SisterLove's Youth Leadership

S. Jackson

Sisterlove, Inc Staff

Two of our young staff members are members of two separate programs. Shanebrae Price is a 2011 Black AIDS Institute African American HIV University Fellow. Shantrell Jackson is a 2011 Sierra Club Global Population and Environment (GPE) fellow. The Sierra Club GPE fellowship is a nationwide six-month fellowship program that equips outstanding working young/student activists leaders with continual training, resources and mentorship to implement self-designed campaigns that elevate population, sexual and reproductive health and rights, and environmental protection among youth audiences (www.sierraclub.org) .

This blog is for her Sierra Club GPE fellowship but its purpose is to celebrate Shanebrae Price (SisterLove’s HIV Outreach, Advocacy and Prevention Specialist) and a Black AIDS Institute African American HIV University (AAHU) fellow. In this blog you will be able to understand the role she plays at AAHU and her community mobilization project.

What is African American HIV University?

AAHU is a comprehensive training and internship fellowship program. The program is designed to decrease HIV stigma and misperception and increase the engagement of the Black community in HIV prevention and treatment services. See (www.blackaids.org) for more information on AAHU and visit the website.

Shanebrae what are you doing as a fellow in this program?

I am conducting a project that is focused on mobilizing the family planning and teen pregnancy prevention community. I am partnering with Lytani Wilson with the Center for Black Women’s Wellness to start the community mobilization project.

Where are you thus far in the community mobilization project?

As of right now we have accomplished two different phases of the AAHU program. The first quarter at AAHU we focused on a “needs assessment”. We conducted a gap analysis and assessed the needs of our target audience - Black adolescent females. The second  quarter we returned to AAHU for a week to learn “coalition building”. Coalition building is when we established a core team and bring together a group of advocates and educators interested in family planning and teen pregnancy prevention to form the coalition. There are four different meetings in Los Angeles and each meeting is one week long. We learn the tools that it takes to successfully accomplish each phase of the training and internship.

What do you want as the desired outcome with this project?

I would like establish partnerships between organizations that provide health education to the youth population and family planning to prevent teen pregnancy in the Atlanta. Our ultimate goal is incorporate HIV and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI)  prevention into their curriculum.

Why did you choose to apply and participate in Black AIDS Institute AAHU?

 I chose to apply and participate in AAHU for professional growth and leadership development; to establish relationships, network and to build programs from the ground up.

Do you have any other comments Shanebrae?

The AAHU helps me understand the intricate details required to develop and implement a program. Before you take action you have to have a plan. AAHU is also teaching us the core components of public health evaluation. This program enhances both personal and professional growth.

(Be the change you want to see in the world *Gandhi*)

The Global Pandemic of HIV

N. Wright-Jegede
SisterLove, Inc Intern

Across many countries, the HIV/AIDS pandemic is an issue of major concern. Worldwide, the virus has become a human, social, political and economic misfortune for millions of individuals. While the nation-states of Sub-Saharan Africa have been hit the hardest by this devastating epidemic, the virus has increased at a staggering rate, across many parts of Central Asia, Eastern Europe, and Russia. The adversative impact of HIV/AIDS has caused the stability and security of populations, economies and governments to destabilize. As the virus continues to deter the quality and quantity of life, global policies and strategies which prevent HIV/AIDS remain a matter of vital interest and concern. No other illness has so vividly pointed-out the current inequalities in health-care access, economic stability, and the protection of human rights. Protecting one’s basic human right is extremely critical in the global fight against HIV. Sadly enough, the transgressions against individual rights can propel the spread of infection tenfold. Every day, HIV infected-individuals confront many obstacles, such as: achieving assured confidentiality or, overcoming social stigma and discrimination.

Therefore, responding assertively to these adversities must be global in its scope. Preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS requires effective comprehensive strategies and programs that work to safeguard and uphold individual human rights. However, these pivotal changes will not transpire if the information and skills needed to fight HIV/AIDS remains inside the sphere of public health experts; government officials and, researchers presently driving efforts to eradicate the pandemic. These endeavors can only emerge through the collective action of international partnerships, which can harvest positive results. In order to become effective in the global eradication against HIV, a comprehensive HIV prevention strategy requires strong political leadership. This means, policymakers and world-leaders in all localities must speak-out vocally about HIV/AIDS and, not back away from challenging issues like sex or reproductive health. A successful response requires strategic planning based upon high quality research, and careful consideration of local culture. We should all take action in the response, including non-governmental organizations, HIV-positive individuals, educators, employers and religious leaders. Around the world, efforts to reduce HIV, and mitigate its impact have been led by the affected communities themselves. The epidemic thrives upon prejudice, stigma, and discrimination related to those living with the virus. The spread of HIV is also driven by gender inequality, which limits what we can do as women to protect ourselves from infection. Protecting and promoting a worldwide respect for human rights should be an important part of any comprehensive HIV prevention program. Of course, this involves enacting laws against various forms of stigma and discrimination which impels vulnerability. Get active! It’s time to talk with our legislators. Policymakers need to be well-informed about the reality of HIV/AIDS, and the challenges it has created worldwide.