Commemorate World AIDS Day with Georgia Equality and other Community Partners
So much progress has been made in the fight against HIV/AIDS that it is easy to forget the epidemic is still here with us. Atlanta 
sits in the heart of America’s HIV epidemic, and new infections occur at alarming rates, especially among youth. In the past 5 years alone, over 4,400 young people in Metro Atlanta were diagnosed. HIV robs young people of the healthy futures they deserve. It robs us all of a vibrant future community.
We are committed to changing the script on youth HIV but it will truly take a village. World AIDS Day is December 1st. This year’s theme is, “Getting to Zero: Zero new infections, Zero new AIDS deaths & Zero discrimination against people living with HIV.”
The World AIDS Day Atlanta committee has planned a week’s worth of activities and we’d like to invite you to join us and learn more.
The week will kick off with the Policy & Action Breakfast, where young people and HIV experts will educate elected officials and civic leaders on the leadership required to stop youth HIV. We’ll close the evening at Historic Fourth Ward Park with the Love & Light Night vigil, where we will unite and vow to do better. We’ll round out the week with trainings for healthcare professionals, school nurses and parents, and partner with Atlanta universities to provide HIV testing and education.
World AIDS Day Atlanta Policy & Action Breakfast
7:30am-9:30am at Westin Buckhead
100 elected officials and civic leaders from various sectors (schools, housing, HIV, healthcare, faith, business) will eat breakfast and learn about HIV among youth in Atlanta from Dr. Patrick Sullivan! They will be given sector-specific policy “asks” that will address structural barriers to adequate youth-focused HIV prevention and care. Milton Little, CEO of United Way Atlanta will moderate a discussion about what folks are doing about youth HIV, what’s working and what’s not.
This event is by invitation only.
World AIDS Day Atlanta Love & Light Night Vigil
6:00pm-9:00pm at Historic Fourth Ward Park
Atlanta-based high school student groups are preparing musical performances around WAD themes of “getting to zero” and young people’s rights to get tested and treated for HIV. At this vigil, they’ll compete for prizes. The keynote speaker will wrap up events with a commemoration of WAD, and there will be candles… We’re planning for 500 high school students and their families. It’s going to be big!
In addition to joining us at the Vigil, here are other ways that you can be involved:
- Please join our Facebook event and “invite” your friends. Between all of us we probably know the entire city.
- Like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter. These accounts will stay live year-round to promote youth-focused HIV advocacy efforts in the city.
- Click here to volunteer for various tasks at the Love & Light Night Vigil, or forward this to students who might want to volunteer at the vigil.
World AIDS Day-Atlanta
Community Partners
World AIDS Day-Atlanta represents a coalition of committed, passionate, diverse individuals from the following community-based organizations in Metro Atlanta. Each of our agencies works tirelessly to address the complex issues faced by young people in Metro Atlanta who are at risk for and living with HIV. We are united in this fight. In addition to our host agency and fiscal sponsor, Equality Foundation of Georgia, the following organizations partnered to develop World AIDS Day-Atlanta 2014:
Atlanta Coalition for LGBTQ Youth
Georgia Equality
Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta
AID Atlanta
The Evolution Project
Fulton County Dept. of Health & Wellness
The Health Initiative
The Counter Narrative Project
MACARTI Study
GSU LGBTQ Health Working Group
Emory Hope Clinic
Aniz, Inc.
Southeast AIDS Training & Education Center
Impulse Group
SisterLove
Lost-N-Found Youth
GCAPP
Emory PRISM Health
Real Youth
WestCare
SPARK Reproductive Justice Now