HIV and AIDS prevention initiatives are strategies laid out with an objective of curbing the prevalence of HIV. Their implementation is done with an aim of both protecting and safeguarding a person and their society or are enacted as public health policies and regulations. The HIV prevention regulatory schemes were initially focused mainly on the prevention of sexual transmission of the virus through changes in behavior. For a couple of years, there was the use of the Abstinence, Be faithful, Use a Condom, ABC, approach to respond to the increasing epidemic in the African nations. However, it became evident by the mid-2000s that for an effective HIV prevention program, there was the need to consider the political, social-cultural, legal and economic aspects among other underlying factors. With AIDS becoming a global epidemic, there was the need to integrate various principles with HIV prevention programs. For example the social-ecological concept (Linsk, 2011).
According to National AIDS Control Council (NACC) report pointed out that young people contributed 51 percent in new HIV infections in the previous year that’s an average of 97 young people are said to be infected on a daily basis. Youths, especially young women, bear the brunt of the HIV epidemic due to limited access to information, preventive, curative and counselling services, stigma and discrimination. Social media may re-energize the use of new technologies in the movement against HIV. Youth Forum group would like to focus on young people aged 15 – 25 who are the bulk of those affected by new HIV infection. We plan to use Social Media as a platform to prevent new infections among youths. With these tools as the core, an HIV awareness revolution can be achieved (Latkin & Knowlton, 2005).
The popularity of electronic social networking sites has resulted in the growth of virtual communities that are ripe for communicating messages about healthier living, including HIV prevention. We are going to create content text or videos that will help young people to know how HIV is fully transmitted and prevention interventions that work for them and also provide, online resources and information also provide a platform for youths to post comments and generate discussions around sexual health and HIV/AIDS. It is through the social media that the project will offer support and care program to the youths through collaborating with the local societies and significant stakeholders (Hall & Applewhite, 2013).
Youths will be targeted with the aim of raising awareness on HIV as well as offering support by making referrals as well as peer counselling through role models. We cannot hope to defeat the scourge without giving young people a voice to express and empower themselves and their peers (Latkin, German, Vlahov & Galea, 2013). This will be an efficient way of involving youths in the provision of information, group activities, as well as, enhancing self-esteem and confidence among their peers.
References
Hall, N., & Applewhite, S. (2013). Masculine Ideology, Norms, and HIV Prevention Among Young Black Men. Journal Of HIV/AIDS & Social Services, 12(3-4), 384-403. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15381501.2013.781974
Latkin, C., & Knowlton, A. (2005). Micro-social structural approaches to HIV prevention: a social ecological perspective. AIDS Care, 17(sup1), 102-113. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09540120500121185
Latkin, C., German, D., Vlahov, D., & Galea, S. (2013). Neighborhoods and HIV: A social ecological approach to prevention and care. American Psychologist, 68(4), 210-224. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0032704
Linsk, N. (2011). New HIV Prevention Technologies? Implications for Us in Social Services. Journal Of HIV/AIDS & Social Services, 10(1), 1-4. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15381501.2011.549063
