Youth needs
HIV AND AIDS PROGRAMS FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
Because young people are diverse, programs must be tailored to meet your individual characteristics, such as your age, sex, background, marital status and the many deep-rooted social issues that make you vulnerable. Special effort is needed particularly for youth engaging in high-risk behaviour.
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Information: |
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Young people have the right to know about HIV and AIDS and how to protect yourselves. It is important you receive this information before you become sexually active and/or at risk of using drugs.
The full range of prevention options must cover the diversity of young people’s sexual and substance abuse-related behaviours. A combination behavioural change approach includes encouragement of delay in sexual debut, reduction in the number of sexual partners, and correct and consistent condom use.
Basic facts on HIV for Youth |
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Life Skills: |
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Life skills-based HIV and AIDS information and education empowers you to make the right choices and decisions for your health and wellbeing. These include communication skills to discuss sex, contraception and condoms with partners, parents and other adults as well as negotiation skills to be able to refuse or delay sex or negotiate condom use.
It is important that these skills focus not just on developing healthy lifestyles, but also on sexual health issues such as negotiating abstinence and condom use, and avoiding substance abuse. |
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Health Services: |
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It is important that you have access to youth-friendly health services, such as voluntary counseling and treatment (VCT), early diagnosis and treatment of sexually transmitted infections and/or drug dependence, and antiretroviral therapy.
Young people who are already engaging in high risk behaviours should also have access to preventive tools such as condoms and clean needles and syringes. |
