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laurakenyon   laurakenyon LauraK's TIGblog
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Blogging AIDS
About this event: XVII International AIDS Conference


It is day number three of the XVII International AIDS Conference in Mexico City and so much has happened over the last three days (not to mention the three-day Youth Pre-Conference that preceded it) that it would be impossible for me to write a blog long enough or detailed enough to convey what it has been like for the youth delegates to AIDS 2008. Luckily I don't have to, because they are doing it for themselves. Youth here are armed with cell phones, digital cameras, video cameras, laptops and they're everywhere. Youth are in the sessions, plenaries and skill building workshops, youth are asking questions and raising their voices, youth are participating in AIDS 2008 and capturing all of it with digital media. The Youth AIDS site is filling up daily with videos, blogs and photographs from each corner of the conference and from diverse youth perspectives. The Youth delegates to Austria in 2010 will have a lot of work ahead of them to surpass the amount of digital media being produced by youth here at the Mexico City conference – hopefully they will be up to the challenge!

August 6, 2008 | 3:56 PM Comments  0 comments



laurakenyon   laurakenyon LauraK's TIGblog
LauraK's profile

Putting the XVII International AIDS Conference Online
About this event: XVII International AIDS Conference

Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

In July 2010 Vienna will host the XVIII International AIDS Conference (IAC 2010), bringing the largest professional conference addressing the HIV and AIDS epidemic into the heart of Europe. Before they descend on the wide boulevards and majestic plazas of Vienna the many activists, researchers, politicians, health practitioners, people living with HIV, and others who make up the worldwide response to HIV and AIDS are busy readying themselves for the IAC 2008, which is getting underway in Mexico City at the beginning of August. Included amongst those people are perhaps the most important demographic in the response to HIV and AIDS – youth. Why are youth so important? Let's sum it up in three sentences: Half of new HIV infections are amongst those between 15 and 24 years of age. According to UNAIDS there were approximately 2.5 million new infections in 2007. This means that over a million youth were newly infected with HIV last year.


Grim statistics like these mean that the role of youth in the fight against HIV and AIDS is crucial. Youth are living with HIV and AIDS and more youth are being infected every day, but they are not only sufferers – they are leaders in this fight and hundreds of them will be assuming this role in Mexico City in only a few weeks time. The Mexico City YouthForce is a coalition of organizations dedicated to increasing and supporting youth participation at the International AIDS Conference, which has been present at each IAC since its creation in 2000 at the conference in Durban, South Africa. The YouthForce will be preparing youth delegates to IAC 2008 to be effective advocates for youth issues, providing a youth-friendly space for them at the conference, and helping them to make connections with other youth as well as the many professionals attending. The cost of attending IAC 2008 means that not all youth who are affected by or working in the fight against HIV and AIDS will get to be there in person, but thanks to technology this is no longer the barrier it once was.


A team of Youth Journalists will be amongst the hundreds of youth delegates at IAC 2008 whose task will be to cover the people/issues/events/developments relevant to youth and report on them from a youth perspective. Their coverage will allow youth all over the world to tune in to the conference online and stay updated on the progress/achievements/experiences of the youth delegates as they bring a strong voice for young people affected by HIV and AIDS worldwide to IAC 2008. In order to do this the Youth Journalists will be armed with Nokia's N95 phone, generously donated by Finnish telecommunications giant Nokia. With this 'smartphone' Youth Journalists will be capturing the conference through video, photography and podcasting, and posting it directly to the web. Tools like these are allowing more and more youth to feel involved in international conferences like IAC 2008, they provide eyes and ears to youth who might normally never have the means to participate in person.


We're really excited about the Youth Journalist team that has been put together this year – it includes youth from Norway, Austria, USA, Bangladesh, Kenya, Mexico, Nicaragua, UK, and Haiti, who will be blogging, podcasting, photographing and videotaping their way through IAC 2008. Look out for their coverage on the official YouthForce website – www.youthaids2008.com!

July 18, 2008 | 4:41 PM Comments  0 comments



laurakenyon   laurakenyon LauraK's TIGblog
LauraK's profile

OECD in Slovenia

TIG's Communications Manager Nick shares some thoughts on the OECD workshop in Ljubljana, Slovenia this past week here.

July 3, 2008 | 10:57 AM Comments  0 comments

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laurakenyon   laurakenyon LauraK's TIGblog
LauraK's profile

Dialogue in Europe: Intercultural exchange and the Climate

In Europe 2008 is the year of Intercultural Dialogue, but it is also the year that much of the world is finally taking serious notice of climate change, and right now, in Bonn, Germany, the UN Climate Change Negotiations are taking place. This year European youth everywhere will be talking about these issues, as will TakingITGlobal.

The 2008 theme of Intercultural Dialogue is not limited to Europe itself, but also to the many regions that Europe maintains close relations with, and TakingITGlobal is playing host to part of one such initiative. 1001 Actions is an initiative of the Anna Lindh Euro-Mediterranean Foundation - dedicated to mutual knowledge and respect in the Euro-Mediterranean region. We are collecting 'Images for Dialogue' from youth in this region, which stretches from Portugal to Turkey, from Sweden to Algeria. The pieces in this collection will reflect the common heritage, mutual respect and images of peace and hope from youth throughout this vast region. They will act as a bridge between youth living in different cultural settings and coming from different backgrounds, but sharing the sense of community throughout the Euro-Med region.


Meanwhile, in Bonn, PJ - Manager of TakingITGlobal's Climate Change Project - is right in the thick of the UN negotiations and is providing regular blog updates [http://www.tigblog.org/group/cydbonn/]. He recently sat down with Bard Lahn, an Advisor on International Climate Policy from Norges Naturvernforbund OR Friends of the Earth Norway, to discuss Norway's connection to Alberta's oil fields, listen in!



Subscribe to this blog to stay updated on TakingITGlobal's involvement in Europe!



[*Photo Peace by Inon Gershovitz]

June 4, 2008 | 3:24 PM Comments  0 comments






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