Who are they?
Youth Stop AIDS (YSA) have existed for over a decade. The organisation was set up by a group of students who felt that the government wasn’t doing enough to tackle HIV and AIDS and that the UK needs to take more responsibility for the global situation. In line with Sustainable Development Goal 3, Youth Stop AIDS are striving to put an end to AIDS by 2030.
YSA are made up of campaign groups and individual campaigners across the UK, aged around 18-32. The organisation transitioned from ‘Student Stop AIDS’ to ‘Youth Stop AIDS’ in 2015-16 to ensure students continued engagement after University and to open up the organisation to non-University students. They work closely with their parent organisation, Stop AIDS, and are hosted by Restless Development (a youth-led international agency).
What do they do?
Currently YSA are focusing on two main national campaigns:
- Missing Medicines – Equal access to medicines for everyone around the world
- ItAintOver – Ensuring that the UK government stays committed to the AIDS response
YSA also run a number of annual event:
- Speaker Tour – a number of HIV positive individuals tour the UK to help breakdown the sigma of the disease
- Parliamentary ‘day of action’ – a day of government lobbying
- Local campaigns and events around World AIDS Day and Sexual Health Week
How you can get involved:
Youth Stop AIDS currently have 10 active branches, 3 of which are non-University. Check with your University Students Union or search on Facebook to see if there is a branch near you. You can also contact them directly through social media, via email or their website.
