Mark your calendars and set the date! Next Wednesday APRIL 10, 2013 is the first National Youth  HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NYHAAD), a national HIV and AIDS testing and treatment community mobilization initiative designed to encourage Youth across the United States and Territorial Areas to get educated, get tested, get involved, and get treated around HIV/AIDS, as it continues to devastate Youth  communities.  If we are truly hoping to have an “AIDS Free Generation,” we can’t forget the voices of our youth.   Locally the Connect to Protect Los Angeles Coalition along with several of our partners are ready to usher in NYHAAD to Los Angeles County in a very big way.

There are several small and large scale events happening all over our county to mark this historic occasion.  We welcome you to take part in as many of them as you can. Additionally we also encourage you to find ways to commemorate the day through your own individual agency if you can’t take part in any of the schedule events, and to also personally join the chorus of youth and adult allies taking part in the social media campaign around NYHAAD.  If you have Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram we are speaking directly to you.  One big part of the day is the awareness piece, and since this is the first observance of it nationally we really want to make as many people aware of it as possible, not just youth, but adults as well.  You can find more information about the social media campaign by visiting http://www.chla.org/atf/cf/%7B1cb444df-77c3-4d94-82fa-e366d7d6ce04%7D/SYPP%20CENTER%20-%20NYHAAD%20-%20CAMPAIGN%20STARTER%20KIT.PDF

Attached below you will also find information on a few of the local things happening around NYHAAD right here in Los Angeles.  In addition to the many different events taking place, both the city and county of Los Angeles have proclamations in the works to officially recognize the day and the Los Angeles Unified School District’s Board and their Superintendent John Deasy are making a resolution for district wide observance of the day as well. 

There are also rumblings of a couple of flash mobs taking place to bring awareness to the day.  This all makes for a very exciting day, and I hope like me you are ready to join in on the fun.  We are also hoping several of you can join us on April 9th  at 9:30am for the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors meeting where Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas will present the county’s proclamation of the day.  The meeting will be held at the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration located at 500 W. Temple St. Suite 381, Los Angeles, CA  90012. You can also watch it live by visiting http://bos.co.la.ca.us/BoardMeeting/LiveBroadcast.aspx

If you want more information about the day you can visit www.youthaidsday.org

#April10thLA is a campaign that allows individuals and agencies to show our fellow Angelenos and the rest of the nation that we truly want an AIDS-Free Generation.   We invite you to join us observing the 1st ever National Youth  HIV + AIDS Awareness Day #NYHAAD by joining us for a FREE community health fair on Wednesday April 10th from 2-5pm at Downtown Magnets High School.  See flyer below.

February is National Condom Month. Its also the month of love because of Valentines's Day on February 14th.   Use this month of February to educate your friends, family members, and those you love on the importance of safe sex and using condoms. 

Our first working group meeting of the year is also this month.  The meeting is scheduled for Friday February 22nd from 12pm to 3pm.  The location for the meeting is Downtown Magnet High   School  which is located at 1081 W Temple St, Los Angeles, CA 90012.  
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            We We look forward to seeing you all there.

Regards,
Milton Smith
C2PLA Project Director



 

 

Greetings C2PLA Members and Supporters,

 I wanted to take this opportunity to wish you all a Very Happy 2013!  I am not one for making New Year's Resolutions…but I do believe in goal-setting, and in imagining new possibilities, and in dreaming big.  This year I'm hopping you all dream big and that all of your dreams come true.

 Please extend a warm welcome to our new co-chairs Dave Reynolds and James Moran(Homeless and Runaway Youth), Teresa Sitz and Hector Ornelas (School's Subcommittee), Kieta Mutepfa (Coalition Co-Chair).  Under their leadership we antipcate 2013 being a very successful year.

I appreciate your help in supporting this important undertaking.  I look forward to working with you all.

Warm Regards,
Milton Smith
C2PLA Project Director
 

As 2012 draws to a close, I want to thank you all for your continued support of our efforts to mobilize the community and create structural changes to reduce HIV/AIDS for young people.   
This year because of your support the C2PLA Coalition was able to:

·         Host 79 unique individuals at a Working Group Meeting (WGM)

·         Have over 39 agencies participating in coalition activities

·         Open up 21 new Structural Change Objectives (SCOs)

·         Complete 13 Structural Change Objectives (SCOs)                                                

·         Present at the Los Angeles County Prevention Planning Committee

·         Make recommendations to the Los Angeles County Comprehensive HIV Plan

·         Help Los Angeles City College’s Black Student Union host its first health fair

·         Partner with various agencies to host Los Angeles County’s first TLC+ Summit

   and so much more…

 I can’t wait for us to get started working on our new Structural Change Objectives in 2013.
 It’s going to be an incredible year.
Thank you so much for your contributions! 

Regards,
Milton Smith
C2PLA Project Director 

Greetings C2PLA Members and Supporters,

 Join us for our 5th annual C2PLA Holiday Retreat Friday, December 7, 2012 from 9am to 3pm at Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area.  The park is located at 4100 S La Cienega Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90056. 

 Members of the Sustainability Subcommittee are hard at work planning a day full of fun, laughter, and team building as we work on our strategic plan for 2013.  This also the day to celebrate the successes of both the coalition and the individuals who contribute so much of their time and effort to keep our work sustainable.  We’ll be announcing the winners of our 2012 Key Actor Awards during the retreat as well.  So, whether you've been to one meeting this year, or all 36, we’d love to see you at the retreat.

 To RSVP please visit www.tinyurl.com/c2plaholidayretreat no later than Wednesday December 5th.

 Once again this year the coalition has been asked to sponsor 11 youth whose lives have been impacted by HIV.  On the retreat confirmation page you will be given the option to choose one of these 11 youth to sponsor with a gift.  Please feel free to bring your wrapped or unwrapped gift with you to the retreat.  If you are not able to attend the retreat but would still like to give a gift to one of these young people, please send us a message indicating this and we will make arrangements to pick up the gift from you before the 7th. 

 Please also don’t forget to vote for your pick for one of our 10 Key Actor Awards.  You can do this by visiting www.tinyurl.com/keyactornominees as often as you like before November 30th.   

 Additionally if you are a newer member of C2PLA, after attending the retreat you will have a better idea of the workings of the coalition.  You’ll also be able to network with several members of the coalition.             

 We look forward to seeing you all there!

 Warm Regards,


C2PLA Project Staff

This month several thousand students in Los Angeles County said goodbye to their summer vacations, and embarked on a new academic year.  When the back-to-school season starts, I can't help but get a little nostalgic, remembering the excitement of a new semester, wearing my new school wardrobe and listening to folks over sell their summer vacations.  

All of our subcommittees have been very busy this this especially our School’s Subcommittee.  In addition to moving their location to Downtown Magnets High School they have acquired several new members many of them youth.  Their goals this year will consist of creating new opportunities for LAUSD to garner youth voice when it comes to health education.  They have also decided to take on the task of bringing structural change to Los Angeles City College.  All in all they are doing some amazing work in the school sector.

We salute them on helping to make the 2012-2013 school year a success.

Regards,
Milton Smith
C2PLA Project Director 

Several members of C2PLA attended and took part in this year's conference.  We were fortunate enough to have live tweets provided to us by Care and Testing Co-Chair Grissel Granados. 

At the conference Secretary of State Hillary Clinton vowed that the U.S. would have an AIDS free generation by 201
In order for us to really be able to achieve this goal, our work must continue.  We must partner closer, think out of the box more and really look at creating structural change that addresses the social determinants of health associated with HIV. 

I'm optimistic it can happen.  Are you?

Milton Smith
C2PLA Project Director

As the temperatures across many parts of the country hit triple digits, I was forced to acknowledge that Summer is truly here.  Summer is in full swing and judging by all the various things that have happened thus far,  2012 will definitely be a summer to remember.   

We've received two major HIV related medical approvals from The Food and Drug Administration (FDA).  The first happened on Tuesday July 3rd, The Food and Drug Administration approved a home HIV test quick called OraQuick that will be sold in retail stores so people won't have to go to a health facility or mobile testing unit to learn if they have the virus.  The other major HIV related approval the FDA gave was to Gilead Sciences for their drug called Truvada. The pill is to be used as a pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) along with regular HIV testing and safe sex.  These two approvals are huge breakthroughs in the world of HIV.

Personal breakthroughs for two very different celebrities were also made this month.  The first involved an email written by CNN news anchor Anderson Cooper.   "The fact is, I'm gay, always have been, always will be, and I couldn’t be any more happy, comfortable with myself, and proud," he wrote. Approximately a week later Hip-Hop star Frank Ocean posted an open letter on his Tumblr account that mentioned that his first love was a man.    These two high profile individuals' coming out will bring a greater awareness to LGBTQ visibility and might very well have a tremendously positive impact on the lives of LGBTQ young people.  

Not to be outdone by national headlines, C2PLA also had some very exciting happenings this month.    The coalition has been asked to present at the August Los Angeles County Prevention Planning Committee.  We've also voted in a new co-chair, Sofia Smith LifeWorks Program Coordinator.  She'll helm her first C2PLA meeting August 24th.  Please join me in welcoming her.

So as you try your best to stay cool during this hot month of July remember to take a second to enjoy the summer heat, because before you know it Winter will be here.

Regards,

Milton Smith 
C2PLA Project Director