Durham Youth Outreach

The AIDS Committee of Durham Region is committed to effective HIV prevention and education for youth at risk of contracting HIV, and support for youth infected or affected by HIV/AIDS. We are also here to provide information to youth concerned about HIV/AIDS on issues such as, 'what is HIV/AIDS' "How is HIV transmitted", "safer sex and safer substance use”, the basic information about sexually transmitted infections (STIs)

It is easy to think that AIDS is something that other people need to worry about - gay people, drug users and people that sleep around. This is wrong - all teens, whoever they are, wherever they live need to take the threat of HIV seriously. In order to protect yourself you need to know the facts and know how to avoid becoming infected   

 ' While children living with HIV are treated as “innocents”, Young people living with HIV are  sometimes blamed for “risky behaviour” resulting in stigma and discrimination. Adolescence is a period marked by risk taking, sexual experimentation, and emerging sense of identity and sexuality, a challenging of authority figures, experimentation with substance abuse, and a sense of immortality. Rather than passing judgement we must take into account the reality that young people living with HIV will, as much as possible, carry on with their lives as “normal” teenagers and young adults. "