Georgia Equality is proud to launch the 7th cohort of our Youth HIV Policy Advisors Program (YHPA) for young adults 30 and younger living with HIV from across the state.
The program was created to ensure all laws and policies related to HIV are informed by the experiences of people living with HIV, and is an excellent means of being trained in civic engagement and advocacy. Individuals who go through the program will be equipped with the resources to educate state, city, and county-level policymakers around meaningful HIV-related policy and strategy. Many prior participants have since gained prominence in HIV work and continue to be exceptional voices and movers in and outside the community.
Youth must be 30-years-old or younger at the time of submission, be living with HIV and willing to discuss their status publicly with officials and the media and reside in Georgia to qualify for this program.
Georgia Equality has opened its applications for 2022’s Youth HIV Policy Advisors program (YHPA), and they can be found at this link.
Applicants selected for the program will receive a series of training modules to prepare them for their work. Following the training, youth are matched with elected officials and serve as Special Advisors on Youth HIV while they complete a project raising community awareness of HIV. Youth will use their personal experience and training to provide HIV education and policy suggestions on behalf of youth living with HIV in the state. This will culminate at an annual World AIDS Day event. Youth participating in the program receive a stipend throughout their training. If you have specific questions about the YHPA program, please email us at email hidden; JavaScript is required.
***For participation in the program, participants will receive a stipend and a new laptop which participants will be eligible to keep after completion of the program.***
Projects by Previous YHPA Participants
YHPA PSA HIV Testing Awareness Day 2021
2018 YHPA Video: HIV Criminalization
2017 YHPA Video: HIV and Youth Homelessness in Atlanta
2015 YHPA video: Here Are the Facts, Have Our Backs
Meet the 2015 Youth HIV Policy Advisors
Meet the 2016 Youth HIV Policy Advisors
Who is eligible for this program?
- You must be someone living with HIV (have been diagnosed as HIV positive)
- You must be living in the state of Georgia or planning to move here before April 1, 2021
- You must be 30 years of age or under at the time of submission
- You must be willing to talk openly to others including elected officials and potentially the media about being HIV positive
