II. CAAN Youth Poster

ABORIGINAL YOUTH ENVISION HEALTHY FUTURES!

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HOW IS HIV AND AIDS AFFECTING ABORIGINAL YOUTH?

-  Almost half (48%) of the Aboriginal population is made up of children and youth aged 24 and under, compared to 31% of the non-Aboriginal population.

-  Between 1998 and 2006, almost 1/3 (32.4%) of Aboriginal people who receive an HIV diagnosis are under the age of 30, compared to 21% of HIV-positive tests among non-Aboriginal persons in the same age group.

-  First Nations youth aged 0 to 29 years made up 20.6% of reported AIDS cases among First Nations people. Among Inuit and Métis population, 31.8% of reported AIDS cases were reported to be Inuit and Métis youth.

-  From 2001 to 2008 infants of Aboriginal ethnicity constituted 19.3% of the 83 cases of infants perinatally HIV-exposed and confirmed to be infected with HIV Public

Health Agency of Canada, Population-specific hiv/aids status report: aborignialpeoples, 2010

Aboriginal Youth + strategies & Awareness + community

ABORIGINAL YOUTH BENEFIT FROM COMMUNITY NETWORKS TO:

- Support Aboriginal Peoples Living with HIV and AIDS;

- Prevent HIV and AIDS by promoting the human right of Aboriginal youth to learn and talk about HIV and AIDS, healthy sexuality, care, treatment and support;

- Create space, facilitation and support for Aboriginal youth to have significant and meaningful involvement in reducing HIV and AIDS related disparities;

- PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR ABORIGINAL YOUTH TO design and implement HIV and AIDS education, policy, programming;

- Encourage positive outcomes for Aboriginal youth in accessing health care by providing information, resources and education about HIV and AIDS;

- Eliminate stigma and discrimination about HIV and AIDS THROUGH AWARENESS; and,

- Respond to the diversity of Aboriginal youth voices through culturally relevant, youth-sensitive, harm reduction based approaches to HIV and AIDS prevention.

National aboriginal youth strategy on HIV and AIDS in Canada for First Nations, Inuit & Métis youth from 2010 to 2015,  Canadian aboriginal aids network, 2010 at 11.

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