On June 25th, just two days before National HIV Testing Day, over 30 healthcare professionals, educators, and providers convened online to have an engaging, fast-paced discussion on resources for youth HIV prevention. Participating in the national collaborative tweetchat coordinated in partnership with YTH, National Library of Medicine and AIDS.gov via the Twitter hashtag #YTHHIV, experts shared information and insights on how to address HIV in various communities.
Topics ranged from web-based resources and data shared from AIDS.gov, to using arts and social media for HIV education from YAHAnet (Youth, the Arts, HIV & AIDS Network). Former YTH Youth Advisor and current TeenRISE! Program Manager Ebony Section discussed her experiences as an educator, and Dr. Emanuel from Kaiser Permanente and the Sexual Health Coalition additionally contributed his expertise as a medical provider caring for youth and young women seeking sexual health services. Naina Khanna of the Positive Women’s Network US explained crucial policy initiatives that are being pursued to improve HIV positive women’s access to care.
HIV prevention and education is a BIG topic, and the #YTHHIV dialogue gathered participants and panelists from diverse sectors in HIV and health to have a holistic discussion. While conversations about resources and information are not limited to the Twittersphere, Twitter is an accessible and useful medium to raise many voices from all over, and create connections for future partnerships and collaboration.
#YTHHIV featured work from various sexual and reproductive health partners, including Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health (ICAH)‘s initiatives improving sex education in Illinois, Sex, Etc.‘s expertise in teaching young people about sex in engaging, interactive ways and AIDSVu‘s HIV epidemic mapping tools.
Here are some more highlights from the tweetchat:
https://twitter.com/AIDSgov/status/481853204242911232
https://twitter.com/DrewEmanuelMD/status/481855169127133184
@YTHorg how can I empower my agency to use social media more? #YTHHIV
— Charles Abernathy (@tradechief) June 25, 2014
Bringing HIV statistics to life through education activities, digital & social media & story telling #makeitreal #YTHHIV
— Ebony Section (@Ebony_N_Ivory_) June 25, 2014
Youth *must* be allowed to make their own #HIV-related & other medical decisions w support & education from providers & family. #YTHHIV
— joy meets world (@msjoyluckclub) June 25, 2014
.@YTHorg We've found that when youth understand gender & power dynamics of their lives it encourages strength to protect themselves #ythhiv
— Scenarios USA (@ScenariosUSA) June 25, 2014
Some good resources from NLM for Adolescents: http://t.co/AnT01D63Sp #YTHHIV
— NLM SIS (@NLM_SIS) June 25, 2014
Our policy priorities are here: http://t.co/60h3baSDCE. Sexual rights & repro justice for women & youth w HIV are crucial #YTHHIV
— nainadevi (@nainadevi) June 25, 2014
STI stigma needs to be erased. We must work on talking about HIV as we would any illness. It comes back to sex negativity. #YTHHIV
— BACHE (@BACHEINFO) June 25, 2014
So many good tweets to look back over from the #YTHHIV tweet chat! Talk to you all sooner than later :) All the best from the YAHAnet team.
— YAHAnet (@YAHAnet) June 25, 2014
Want to catch up on the full conversation?Read the #YTHHIV Storify and share it with your community!
https://twitter.com/YTHorg/status/481867351886147584 Subscribe to the YTH Newsletter for updates on future tweetchats, as well as Like us on Facebook and follow us on Tumblr.
tags: access, confidentiality, prevention, reproductive health, sexual health, stigma, tweetchat, Twitter, youth HIV.
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