Background of YouthForce

The mission of the YouthForce began at IAC 2000 in Durban where only 50 young people participated in a conference of thousands. In response, Advocates for Youth and Family Health International joined forces with over 40 other organizations to form the first YouthForce, focused on increasing youth participation for AIDS 2002 in Barcelona. The YouthForce promoted renewed discourse during a time when issues of young people and HIV/AIDS were missing from the conversation. At Barcelona, the YouthForce coordinated young people from all regions of the world to run a visibility campaign, focused on “Where are the youth?” As proof of its success, in the closing ceremony, former United States president Bill Clinton highlighted the campaign as the type of advocacy effort that can bring real change to the way global decision-making about HIV/AIDS priorities are made. In preparation for IAC 2004 in Bangkok, the YouthForce worked with local Thai youth and conference organizers to ensure that youth programming was integrated into the main conference. As a result, organizers provided space and opportunities for the YouthForce, and more focused conference policies and programming to increase the participation of young people. In addition, the YouthForce provided the first youth pre-conference to support young people’s active participation in the main conference. The pre-conference provided capacity building, skills-based training, and a space for peer networking and learning. After the Bangkok Conference, youth delegates came together to form an international network called the Global Youth Coalition on HIV/AIDS, which continues to serve as a bridge between conferences to further key issues of the YouthForce.

At IAC 2006 in Toronto, the YouthForce pushed the envelope once again. In addition to continuing and expanding effective programming from previous international AIDS conferences, including doubling the number of youth conference delegates, organizers worked with the International AIDS Society and Local Host directly. In addition to Family Health International and Advocates for Youth, TakingITGlobal and the Global Youth Coalition on HIV/AIDS joined the organizing team and facilitated the involvement of hundreds of organizations and thousands of youth. Through this partnership, youth participation was further institutionalized within the conference structure. The YouthForce also developed a strategic and targeted advocacy and visibility campaign, moving beyond solely youth participation issues, and creating substantive messages on the programming and policies changes needed to win the fight against AIDS.

As evidence of the success and impact of young people at the Toronto conference, Dr. Peter Piot, Executive Director of UNAIDS remarked, "I know more about the YouthForce than anything else at the Conference."