Opportunities For Youth

On behalf of the International AIDS Society (IAS) and our Austrian and international partners, it is our pleasure to invite you to participate in the XVIII International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2010), to be held in Vienna, Austria, from 18 to 23 July 2010.

Youth Programme
The aim of the Youth Programme is to work to strengthen the participation of young people and the profile of youth issues at AIDS 2010.

Deadline: 10 February 2010 Programme submissions close

Objectives of the AIDS 2010 Youth Programme:

1. Encourage consistent and effective participation of young people at the International AIDS Conference and throughout the conference planning processes;

2. Promote the participation of young people and the inclusion of youth issues in the main conference programme, in media coverage generated at the conference and in AIDS programmes and policies in general;

3. Work to ensure young people have the resources to access decision-makers with effective advocacy to protect the rights of all young people, especially the rights of vulnerable groups such as young people who use drugs, young sex workers, young men who have sex with men, young migrants, youth in prisons and young people living with HIV;

4. Support peer-to-peer capacity-building among young people in order to provide them with necessary advocacy skills and technical knowledge, support, and resources for meaningful participation during the conference and beyond;

5. Demonstrate to conference participants, especially decision-makers and donors, that the participation of young people is beneficial, and advocate for the creation of youth-adult partnerships and greater investment in young people’s initiatives; and

6. Remind individuals of their commitments to promote youth leadership to mitigate the impact of HIV on young people. The Youth Programme will also provide opportunities to generate new commitments to youth.

Youth Programme Activities

The Youth Pavilion in the Global Village is the main networking space for young people at AIDS 2010. The pavilion will host a diverse programme of sessions, workshops, performances and exhibitions.

Other Youth Programme activities include symposia and a leadership development workshop for delegates, a youth pre-conference, a youth reception, and an advocacy campaign that will include the mobilization of young people for the human rights march (more details about this event will be posted on the conference website in the coming months).

A pocket guide will be provided to young delegates to highlight all youth-related sessions at AIDS 2010 and make participation easier.

Get Involved!

* Get the Youth AIDS 2010 newsletter! It provides you with the latest updates on preparations for the youth programme and information on how to get involved. Subscribe here: youthaids2010-subscribe@groups.takingitg lobal.org.
* Sign up here for the AIDS 2010 monthly eUpdate.
* Propose your own activity for the Youth Programme: The call for programme activities is open from 1 December 2009 to 10 February 2010. Submissions must be made through your conference profile.
* Participate as a volunteer at AIDS 2010 – see the volunteer section of the conference website.

Youth Programme Organizers

AIDS 2010 Youth Programme Working Group

The Youth Programme Working Group is the official organizing body that prepares the AIDS 2010 Youth Programme. The Working Group plans sessions and workshops related to young people, organizes the Youth Pavilion in the Global Village, and a lounge for young people living with HIV. It consists of young people and adults from different regions of the world, who work together to prepare the official AIDS 2010 Youth Programme.

Vienna YouthForce

The Vienna YouthForce was launched after AIDS 2008 and is a global platform for international, regional and local youth organizations that focus on HIV and AIDS, as well as on the sexual and reproductive health and the rights of young people. The Vienna YouthForce organizes youth activities and advocacy campaigns prior to and during the conference, such as the youth pre-conference, youth advocacy campaigns and the youth commitments desk. Ten youth organizations are currently represented on the Vienna YouthForce, including Advocates for Youth, Community Forum Austria, Global Youth Coalition on HIV/AIDS, International Federation of Medical Students’ Associations, the World AIDS Campaign, Youth Coalition on Sexual and Reproductive Rights, YouAct, Y-Peer, CHOICE for Youth and Sexuality and Youth R.I.S.E.

The Youth Programme Working Group and the Vienna YouthForce are working closely together to act as a common body for young people at AIDS 2010. If you have particular questions, you may contact us at youth@aids2010.org.

Scholarship applications are accepted from 8 December 2009 to 10 February 2010.

International Scholarship Programme

Scholarships provide financial assistance to a number of people from resource-limited settings and communities, key affected populations, people living with HIV, young people, researchers and students to help them attend the conference. The International Scholarship Programme is open to everyone around the world. Priority will be given to those whose participation will help enhance their work in their own communities, to those who are able to assist in the transfer of skills and knowledge acquired at the conference, and to those whose abstract, workshop or programme activity (Global Village or Youth Programme) submission has been selected.

Scholarship selection is made based on a non-biased scoring system established in advanced.

Although every attempt will be made to assist as many people as possible, we regret that there are only a limited number of international scholarships available. On average, less than 10% of applicants are awarded. Applicants are therefore strongly encouraged to seek other funding as well.

Click here to read the terms and conditions of the International Scholarship Programme.

Media Scholarship Programme

A very limited number of scholarships will be available for media representatives from around the world. Media scholarship applicants will be asked to provide media accreditation and supporting documents. No applications will be accepted without submission of the required supporting documents. It is the applicants’ responsibility to ensure they have submitted the correct documents.

Click here to read the terms and conditions of the Media Scholarship Programme.

Applying for a an International or Media Scholarship

Those interested in applying for a scholarship must complete the online scholarship application form. For general scholarship applications (International or Media), your scholarship application begins through your conference profile between 8 December 2009 and 10 February 2010.

If you plan to submit an abstract, programme activity or workshop proposal and are interested in applying for a scholarship, you should start your scholarship request through the abstract or proposal submission system. You will then receive instructions on how to complete the scholarship request.

Types of Support

Scholarship applicants will be able to request a full or partial scholarship.

A full scholarship includes:

* registration to the conference (includes access to all sessions and exhibitions)
* economy-class travel (pre-paid ticket at the lowest fare available)
* accommodation (shared in hotel twin rooms for the days of the conference)
* modest living allowance for the conference duration (18-23 July 2010, the equivalent of EUR 30 per day)
* travel insurance for the duration of the conference

A partial scholarship includes any combination of the above.

Application Criteria

Applications are open to anyone working in the field of HIV and AIDS.

Most of the questions asked on the application form are related to personal details and work experience. There are also four essay questions which ask for further details regarding the applicant’s organization, occupation or involvement in HIV/AIDS, motivation to attend the conference and how the applicant’s organization or community would benefit from the scholarship.

General scholarship applicants will be asked to submit a letter of recommendation after completing the scholarship application. No general application will be accepted without submission of the letter of recommendation.

Media scholarship applicants will also be asked to provide media accreditation and supporting documents. No media application will be accepted without submission of the required supporting documents.

Need Help?

Click on one of the links below for step-by-step tutorials on applying for a scholarship

* Step 1: Create an online profile

* Step 2: Complete the Scholarship Application

1. International Scholarship applicants (general delegates)
2. Media Scholarship applicants
3. Programme Activity or Workshop scholarship applicants
4. Abstract Scholarship applicants

* Step 3: Upload your documentation

More info HERE