| |
HOTGIRLS Young Women's Leadership Council (YWLC)
Press Release
Background: Health Disparities & HIV/AIDS in Black Women and Girls
Program Rationale
Program Overview
Leadership
References
* Click here to read the YWLC Bios.
Applications
We will begin accepting applications for the YWLC during the Spring 2008 semester. Please visit this page soon for updates.
Press Release
Click here for the Press Release.
Background: Health Disparities & HIV/AIDS in Black Women and Girls
Today, women of African descent are disproportionately impacted by health disparities, including HIV/AIDS. AIDS is the #1 cause of death for black women ages 25-34 in the United States;1 and half of all new infections in this country occur in young people under age 25.2 HIV and AIDS disproportionately affect black women—especially young black women and adolescent girls residing in the Southern region of the United States.3-5 Moreover, black women comprise the majority of AIDS cases among women in Atlanta;6 and 85% of reported AIDS cases from 1983-2001 among black heterosexual youth ages 13-19 years old in Georgia occurred among black girls.7 In addition, rates of HIV/AIDS are increasing at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the southeastern United States.8 HIV prevention initiatives have failed to significantly reduce racial/ethnic health disparities in HIV transmission among black women and girls.
Click here for more information about Young African American Women and HIV.
Program Rationale
As black young women and girls continue to be unequally burdened by this epidemic, programmatic responses are needed to help control the spread of HIV. It is critical that young black women take action to prevent HIV transmission and increase awareness about health disparities in our communities. Since our inception in 2001, HOTGIRLS has been committed to designing and implementing innovative initiatives to educate black women and youth about HIV/AIDS and related health issues.
By working with black college students, we believe that we can strengthen our efforts to prevent HIV infection and other health disparities among black young women and girls.
Program Overview
We are pleased to announce that HOTGIRLS established a Young Women's Leadership Council funded by Advocates for Youth's Young Women of Color Initiative in January 2007. The HOTGIRLS Council is a training and peer health education program for black female undergraduate students (freshmen, sophomores, and juniors) enrolled at historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in Atlanta, with a focus on preventing HIV and gender-based violence among black women and girls. By training black female college students in women's and girls' health, HIV prevention education, peer leadership, and youth organizing, we hope to cultivate future leaders who are dedicated to taking action to curtail the impact of HIV/AIDS and violence among black women and girls.
- The program includes an intense two-day training that provides participants with HIV/AIDS, violence prevention, and peer health education training to increase their knowledge about HIV/AIDS and build their capacity to educate black youth about risk reduction behaviors.
- For the remainder of the program, participants gain leadership experience by planning, implementing, and evaluating culturally relevant programming for students at HBCUs and black young women and girls residing in the Atlanta metropolitan area.
- Participants also partner with teen girls participating in HOTGIRLS programs to organize an annual girls' summit and develop health education materials designed to reach black young women and girls in the Atlanta metropolitan area and via the Web.
- Participants mentor FIREGRL Club members at the John H. Harland Boys & Girls' Club in Southwest Atlanta and serve as moderators and peer educators on the FIREGRL.com web site for teen girls.
- The YWLC advises HOTGIRLS on our health education initiatives for young women and girls.
- One Council member (Idia Egonmwan) was selected to serve on Advocates for Youth's national Young Women of Color Leadership Council.
- In addition, one YWLC member will be selected to serve on the HOTGIRLS Board of Directors.
Leadership
Throughout the program, participants receive support and direction from the HOTGIRLS staff and Advisory Committee, which includes black female public health researchers, health educators, activists, and health professionals who volunteer their time to lead this program. The YWLC is organized by the following volunteers:
References
1. Anderson R.N. & Smith B.L. (2000). Deaths: leading causes for 2002. National Vital Statistics Reports, 53(17), 67-70. Retrieved December 20, 2006 from: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr53/nvsr53_17.pdf
2. Office of National AIDS Policy (2000). Youth and HIV/AIDS 2000: A New American Agenda. Washington, DC: White House.
3. Advocates for Youth (2006). Young African American Women and HIV. Washington, Retrieved November 14, 2006 from: http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/publications/frtp/youngaawomen.pdf
4. Rangel, M. C., Gavin, L., Reed, C., Fowler, M. G., & Lee, L. M. (2006). Epidemiology of HIV and AIDS among adolescents and young adults in the United States. Journal of Adolescent Health, 39, 156-163.
5. Stokes, C.E. (2007, March-April). Representin’ in cyberspace: Sexual scripts, self-definition, and hip hop culture in black American adolescent girls' home pages. Culture, Health & Sexuality, 9(2): 169-184.
6. Georgia Department of Human Resources. (2002a). Women and AIDS in Georgia, from: http://www.dhr.state.ga.us
7. Georgia Department of Human Resources. (2002b). Epidemiologic profile for HIV prevention community planning in Georgia, from: http://health.state.ga.us/pdfs/epi/hiv_aidsprofile.02.pdf
8. Thompson-Robinson, M.V., Richter, D.L., Shegog, M.L., Weaver, M., Trahan, L., Sellers, D.B., & Brown, V.L. (Fall 2005). Perceptions of partner risk and influences on sexual decision-making for HIV prevention among students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Journal of African American Studies, 9 (2), 16-28. |
