The second annual Campaign to End AIDS Youth Action Summit, which aims to bring attention to the epidemic, will take place at Broadway Youth Center, 3179 N. Broadway, on Wed.-Sun., June 28-July 2. The meeting promises to be five intensive days of education and training.
The summit marks the second annual Youth Action Institute of the Campaign to End AIDS, a national coalition launched last year. The group works to pressure political leaders to stop the AIDS epidemic by doing everything from fighting stigma to supporting extensive research.
Chicago ranks sixth in the nation among large cities hard-hit by AIDS, with metropolitan Chicago making up 85 percent of all cases in Illinois. Roughly 27,000 Chicagoans are estimated to be living with HIV/AIDS, according to summit organizer David Munar of AIDS Foundation of Chicago.
Summit participants will learn the history of AIDS activism as well as new strategies to create advocacy coalitions and lobby political leaders for better HIV/AIDS policies and funding. In addition, they will map out advocacy projects and acquire crucial media skills as they share their personal stories with local reporters.
For more info, see www.c2ea.org or call 773-935-3151.