Production of this campaign web site has been made possible through a financial contribution from the Public Health Agency of Canada. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the views of the Public Health Agency of Canada.



GLOSSARY

HIV:
Human Immunodeficiency Virus.

AIDS:
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome.

STI(s):
Sexually Transmitted Infections. These include, but are not limited to: Gonorrhea, Chlamydia, Herpes, Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), Syphilis, and HIV.

Youth:
There are many definitions of youth...we use the definition of individuals under 30 years old.

Young women’s risk of HIV infection is on the rise in Canada

Surprised? We thought you might be. It's true – HIV infection rates are on the rise among Canadian young women ages 15-29. That's why we’ve decided to create a national awareness campaign on HIV/AIDS targeting young women.

Who are we? We're the Canadian AIDS Society's 2004 National Youth Advisory Committee – a committee made up of youth from different communities across Canada, with different backgrounds and experiences – and we're really glad you decided to check out this web site!

Why did we choose to focus on young women for this campaign?

Recent statistics show that:
  • among all females testing positive for HIV in Canada, the proportion of female teens and young adults testing positive is highest
  • most young women in Canada are becoming infected through heterosexual transmission (having sex with a guy), and
  • because of female biology, young women are at increased risk of contracting HIV through unprotected sex

While studies show that Canadian youth just don’t think HIV is a threat to them, stats like these tell us it is – and we wanted to put a campaign out there to spread the word and build awareness among youth.

To learn the truth about young women and HIV/AIDS, Take our quiz

Check out the campaign materials

Share your thoughts on the campaign! Visit the on-line discussion zone

See what youth are up to across Canada, and learn more about youth and HIV/AIDS

For more information about the campaign, contact the Canadian AIDS Society at youth@cdnaids.ca or check us out on-line at www.cdnaids.ca

The Canadian AIDS Society would like to thank the 2004 National Youth Advisory Committee, whose valuable input and dedication made this campaign possible!

Thanks also to the more than 400 youth and youth workers from across Canada who took the time to complete a survey on the type of campaign they would want to see. Your feedback directly influenced the look and content of this campaign.

The Canadian AIDS Society gratefully acknowledges the support of this campaign provided by:

Boehringer Ingelheim