Two Americans between the ages of 13 and 24 contract HIV every hour. This translates into an estimated 20,000 new infections each year. Yet 87% of young Americans do not believe they are at risk for HIV infection. It is incumbent upon those in positions of leadership and authority to help ensure that youth have the knowledge and skills to protect themselves. Love Heals can help.
Girls who participate in LEAP for Girls pass their knowledge on to their friends, family and fellow students. They are empowered with knowledge of a topic all high school students are interested in!
— Felice Piggott, Teacher Librarian
The Young Women’s Leadership School of East Harlem
The New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) mandates that all students in junior and senior public high schools receive six HIV/AIDS lessons each year and that all kindergarten through sixth-grade students receive five lessons. (Learn more about the AIDS Education Mandate and get tips for fulfilling it.)
In partnership with the NYCDOE, Love Heals can help you deliver quality, age-appropriate and culturally relevant HIV/AIDS education, prevention and awareness programming to students. We work with public and private schools, as well as community-based organizations throughout New York City and the surrounding area. To date, these partnerships have enabled Love Heals to reach more than 450,000 young people.
With your help, we’ll reach even more. Join us in our efforts to empower young people to make informed choices.
Three million adolescents—roughly one in four sexually experienced teens—contract a sexually transmitted infection annually.
Learning about the disease in health class is very important, but meeting someone who is living with HIV really hits home.
— Anonymous Student
Hunter College High School
How you can help:
- Invite a member of our Speakers Bureau to your school.
- Encourage your students to connect to our online peer education project, iLove.
- Use our NYCDOE-approved video and lesson guide to deliver an HIV/AIDS lesson.
- Visit our Resources—and refer your students there—to find vital information for
young people, parents and educators. - Contact us for additional resources on HIV/AIDS education for young people.
- Familiarize yourself with the NYC AIDS Education Mandate.
- Get to know the HIV/AIDS statistics.
- Put up HIV-awareness posters—and ask your students to help.
- Involve students in HIV/AIDS education.
- Arrange to have part of the AIDS Memorial Quilt displayed at your school or community center. As one teacher said about the quilt, “This is important for kids to see the effects of AIDS on families. Each square…represents one family.”
We always welcome your feedback. Contact us to share your stories and suggestions.
The HIV-positive speaker’s presence and testimony dispelled a lot of the misinformation and myths that young people have about HIV/AIDS.
— Dr. Mildred Roldan, Health Teacher
Lincoln High School
