More than 80 GYCA members, including many of our Regional Focal Points, traveled from their many corners of the world to Vienna, Austria for the XVIII International AIDS Conference 2010. The YouthForce pre-conference brought together over 275 young advocates who carried our advocacy messages throughout the main event.

GYCA Focal Points served in key roles before, during, and at the closing of the Main Conference. In the spotlight, Rachel Arinii, GYCA’s Regional Focal Point from Asia Pacific, gave a powerful opening speech in which she called for an intensified focus on young people and HIV during the Main Conference. Emily Carson, GYCA’s Regional Focal Point from North America, worked with a team of youth journalists to ensure that youth issues were visible throughout the main conference and delivered her report at the Closing Rapporteur’s Session. Youth have been striving for this level of visibility since the first YouthForce effort in the 2002 International AIDS Conference in Barcelona.

GYCA members participated in meetings with high level representatives in the HIV and AIDS community, including Executive Director of UNAIDS, Michel Sidebe, HRH Crown Princess of Norway Mette-Marit, and the former Executive Director of the Global Fund, Michel Kazatchkine. The voices of young people were heard spreading the message of “Now Make It Happen” regarding the 3 Priority areas: Harm Reduction, Human Rights, and Health Resources. GYCA Staff and members presented sessions in all of these priority areas during the Main Conference, including a session called “Youth Speak Out on Sustainable Response to HIV/AIDS,” in which Sydney Hushie, GYCA’s Program Coordinator for the South Secretariat, GYCA Advisor Caitlin Chandler, and GYCA member Remmy Shawa highlighted and discussed their opinions on human rights, youth leadership, and sustainable funding.

We’ve come home buzzing with ambitious agendas and fresh strategies, and we hope we can count on your support to carry forward our work. Please visit our Facebook Cause to spread the word and donate today, and visit our blogs for reports on GYCA's activities in Vienna: the Focal Points Blog and the Official GYCA Blog .