentary STEM skills. Safe2Live contributes towards achieving an “AIDs-Free Generation” by increasing HIV/STI awareness, education and prevention among youth.

Project Arrowhead Project Arrowhead’s goal is to provide health education to youth of disproportionate risk for HIV through facilitated health education, equestrian training, outdoor service, and interpersonal /life skills that enhance the well being of youth, their families and the community.

Safe2Live History

The Safe2Live Program, founded by Monique Richert/Chayenn, launched during 2008.

The Safe2Live Program provides HIV/AIDS health information, resources and support for under-

served populations locally & nationally.

The Safe2Live Program includes:

• Safe2Live.org website

• Virtual world presence in JokaydiaGrid

• Public Service Announcements

• Mobile Puppet Theater

Our targeted audience African American

At-Risk Youth in the Washington –Baltimore Corridor

Black teens represent 15% of the US teenage population

but account for 68% of the new HIV infections.

• PY1 reached an audience of 3.3 million via its

Safe2Live Public Service Announcement.

• The Safe2Live Mobile Puppet Theater was

presented to 850 students in Baltimore City Public-

Charter schools and community centers and during

community events .

• The safe2live.org website has over 10,000+ unique

visitors since 2010

In 2012, PY1 launched the Safe2Live SIM pilot in Baltimore City.

The Safe2Live SIM is hosted on a jokaydiaGRID for participant confidentiality

and safety.

The Safe2Live SIM utilizes academically approved STEM curricula and evidenced-

based health education.

Youth engaged in the Safe2Live program gain valuable STEM skills in an entertaining

manner while simultaneously learning about health and technology.

Safe2Live SIM

Safe2Live LiveSafe2Live Live educational events in

Baltimore City Public Schools and Community Centers.

350 youth scholars were oriented to e-learning on the Safe2Live SIM on the JokaydiaGRID: PY1 (177, 90, 24). The sessions included: avatar creation, customization,

navigation, HIV/AIDS education in an interactive environment and STEM skills acquisition (learning to

build inworld).

Youth scholars HIV/AIDS knowledge increased by 25% through the Safe2Live program as gauged through the

pre and post- test surveys, evaluations and other metrics.

http://youtu.be/ElXLYupGpcY

Based on our tests, we can report that youth’s knowledge of HIV/AIDS increased over 25% after participating in the Safe2Live program.

• Young people in every nation, of every race/ethnicity, and at every income level are living with HIV. But the epidemic is more concentrated in some geographic areas and among some populations.

• The vast majority (3.8 million/76 percent) of young people living with HIV or AIDS are in sub-Saharan Africa.

• Most youth living with HIV are women. Overall, sixty-four percent of youth living with HIV are young women, while in sub-Saharan Africa, 71 percent of youth living with HIV are young women.

• Married girls can be at particular risk of HIV. For example, a study in Uganda showed that HIV prevalence was 28 percent for married and 15 per cent for single girls. This study noted that the age difference between the men and their wives was a significant HIV risk factor for the wives.

• http://www.advocatesforyouth.org

MILLIONS OF YOUNG PEOPLE ARE LIVING WITH HIV, WITH SOME GROUPS MORE AFFECTED

Safe2Live goes GlobalThrough a unique public and private

partnership, PY1 is developing the Safe2Live HIV/AIDS Virtual Health Education Program to educate 500,000 youth aged 8-24 from

nine African countries: Benin, Burundi, Central African Republic, Democratic

Republic of Congo, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, Togo and Zimbabwe.

The Safe2Live Virtual Health Education Program utilizes proven multi-media learning

theory, are culturally and linguistically appropriate to our audience, and presented

in English and French languages.

At PY1 we believe that by adapting the Safe2Live program to a virtual world format, we have created a cost-effective and proven model that can serve many more youth in Baltimore City and Washington, DC and

literally the world.Safe2Live helps us to achieve an AIDS – Free Generation.

PY1 asks you to act:Talk with your kids,

Make sure your child school has a HIV education program, Lend your support to a HIV+ child,

Use social media networks to heighten National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day

National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day

Project Arrowhead, Live Event

The PY1 Project Arrowhead program provides underprivileged youth aged 8-18 living in high-risk areas in the Baltimore community a rural educational experience to develop positive developmental assets including: HIV/STI health education, leadership development, life-skills, civic engagement, self acceptance, impulse modulation, social skills building and creative freedom.

The goal of Project Arrowhead is to provide health education to youth of disproportionate risk for HIV through facilitated health education, equestrian training, outdoor service, interpersonal /life skills that enhance the well being of youth, their families and the community.

Project Arrowhead, Live Event Project Arrowhead objectives are to:Educate youth about HIV/STIs, routes of transmission and how to protect yourself; Strengthen youth’s knowledge of healthy nutrition, obesity, caring for the environment, life sciences through community gardening, nature walks and yoga;Promote trust, confidence, self-esteem, teamwork, problem solving, relationship building, leadership skills and physical fitness through horseback riding, team games and individual challenge courses.

Each participant of Project Arrowhead program receives: 2 Hours of instruction on Equestrian Arts/Horse Husbandry, 1 Hour of HIV/STI Health Education, 1 Hour Luncheon and facilitated discussion by a Youth Educator, 1 Hour of instruction in Community Gardening and Life Sciences, 1 Hour of instruction in Yoga/team games and 1 Hour Nature Walk. http://youtu.be/qtgYu7pz8n0

Sponsors and Supporters

Protect Yourself 1 asserts as we educate our youth, we also protect the future of our communities.

The greater the number of youth that are educated and made aware of safe choices yields a

significant reduction of the incidence of HIV/AIDS/HCV/STIs community-wide.

Protect Yourself 1 is proud to acknowledge our sponsors and supporters for their generous

contributions of financial, in-kind and technical support in fulfilling the PY1 mission and programs.

Monique Richert /Chayenn

Tom Kujawski / INCARN8443.491.3634 :: info@PY1.org

Visit: protectyourself1.org

Follow: Twitter.com/PY1US

Like: Facebook.com/PY1US

Watch:youtube.com/protectyourself1

THANK YOU !!!