Global Youth Coalition on HIV/AIDS

1. Global Youth Coalition on HIV/AIDS Building Sustainable Youth Leadership for the Global AIDS Movement

2. History and Objectives Objective Serve as a platform for youth AIDS activists and improve their work by connecting them to one another, sharing resources, and building their capacity History Proposed by youth activists at the Barcelona and Bangkok AIDS Conferences Held an e-Consultation to create structure and priority areas Early support from many people at this table “GYCA is a platform through which you can relate with policy makers and bring the experience of an entire network to bear in solving or contributing to local and national policy issues.”

3. Who We Are Structure Broad-based membership network of 5,000 young people and adult allies System of national (60) and regional focal points (12) Two secretariats: South Secretariat in Accra, Ghana, and North Secretariat in New York City Four Priority Areas Networking and sharing of best practices Technical assistance and capacity building Political advocacy Preparation for international conferences “GYCA is more than a youth network working on AIDS, GYCA is a social movement of youth leaders.”

4. What We Do Secretariat Programs Network • Focal Points • Online listservs: one global, one for each of the 12 regions E-Courses • Free, online courses on project management, grant writing and fundraising, and advocacy • Graduates eligible for new small grants program • One young graduate wrote a proposal in the project management e-course that they later got funding to do through the Staying Alive Foundation “GYCA helped me to improve my international vision of youth issues, that automatically improved the way I see, organize and develop local activities and youth programs.” “I got more credibility and recognition from national stakeholders as a youth representative.” “After the comprehensive and worthwhile e-course, change was bound to happen.”

5. What We Do Secretariat Programs cont. Advocacy • Mostly around UNGASS (shadow reports, e.g.) • Youth-Adult Commitments Desk Follow-Up Conferences • Toronto and Mexico YouthForces and ICASA YouthFronts • Regional work: FuerzaJoven Peru and Bali YouthForce GYCA “helped me expand coverage and influence of my advocacy work, acquire more relevance and position with national decision makers and be able to promote youth participation.” “GYCA … [nominated] me to participate in… the 2008 International AIDS Conference Leadership Programme Committee, which in turn opened many doors for me in the conference programming for youth, in speaking on behalf of young people and in advocating for youth issues at the conference and afterwards.”

7. New Developments More young people using GYCA as their primary affiliation Increasing on-the-ground presence • Building strong national networks in Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa, and Brazil Increasing numbers of local trainings • More and more people offering trainings based on the e-courses Challenges Language: Still primarily an Anglophone network, but have a strong network in Latin America • Latin America team currently working with volunteers to translate the materials and find volunteer facilitator so that e-courses may be offered in Spanish Lack of human resources • Only a staff of three – demand far exceeds our capacity

8. Successes “It provided me with a leadership opportunity that greatly impacted the relevance of my work… it was the opportunity to be in a space and be heard and be taken seriously. “ YouthRISE “GYCA provided our newly formed international network with quite a bit of mentorship and support. This included the insight and experience of setting up a youth-led international network, connecting to important donors and interested groups, invitations to Global Events that we wouldn't have had access to otherwise… Ultimately, our partnership with GYCA really made a lot of what we are able to accomplish now possible.” “GYCA helped me to create a view beyond my country and realize that the fight against AIDS is more than I thought and that organized together with youth from other countries we can do more and be stronger.” “GYCA offered me the opportunity to know a lot of valuable young people that [are]doing the same thing I´ve been doing since I was thirteen… we know how to be partners, we learn how to be friends.”