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Watch the CNN interview with Olivia Clements and read her article printed with permission from
L.A.Youth, the newspaper written by and about teens.
HIV Prevention Activities in Africa
Olivia Clements
Crossroads School
Santa Monica, California
In the 10th grade I was a founding member of Crossroads School Teen AIDS Ambassadors. UCLA AIDS Institute trained and certified us to perform peer-to-peer HIV prevention assemblies and class visits at Los Angeles high schools and youth centers. Our presentations to high school audiences provide information on the biology of HIV/AIDS, the history and impact of the global pandemic, peer-to-peer discussion strategies, available medical treatments, and strategies for fighting stigma.
I have continued this activity through 11th and now 12th grades, and 3,000 teens in Los Angeles have been reached through our initiative. Steve Simon, AIDS Coordinator, City of Los Angeles, stated after attending one of my assemblies: "The Crossroads Teen AIDS Ambassador program reinforced my belief that the hope of curtailing, controlling, then eradicating the HIV epidemic lies in the hands of young people who not only understand it themselves, but can successfully disseminate knowledge among their peers."
I have also traveled to South Africa, Tanzania, and Kenya to offer my help to the hordes of people suffering from HIV/AIDS. Under my leadership, our Crossroads team partnered with local African support groups to perform HIV awareness programs for African youth and women in rural and slum environments. In Africa, I organized drama, puppetry, and gymnastics shows in conjunction with HIV testing/counseling, along with symbolic (or public) testing of U.S. teens. I also led home visits to rural and slum HIV patients, bringing food, water, and supplies. I am very proud that National Association of Independent Schools named Crossroads Teen AIDS Ambassador Program a 2007 "Leading Edge National Program Winner" in the category of global sustainability.
On a second trip to Africa I volunteered for five weeks at Nkosi's Haven in a Johannesburg slum, South Africa. Fourteen million AIDS orphans struggle to survive in Africa; I was fortunate to help 70. At Nkosi's Haven, I tutored AIDS orphans in academic subjects; supervised recreational play programs; monitored antiretroviral medication cycles and side effects; chopped a million onions, potatoes, and beets; and organized off-site excursions -- e.g., dance lessons and sports -- for children aged 6-16.
I am delighted that I have recently been accepted at Yale, where I will have the opportunity to study Public Health and continue my work fighting HIV.
Please read my article about my experience in Africa originally published in L.A. Youth, December 2007.