UK Teenagers Living with HIV to Attend International Conference
Wednesday 22 July 2009
Members of the Children and Young People HIV
Network, based at NCB, will attend the Seventh Annual Meeting for
Young People Affected by HIV in Barcelona from 22-26 July. The
Network will accompany 15 young people aged 16 to 24 who are living
with or affected by HIV to meet with over 100 young people from
around the world, in partnership with Barnardos and Positive
Parenting and Children.
The five-day conference will combine sessions on issues such as
sexual health, relationships and HIV status disclosure with
creative activities including a graffiti workshop. Social events in
the evenings will allow the young people to share their experiences
with each other in an informal setting. The conference also
provides an opportunity for support workers and other professionals
to share practice around adolescence and HIV.
Maria Phelan, coordinator of the Children and Young People HIV
Network, said: 'This is a great opportunity for young adults living
with HIV and practitioners alike to meet with their peers and
discuss their experiences and the challenges they face in a safe,
comfortable environment. For many of the young people we are taking
this will be the first time they have met with another person
living with HIV.'
-Ends-
Editors Notes:
1. There were 1,460 children under 19 living with HIV in
the UK at end of March 2008, their average age is 12 years old, 52%
are female, 50% were born in the UK and Ireland, 97% were infected
through mother to baby transmission. For more information visit www.ncb.org.uk/hiv
2. The Children and Young People HIV Network is a national
policy network that brings together organisations concerned with
children, young people and HIV/AIDS. It aims to provide an
effective voice for infected and affected children and young
people, challenge stigma and discrimination, and build
child-centred policy and practice. It is based at NCB.
3. NCB's mission is to advance the well-being of all
children and young people across every aspect of their lives.
As a membership and infrastructure support agency for the
children's sector in England and Northern Ireland, NCB provides
essential information on policy, research and best practice for our
members and the members of our wide range of partnership bodies
which operate under our charitable status and are based in our
London headquarters. For further information visit www.ncb.org.uk
For further information on this release contact:
Clare Quarrell, Clare Lilley - NCB Media Office
Tel: 020 7843 6044/6045/6047/07721 097033 Email: media@ncb.org.uk
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