Date: Fri 15-Dec-1995

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDREA

Quick Words:

AIDS-health-youth

Full Text:

AIDS Conference Sparks Youth Awareness

B Y A NDREA Z IMMERMANN

Twelve Newtown youth have set off on a journey of awareness and promoting peer

knowledge about AIDS because they want to make a difference in their own

community. A state grant provided funds for a regional kick-off conference,

held December 1 in Danbury, and for the youth projects which will be tailored

to each community involved.

"The kids see AIDS as a real issue they need to work through because they are

at a point of emerging sexuality," said Newtown Youth Services Program

Coordinator Barbara Warren Bonhiver. "Some are interested in careers in public

health. But the common theme with all participants is they want to make a

difference."

According to statistics provided by the Interfaith AIDS Ministry, there have

been 22 reported cases of AIDS in Newtown. The formula used by The Center for

Disease Control estimates that eight times that number, or 176 local

residents, are actually HIV positive.

"Until it hits home, people think it's not an issue; it's not affecting them,"

said NYS Assistant Director Susan Costa. "AIDS is not a problem you can keep

at bay anymore. It's not just in the cities, it's everywhere."

Youth Reacting To AIDS: A Youth Empowerment Conference offered the opportunity

for youth to acquire some basic knowledge about AIDS, and to learn about areas

in which they might focus their projects, according to NYS Director Deborah

Richardson. Other goals of conference organizers were to promote heightened

compassion among youth, to promote positive attitudes towards differences, and

to empower youth against AIDS.

"I thought it was really great - informative and interesting," said Marisa

Burnham-Bestor a sophomore at Newtown High School. "The Melting Pot Workshop

was interesting because it was kids giving the message to other kids. And at

the workshop on advocacy, the speaker didn't preach to us. He gave us phone

numbers call to find out what is going on and how our congressman is

representing us. He told us some questions to ask and how to ask them."

"You, here today, are our greatest hope to ending this pandemic," said Fred

Hammond, executive director of Interfaith AIDS Ministry of Greater Danbury

during his welcoming address at the conference. "The projects you choose to

develop... to teach your peers are going to be the strongest tools we have in

this region."

Keynote speakers presented insights into "Shared Rights, Shared

Responsiblities," "Hetero-, Bi-, and Homo-phobia: When Love Causes Hate," and

"AIDS: Not Just A Sex Thing." The 100 participants then broke into smaller

groups for a series of afternoon workshops. Dinner and a dance followed.

The Newtown youth involved in creating and implementing a peer education

project during the next 18 months have organized as Newtown Youth Creating

AIDS Awareness for Peers (NYCAAP), a group sponsored by NYS. In May of 1997,

they will exhibit their projects at another regional conference that will be

open to the public.

Planning for the Newtown project will begin at the next NYCAAP meeting. New

participants are encouraged to attend. "I think [to participate] you have to

be interested in helping other people and learning about AIDS, but you don't

have to have any knowledge coming into it. We want you to come so we can teach

you," said Marisa. "I think it's really important to [make the distinction]

that people have the disease, and are not the disease. People are still afraid

and we just want to educate them."

Last summer, the Department of Public Health awarded a $92,000 grant to be

shared among five area agencies: Newtown Youth Services, Danbury Youth

Services, New Milford Youth Agency, Southbury/Middlebury Youth and Family

Services, and Interfaith AIDS Ministry. Some of the funds disseminated to

Newtown Youth Services are being used to extend the hours of Ms Bonhiver, who

is facilitating the NYCAAP group.

NYCAAP members met three times prior to the conference so they could become

acquainted, share and study material on AIDS, and to attach red ribbon pins to

informational cards which were distributed to increase awareness on World AIDS

Day December 1.

"Because of the work done ahead of time, the kids at the conference said their

own behavior and attitudes were already changing," said Ms Costa. She was

impressed by the high energy level maintained at the conference and the

focused questions of the youth. "It's amazing to see what happens when you

take kids seriously. They know this is really going to affect their lives -

not just today, but in the future.

AIDS is the fourth leading cause of death among women between the ages of 25

to 44; it is the sixth leading cause of death among people between the ages of

15 and 24.

NYCAAP meets on alternate Sundays at 4 pm at Newtown Youth Services, 41A Main

Street (Congregational Church House), and welcomes new members of high school

age. For meetings dates and more information, contact Ms Bonhiver at 270-4335.