NYLC Convenes Third Annual HIV/AIDS Best Practices Forum

On March 17, 50 participants gathered for the Third Annual HIV/AIDS Best Practices Forum: Youths as Change Agents, convened by NYLC as part of The 16th Annual National Service-Learning Conference. Hailing from across the U.S. and abroad, the group came from a diverse array of backgrounds, including secondary and post-secondary education, service-learning, research, HIV/AIDS prevention, the arts, human rights, and advocacy.

The daylong experiential forum — part of Y-RISE: The Service-Learning and HIV/AIDS Initiative — included networking, exchanges of ideas and best practices, and an examination of ways young people are currently effecting change around the globe. It also served as a venue for cross-disciplinary experts to review and provide feedback on parts of the Y-RISE toolkit, resources that are currently being developed to train youth peer educators.

Among the day's highlights, were site visits to Los Angeles-area organizations engaged in HIV/AIDS work. Each participant chose one of three organizations to visit: First Medicines, an NGO that reduces suffering and enhances health through traditional and integrative therapies; Long Beach Youth Health Education, which offers education and prevention programs to reduce rates of unintended pregnancy, HIV infection, and other sexually transmitted diseases among youths; and REACH LA, a youth-driven organization that educates, motivates, and mobilizes area youths to improve their lives and communities.

Participants also explored strategies for incorporating the arts into HIV/AIDS prevention. Several artists showcased ways they've utilized their talents in the fight against the disease, sharing monologues, literature, theater, humor, music, and storytelling. After witnessing these powerful performances, participants were convinced of the promise art holds as a prevention strategy.

The day concluded with participants exploring their own creative energies, either by painting a tile to be included in a large mural or acting in a prevention-themed skit. Those attending the remainder of The National Service-Learning Conference were encouraged to participate in other HIV/AIDS-related programs, including five workshops and a showcase of organizations fighting the pandemic. The information shared at the forum will be incorporated into the further development of NYLC's Y-RISE initiative.