Youth RISE annual report 2009

8/14/2019 Youth RISE annual report 2009

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Theory of Cha

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Sexual Health

Youth Centered

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outh Empowerment

My reality

Drug Policy

Harm ReductionSafe Spaces

InternationalYouth-Led

Annual Report 200

Human Rights


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New Logo Upliftdesigned bySygrid Araman of

Lebanon

TABLE OF CONTENTSReflection:Message from New Youth RISE Coordinators.3

Who We Are-Mission/Vision/Guiding Principles.4Youth RISE Highlights.6

Participation in International Fora.7

Contributions to Policy Reports, Research, and Other Publications..13

Youth RISE Up for HIV Prevention..14

Growth: Message from Former Youth RISE Coordinators.15Strategic Partners.16

Funders.17Staff, International Working Group, International Advisory Committee.18

This report covers activities during the calendar year ending January 1st of 2010.

Founded in 2006, Youth RISE is the only youth-led international network that fightsagainst the harms associated with drug use and harmful drug policy. Our work issupported through our fiscal sponsor Release Leads Ltd. 124-128 City RoadLondon EC1V 2NJ United Kingdom.

Youth RISconductfocus groyoung peon drug issues at Policy All

2009 InteDrug PoliConfereAlbuqueNew Mex

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Greetings from Youth RISE Coordinators :

Throughout history we have seen young people at the forefront of social justice movements. From anti-war organizing to human rights to education to harm reduction, young people are the fingers on the pulse ofmodern issues affecting their lives and the lives of those around them. With well over half the world populationunder 30 years old, its no wonder why most decisions about them are made by those who reside on the otherside of that coin. Young people are the experts on young people, and possess an outlook and energy that

should not and will not be overlooked. 2009 brought new, dynamic, motivated young people to the Youth RISEstaff, International Working Group and general membership. We are honored to have been entrusted withslipping on the shoes of the pioneering young people who came before us and built the foundation on which

we can expand and improve our network, raise up the voices of young people affected by drug policy, thosewho use drugs, and those who seek to empower them.

With slipping on those shoes comes with the responsibility of taking Youth RISE to new heights. Our logohas a new facelift, we have made it a priority to now place a focus on our messaging and social marketing asa network, and we are developing a stronger organizational infrastructure within the network. As young peopleare exploited, marginalized, and abused by punitive drug policies we need to update our strategy. We realizeat Youth RISE we live in a time where youth led organizations, such as us need support more than ever todevelop new leadership within our movement, to mobilize communities towards our cause, and to be able tosustain the momentum created so that we create an environment for long lasting & residual change.

The leadership opportunities in the roles that our membership have played in leveraging resources andbeing strong advocates for change in drug policy and promoting harm reduction services for young peoplehas grown stronger in the past year. From having International Working Group (IWG) members, and staffparticipate and be one out of two NGOs that got to speak forcefully in the High Level Segment of the

Committee on Narcotic Drugs and United Nations General Assembly Special Session on Illicit Drugs Meeting inMarch 2009to having a Youth RISE members working on the ground in Manipur, India and in Bucharest,Romania conducting pilot workshops on Injection Drug Use among Young People and HIV Prevention wecontinue to RISE by providing Resources, Information. Support and Education for reducing drug related harmamong young people around the world.

Allen Kwabena Frimpong

International Network

Coordinator

Chantale Kallas

Regional DevelopmentCoordinator

Tori Talavera

Training and Technical ProjectsCoordinator

R E F L E C T I O N

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emes addressed by Youth RISE:

Harm Reduction Knowledgefor young people and service providers that uses a peer basemodel building off of young peoples experiences and understanding of drug use .

Discriminatory Policiesto reduce barriers, stigma and criminalization that can create safe

spaces for young people. Advocacy Messaging and Social Marketing- to shift public opinion about young people and

drug use and create messages that appeal to the best interests of young people.

Creating effective Harm Reduction Servicesrelevant, accessible, and conducive to the ovhealth of young people.

Increase of Research and Evidenceon youth and harm reduction service delivery models advocacy strategies.

Increase of Training Opportunitiesfor youth and service providers that promotes a youthcentered approach in engaging young people into services.

Youth RISE stands for a future generation of young

leaders; and thanks Youth RISE to me in all levels to

give opportunities to connect as a family member of

Youth RISE.-Sujan Jirel, International Working Group member of Nepal

M I S S I O N

outh RISE (Resources.Information.Support.Education) for reducing drug related harm, is a youth

ed organization, and is uniquely positioned to address the issues faced by young people who us

rugs. It is the aim of Youth RISE to empower young people who are affected by drug use and

olicy to effectively and proactively work at systemic policy change to ensure that young peopl

re included in harm reduction strategies and within the drug policy debate.

V I S I O N

o provide a network where young people can meaningful engage in issues addressing how the

are affected by drug use and drug policy, and to participate in systemic and institutional change

hat will improve their communitys health and wellbeing.


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Youth RISEsGuiding Principles

We value equality of voice and participation and seek to ensure the widestrepresentation of the diversity of young people and harm reduction globally.

We understand that it is our responsibility to ensure the representation and inclusion ofchildren and youth in our respective regions that may experience barriers toparticipation.

We work towards ensuring that the children and youth who use drugs or are affectedby drug use and/or drug policies have a real say and central voice in matters thataffect them.

We work with the objective of consensus and understand that each members

individual input is valuable and each IWG member has the right to participate in YouthRISE decision-making.

We work from a Rights-Based approach and with the spirit of youth engagement.

We work towards ensuring that programmes and policies and our own advocacy isevidence driven and impact oriented.

We commit to providing the capacity to communicate in different languages throughmeans of translation and web material to our membership.

ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE

Youth RISE

Coordinators

Youth RISE

International

Working Group

Youth RISE

membership

Consists of ourInternationalCoordinator that

oversees the network.The RegionalDevelopmentCoordinator managesour InternationalWorking Group. We alsohave a Training andTechnical ProjectsCoordinator that doesca acit -buildin work.

Serves as Youth RISEs

steering committee of8 members. They arelocated globally inmore than severalregions of the world.This includes: NorthAmerica, LatinAmerica & Caribbean,Europe, Southeast Asia,and the MiddleEast/North Africa.

Are 250 + worldwidethat have opportunitiesto gain information andknowledge as well asshare and disseminateinformation, andleadershipopportunities for youngpeople, nationally,regionally, andglobally.


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Youth RISE

Highlights

Leadership by young people is a critical asset,

enhanced by the International Working Groupwith diverse regional representation. Membershipwhich includes young service providers offers adepth of understanding of practical aspects of

harm reduction and young people. Strongorganizational links to other global networks-GYCA, IHRA and the regional harm reduction

networks.- Diane Widdus,

former Senior Specialist for HIV Prevention and Adolescents at UNICEF

Former International NetworkCoordinator, Caitlin Padgett atdemonstration outside the UnitedNations 52nd Session on theCommission of Narcotic Drugs.March 2009.


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MARCH

Committee on Narcotic Drugs and United Nations General Assembly Special Session on Illicit Drugs Meeting

Youth RISE participated in the Committee on Narcotic Drugs and UNGASS meeting on drugs in March 2009. Weadvocated for the inclusion of harm reduction into drug policy and for the inclusion of both young substanceusers and young people affected by drug policies as a key target group of the committees future objectives

and policy development.

Youth RISE participated in several satellites, side events and panels, advocating and lobbying for the rights ofyoung people and the inclusion of harm reduction into global drug policy. Youth RISE members called onleaders, policymakers, government delegations, the Commission on Narcotic Drugs and the InternationalNarcotic Control Board to provide and advocate for access to services, put an end to criminalization, to ensureour rights to participation and to challenge discrimination faced by young drug users. Youth RISE also drafted aletter to delegates with recommendations for new drug policies that include young people and their realities.This letter was written in partnership with the World AIDS Campaign, the Global Youth Coalition on HIV/AIDS,Espolea, and Students for Sensible Drug Policy and the Youth Coalition.

Youth RISE also had a training and strategic planning daywhere each of the delegates gave regionalreports, brainstorming key examples with advocacy areas .Members met Sebastian Saville, Executive Directorof Release and JudithUlirsch from UNODC.In this letter, Youth RISE called for leaders to recall the four general principles in the Convention on the Rights ofthe Child, ratified by all but two UN member states :

1. Non-discrimination: Removing age-related barriers such as requiring parental consent or denying

confidentiality to underage youth, removing age restrictions for accessing harm reduction services such as

syringe exchanges and opiate replacements, and providing sexual and reproductive health services to young

people.

2. Best interest of the child: All drug policies adhere to international human rights law. This will ensure that drug

policies are required to take into consideration those most vulnerable and in need of support such as child drug

users, young substance users and street-involved youth.

3. Life, survival and development: Honest, reality-based drug education and prevention services, low threshold

and youth-friendly services, access to education and health services, are all essential components of effective

drug policy that seeks to ensure the highest attainable health for young people using drugs. Make drug

treatment a priority over detention, imprisonment or forced rehabilitation.

4. Participation: Involve young people who are most affected (including young drugs users and young people

living with HIV) in meaningful engagement of drug policy and program development, implementation and

evaluation at all levels. Young drug users and young people living with HIV do not forfeit this right to

participation. It is our right to be included in the decisions that affect our lives.

Participation in the

International ForaWhile going through its transition, Youth RISE wasable to maintain visibility in the International Fora.Here is a snapshot of Youth RISEs accomplishments

for 2009.Youth RISE during Network and Training Day

for the Commission on Narcotic Drugs Meeting in Vienna.


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APRIL

Harm Reduction 2009, International

Conference on Drug Related Harms,

Bangkok, Thailand

Youth RISE hosted a youth major sessionentitled, What are our rights? Young People,

Drugs and Harm Reduction at the

International Conference on Drug RelatedHarms in Bangkok, Thailand.

In addition, the Youth RISE Coordinators,International Working Group Members andsession speakers attended and advocatedat the conference for the inclusion andincorporation of young people in harmreduction. During the session there was also a

highlight on the primary healthcare needs ofyoung people who are incarcerated and theiraccess to condoms and syringes as well.

Involvement was:

Internal meetings: Youth RISE had astrategic planning.

Participating in networking sessiontraining with strategic partnerssuch as UNODC and UNICEF.

Developing a joint IHRA campaignsentitled What are our Rights Session

using aHuman Rights and Harmreduction Pamphlet and T-shirtsmessages Too Young For Harm

ReductionToo young to die

Lastly, we also participated in theTreatment Not Torture Rally!

JUNE

Washington D.C: Most at-Risk Adolescents and

Young People for HIV/AIDS Forum

Kyla Zanardi, International Projects Coordinatorgave a presentation titled Youth-led

Perspective: Best Practices for Youth HarmReduction Programming on a panel Young

Injection Drug Users (IDUs): Research, Program

Experiences, and Applications. This meetingsought to bring together UN agencies and civilsociety to discuss and collaborate onaddressing the needs of most-at-riskadolescent (identified groups such as youngdrug users, sex workers, men having sex withmen) and development of best practiceguidelines for Most At-Risk Adolescents (MARA).Representatives from the U.S. Agency for

International Development, the World HealthOrganization, the United Nations, Centers forDisease Control, the Office of the Global AIDSCoordinator, and several youth-serving NGOspresented at the most recent meeting of theInteragency Youth Working Group. Youth RISEused the UN Convention of the Rights of aChild as a framework to layout specific barriersyoung people who use drugs have inaccessing HIV prevention.

Recommendations from Kyla Zanardispresentation that were used in addressing the

needs of vulnerable young people to setpriorities for USAID were to:

Invest in youth-led harm reductioninitiatives

Increase research made accessible toyoung people

Support meaningful youth participationof young people most affectedpeer-based programs and supporting youngIDUs to develop interventions is a must!

Advocacy for policy change and moveaway from policies that criminalizebehaviors

It fulfills an entirely new niche in the global arena. It has the uniqueopportunity to demystify a whole field of jargon that is dark, murky andesoteric. It has the power to change the approach to messaging aroundharm reduction.

- Joya Banerjee, Youth RISE International Advisory Committee member


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AUGUST

Latin American Drug Policy Conference

IWG Aram Barra from Mexico attended the conference where a consultation was conducted in the region togain a better sense of drug use among youth in the region as well as a space where people could express theirconcerns over utilization or lack of harm reduction services, and the punitive drug policy that contributes to this.

The session was sponsored by International Network of People who use Drugs (INPUD), Youth RISE, Espolea andStudents for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP). One of the expectations was foradvocate for more research onmarijuana and health. One of the strategies were to create a trusting environment among current and formerdrug users in order to gain from personal experience and improve team work. For more information see:http://www.espolea.org/profiles/blogs/drogas-1 (Minuta de Reunion de articulacin: Jvenes y Drogas- ENG)

SEPTEMBER

Recapping the Consultation on Strategic

Information on HIV Prevention among Most at Risk

Adolescents (MARA)

Allen Kwabena Frimpong, International Network

Coordinator attended this meeting at UNAIDS inGeneva September 2nd-4th 2009. UNAIDS, UNICEF,UNFPA, UNODC, and governmentofficials/representatives of the Intra-agency TaskTeam on Young People (IATT) discussed these mainpoints: (1) Know Your Epidemic, (2)What is thePurpose of Collecting the Data (StrategicInformation) , (3)How will this Data be used inAdvocacy of HIV Prevention Strategy and serviceprovision for MARA, (4) Making sure that YoungPeople are not Passive Recipients, but Active

Participants in the process of making sure they are

getting access to the services they need.The participation of the international coordinator atthat meeting resulted in:

Making sure youth networks andorganizations are included as a resource ingathering data on global & regional HIVprevention programs or projects.

Utilizing youth networks and organization indoing capacity building work with

organizations working with young people inadvocating for youth centered services.

OCTOBER

Young People Can Protect Themselves from HIV

Consultation with UNAIDS-IATTYP

IWG member Anna Koshikova from the All Ukrainian

Network of People Living with HIV attended theUNAIDS consultation. It was from the 26th to the28th of October at the Tudor Hotel in New York City.

There were others from other youth led initiatives ororganizations, such AIDS2031, World AIDSCampaign, Jamaica Youth Advocacy Network,among others. This also included, our InternationalCoordinator, Allen Kwabena Frimpong. The goals of

the meeting were to elicit feedback and reachconsensus on the draft business case for the priorityarea of young people including key actions for HIVprevention and to agree on the process forfinalizing the business case for the UNAIDSProgramme for young people and HIV prevention.

During the meeting in a working group with AllenKwabena Frimpong, Gray Sattler, UNODCsHIV/AIDS Regional Advisor in Thailand, AnnaKoshikova, and Rick Olson from UNICEF, Youth RISEgave several recommendation in how to betterengage young injection drug users, and addressissues of criminalization among them (which servesas a major barrier to prevention, care, andtreatment of HIV). This was incorporated in thebusiness case for UNAIDS Programme.

Anti-stigma work for harm reduction servicedelivery must be done for young injectiondrug users.

In building community developmentprojects and programming drug usernetworks must also work with young people

and re-orientate messaging in addressingthe needs of young people as part of largercommunity issues as they relate to drugpolicy.

Ensure that young people who are usingdrugs have access to basic primary care,drug treatment, and harm reductionservices.

Participants engaged in a group activity to help plan UNAIDSbusiness case.

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HIV Young Leaders Fund Planning Meeting

The planning meeting was hosted by HIVcollaborative fund, a project of the Tides Center.The HIV Young Leaders Fund is a new community-driven funding mechanism for youth-led HIVinitiatives. The HIV Young Leaders Fund will invest inyoung leaders and their coalitions, while at thesame time raising the visibility of their work andstrengthening the sustainability of their initiatives.The Fund is an innovative partnership effortbetween global and local youth networks anddonors in the AIDS response.

Participants were represented from Global Networkof Sex Work Projects, Global Youth Coalition onHIV/AIDS, GNP+s Interim Reference Group on

Young People Living with HIV, InternationalTreatment Preparedness Coalition, World AIDS

Campaign, Youth Coalition for Sexual andReproductive Rights, Y-PEER, Young Positives, YouthR.I.S.E, and the country networks IPPF+ Nepal andJamaica Youth Advocacy Network where wediscussed a new partnership effort between youthnetworks and donors. IWG member Sujan Jirel fromNepal, as well as staff member Allen KwabenaFrimpong were in attendance.

Several things crucial to youth network sustainabilityand funding occurred as a result of this meeting:

Identify the importance of funding youthnetworks for sustainability.

Looking at young migrant populations inNepal, and possible developing work therespecifically with that population.

Youth RISE was able to communicateamong steering committee members tovalue the diverse group of young people inbackgrounds and experience. We are usingthe funding circle to cultivate newleadership of young people who are mostaffected by the epidemic, this is to includeyoung injection drug users, sex workers,those that identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual,and transgendered, as well as young

people who are HIV positive.

For more information on the fund contact:[email protected]

Youth RISE button

worn @ DPA

conference!

NOVEMBER

Drug Policy Alliance:

International Drug Policy Conference

Youth R.I.S.E. staff members as well as IWG memberAram Barra attended the International Drug Policy

Reform Conference, November 11th-14th which wasorganized by the Drug Policy Alliance, in NewMexico. This conference brought many gains for ournetwork. First, taking part of a large internationalaudience is always of benefit for our youngnetwork, and second the presence of the threestaff members in the same place is very rare, hencesuch opportunities are always beneficial for us.These two factors were a recipe for the success ofthe conference for Youth R.I.S.E.

Outcomes of the Conference was: Networking Opportunities with those within

the larger drug policy movement. Grant meeting with Open Society Institute

(OSI) w/ Global Drug Policy & Youthprogram.

Preliminary strategic planning in preparationfor core funding grant proposal for OSI.

In addition, Youth RISE organized a focusgroup with the Students for Sensible DrugPolicy (SSDP) aimed at discussing how toreform the messages targeting youngpeople in the harm reduction & drug policyfield. Approximately 25 young activists

attended the meeting; it was a fruitfulexperience that encouraged us to pursuethe next exciting steps in our advocacy andsocial marketing work. This was facilitated byour Social Media consultants ScottJacobsen & Wyokemia Joyner.

Youth RISE on Twitter during the DPA Conference
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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Middle East North Africa Harm Reduction

Associations (MENAHRAs) Conference

IWG member Dr. Khalil Sakhri participated onbehalf of Youth RISE to the 1st conferenceMENAHRA in Beirut, Lebanon. It was a verysuccessful conference where some 150 participantsmostly from countries of the Middle East and NorthAfrica, with the participation of UN agencies WHO,

UNAIDS, UNODC, and the Global Fund, and severallocal as well as global non-governmentalorganizations.

Throughout the conference, Dr. Khalil Sakhri statesthat,

There was more political than

scientific and enrichment of

knowledge. Large politiciansare starting to adapt the

concept of Harm Reduction,

except that in the end, the

general of the Lebanese police

has let us focus on how law

enforcement in the fight against

drugs, saying that it is the police

who must solve the problem.

This participation: Provided strategic partners with updates

with the work that was occurring in theMENA region along with Youth RISE memberfrom Afghanistan, Murtaza Mujeed.

New networking connections were made aswell as revisiting existing ones. Meetings tookplace with International Harm ReductionAssociations (IHRA) staff in preparation for

the 2010 conference in Liverpool, Ann

Fordham of the International Drug PolicyConsortium (IDPC) - in discussing YouthRISEs partnership with IDPC. Also at the

conference he met the new director ofMentor Arabia, Dr. Farida Allaghi, which anew partnership was formed between himand organization to support his mentorshipas a young harm reductionist.

Youth R.I.S.E. at the 5th Latin American and

Caribbean Forum for HIV and other STIs

IWG member Aram Barra attended the 5th Latin

American and Caribbean Forum for HIV and otherSTIs. It is the regional venue directed to promoteguidelines of national and regional public policiesregarding the universal access to the prevention,helping and treatment, within the respect of humanrights; to share learned lessons and improve theperformance of all branches: prevention, helping,intervention, investigation and information; topromote the equally participation and theinvolvement of all communities, and to figure outthe responses to this epidemic in the region throughthe fulfillment of the international commitmentsmade regarding HIV.

The satellite session was entitled: Drug policy, HIV

and Human Rights. This panel featured a

representative from the Caribbean Harm ReductionCoalition, Intercambios, Youth R.I.S.E. and the PanAmerican Health Organization.

This participation: Strengthened Youth RISEs position in the

regional debate and fostered the questionsaround how to implement harm reduction inLatin America

Grew the linkage and interest that existsbetween young people working on the HIVfield and harm reduction initiatives

Provideda space to further network inparticular with young people from theCaribbean and allowed for the IWGmember to get to know some of thenetworks members throughout the region.


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DECEMBER

HIV, Human Rights and Universal

Access and Marginalized Populations:

December 1st 2009 Hyatt Regency

Hotel Capitol Hill-Washington, DC

Kolawole Oreoluwa, IWG member from Nigeriaspoke as a guest speaker and panelist at theUNAIDS sponsored high level meeting on WorldAIDS Day in Washington, D.C. to talk about HIV,Human Rights, and Marginalized Populations. TheUS Global AIDS Coordinator's office was there aswell as the Human Rights Caucus of U.S Congressalong with UN body country delegates. Threerepresentatives from most at risk populations werecalling for reform of U.S foreign policy (President'sEmergency Plan for AIDS Relief-PEPFAR) as itrelates to HIV prevention care and treatment

amongst affected populations including injectiondrug users.

In Kola speech, he talked about his challenges as a young person, and an organizer in Nigeria where he wasarrested and his life was threatened in the name of advocating for harm reduction. He gave forth theserecommendations that were incorporated into a report given to US Congress, which also served as one of themany advocacy events to push the lifting of the federal ban off of funding needle exchange programs inPEPFAR:

The US Government should also support needle and syringe exchange because this will go a long wayto prevent HIV among injecting drug users and it will also allow foreign funded projects under PEPFAR tostart needle and syringe exchange for injecting drug users in their various countries.

The US government should mandate its HIV prevention policies for drug injectors with other stated USgovernment health and medical agencies policies in the same area.

RISING FOR 2010 AND BEYOND

2010 is here. Youth RISE is now full speed ahead embarking on many new initiatives.

Reframing our advocacy messaging, building up our social marketing tools, unveiling our new websitewith logo uplift and new look as we expand our reach as a network is what you will see that is different incommunicating with our constituency and partners.

Youth RISE is preparing an update and media blitz for the Commission on Narcotic Drugs Meeting in March2010, and preparing for an advocacy campaign utilizing new media strategies. We are sending out aclear message to the global community about how young people are affected by drug use and drugpolicy that will be coming soon!

In addition, you will see a new International Working Group of 8 members with new representation ofdifferent nations. They will be going leadership development workshops and trainings, and they also willbe doing advocacy work and outreach within their regions.

Lastly our Youth RISE Up! For HIV Prevention Project will have two new pilot sites in Mexico and Ukrainedeveloping curriculum that will cover topics around sexual health and substance abuse issues amongyoung people, vital information our young people need but is lacking in most educational material.

Kolawole Oreoluwa is pictured sitting in the middle of a sex worker rightsadvocate in the U.S and a representative of the LGBTQ movement inAfrica at the UNAIDS meeting.


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CONTRIBUTIONS TO

POLICY REPORTS,RESEARCH, AND OTHER

PUBLICATIONSPadgett, C. & Zanardi, K. Youth Leadership: Recommendations for Sustainability. World AIDSCampaign. January 2009www.aids2031.org/pdfs/youth%20sustainability_web.pdf

HR2: Harm Reduction & Human Rights. Youth RISE statement at the Demand ReductionRoundtable of the High Level Segment of CND. IHRAblog March 12th 2009.http://www.ihrablog.net/2009/03/youthrise-statement-at-demand-reduction.html

IHRA Daily Update Newsletter- Bangkok Conference

http://www.unodc.org/documents/eastasiaandpacific//2009/04/ihra-conference/DailyUpdate_Thursday23rdApril2009.pdf

UNAIDS Inter-Agency Task Team (IATT) on HIV and Young People. GlobalGuidance Briefs: HIV Interventions for Young People. UNFPA November2009.(Copies Available Upon Request)

One of Youth RISEs strengths is the abilityto have active members from different

cultural backgrounds who have a lot of

experience in implementing harm

reduction programming.

-Veronica Broasca, IWG member from

Romania

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Veronica Broasca & Cristina Fierbinteanu

conduct a pilot training with participantsIn Romania.

Training conducted in Manipur,India.

RISE UP! FOR

HIV PREVENTIONWhat is RISE Up HIV Prevention?

Youth RISE Up for HIV Prevention is a project funded byMTVs Staying Alive Foundation that started in 2009 to

develop harm reduction workshops for young people.The projects curriculum guide was developed by Kyla

Zanardi, former Youth RISE International ProjectsCoordinator. Youth RISE International Working Groupmembers in Manipur, India and Bucharest, Romania

where the pilot for the demonstration project took placecoordinated the pilot training projects.

This guide will provide young people with basicinformation on HIV/AIDS, harm reduction, effective facilitation of peer education, proven harmreduction interventions (with relevant age considerations), stigma and discrimination, and injectiondrug use. The total amount of people reached through the pilot trainings in Manipur, India andBucharest, Romania is 51.

During the Bucharest, Romania training when participants wereasked, What was one piece of knowledge, skill or experience you

will take away from today and use in your work? Participants gavekey responses with the following:

Information on HIV transmission The risk of transmission through ejaculation in the eyes STIssymptoms & modes of transmission HCV and HIV re-infection & resistance (medication)

The guide is still in the development phases and is scheduled forrelease in 2010. This guide would not have been complete withouthelp from many individuals including Vikram Laishman & Veronica Broasca (our coordinators fromeach of the pilot locations) and our Expert Group, who helped review the guide and put togetherthe pilot trainings are Raluca Teodorescu, Luciano Colonna, Claudia Ahumada, NewtonManoharmayum, Cristina Fierbinteanu, Oana Ana-Maria Enache and Roshan Ningthoujam.


15/18

G R O W T H

2009 - what a year! As founders and former coordinators of Youth RISE, we could not be more delightedand proud of what the network has achieved so far. When we set out to establish the network in 2006, we knewwe needed a mechanism for young people around the world to actively participate in their own health, in

reducing drug related harms, in creating change in the policies that affected their lives. At the time, there wasno representation of young people in international harm reduction and drug policy fora, and no means foryoung people globally, who were interested in these issues, to communicate and strategize.

This year was a year of change for Youth RISE. As a youth-run network, we are inherently transitional. Aftercoordinating the network for 3 years, we felt it was time we move on. One of our priorities for this year was hiringa new international coordinator and creating 2 new positions that reflected the needs of the network andmembership. These became the Regional Development Coordinator and Technical and Training ProjectsCoordinator.

Setting up an international network is no small feat. Though young people worldwide may share similar

experiences and barriers to participation, we are by no means a homogenous group. Ensuring that Youth RISE isinclusive and responsive to the varying realities and needs of young people who use drugs and/or are affectedby drug policies continues to be a priority. The International Working Group members are vital to connectingwith our members in their regions and facilitating their participation. The role of the Regional DevelopmentCoordinator was developed specifically to work in this capacity as well.

As a network, we do not have the capacity to be involved in direct service provision. Instead, we aim todevelop the skills of young people in their regions, so they can be actively involved in developing youth-specific harm reduction programs and/or working for policy change. The Technical and Training ProjectsCoordinator was hired to develop trainings for young people, provide training and support for InternationalWorking Group Members and develop key advocacy publications and resource documents for regionaldevelopment. This role is essential in furthering our goal to provide and develop critical information to serviceproviders and young people interested in developing youth-led harm reduction programming.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has supported us along the way. In April of 2010,it will be four years since we announced the idea of an international youth harm reduction network. We havecome a long way since then and there is still much more to achieve. We are so grateful to all of our partners,mentors and allies, and especially to the new staff, the IWG and Youth RISE members, who are all working toensure that young people have access to human rights and evidence-based harm reduction programmes thatare founded upon principles of humane and just drug policies.

Sincerely,

Caitlin Padgett

Founder & FormerInternational NetworkCoordinator

Kyla Zanardi

Founder & FormerInternational ProjectsCoordinator


16/18

STRATEGIC PARTNERSRelease

Release is the UK centre of expertise on drugs and drugs lawprovidingfree and confidential specialist advice to the public and professionals forover the last forty years. Release also campaigns for changes to drugpolicy to bring about a fairer and more compassionate legal frameworkto manage drug use in our society. Under new management for the lastfive years, Release has become a UK leader in managing complexprojects related to drugs and the law. Release is Youth RISEs fiscal agent.

United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF)

UNICEF provides consultation, mentorship and support to various YouthRISE activities, in accordance with UNICEFs Most At-Risk Adolescents

initiatives. also provides support to Youth RISE members to participate inGlobal conferences and meetings.

World AIDS Campaign (WAC)

WAC has worked as a strategic partner to both increase participation ofyoung people involved in the harm reduction movement within thebroader youth HIV/AIDS campaigns, and specifically to address the needsof young injecting drug users within HIV prevention and Universal Access,and to strengthen the coordination between youth sexual and

reproductive health organizations and harm reduction initiatives.

Global Youth Coalition on HIV/AIDS (GYCA)

GYCA is a youth-led, UNAIDS and UNFPA supported global network of4,000 young leaders and adult allies working on youth and HIV/AIDS in 150countries world-wide. GYCA is currently one of Youth RISEs strategicpartners, providing resources and support in regards to HIV/AIDS andyouth related initiatives. Their support has been essential in thedevelopment and engagement of young people, HIV advocacy and theinclusion of harm reduction into youth HIV issues.

Talking IT Global (TIG)

TIG seeks to provide opportunities for learning, capacity-building, cross-cultural awareness, and self-development through the use of Informationand Communication Technologies. Taking IT Global currently works withYouth RISE as a technical web development partner, currently hostingYouth RISEs list serve, membership webpage, as well as staff e-mail.

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FINANCIAL PARTNERSOpen Society Institute (OSI)

OSI is one of Youth RISEs largest core funders and strategic

partners. They supported our Vienna 2009 Project, which brought

young people to the Commission on Narcotic Drugs and UNGASSon Drugs meetings in March. This project includes advocacytraining and participation, providing young people with theopportunity to engage in high-level meetings. They also funded ourcore network and transition.

United Kingdom Development Fund on International Development (DFID)

The Department for International Development (DFID) is thedepartment of the United Kingdom Government that manages

Britain's aid to poor countries and works to get rid of extremepoverty. DFID is one of Youth RISEs largest core funders, providing

the core funding for administrative and organizational resourcesand support.

International Harm Reduction Association (IHRA)

The International Harm Reduction Association (IHRA) is the leadingorganization promoting a harm reduction approach to allpsychoactive substances on a global basis. IHRA supports the

engagement of people and communities affected by drugs andalcohol around the world and works to promote harm reductionand human rights issues within national, regional and internationalbodies (such as the UN). IHRA has played a significant and pivotalrole in the development and support of Youth RISE. They supportYouth RISE with multiple conference scholarships to theInternational Conference on Drug Related Harms, in-kindadministrative and legal consultation and resource support.

MTVs Staying Alive Foundation (SAF)

The Foundations mission is to encourage, energize, and empoweryoung people who are involved in HIV/AIDS awareness, educationand prevention campaigns. Youth RISE is a current grant recipientof the foundation for a project called Youth RISE Up for HIV

Prevention focusing on Harm Reduction, Substance Use andSexual Health training projects to be implemented in Manipur, Indiaand Bucharest, Romania.

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STAFF, INTERNATIONAL WORKING

GROUP (IWG), AND INTERNATIONAL

ADVISORY COMMITTEE (IAC)Youth RISE StaffAllen Kwabena Frimpong- USA, International Network Coordinator: [email protected]

Chantale Kallas- Lebanon, Regional Development Coordinator: [email protected]

Tori Talavera- USA, Training and Technical Projects Coordinator: [email protected]

Youth RISE International Working Group Members

Aram Barra- MexicoIulia-Veronica BroascaRomania

Sujan Jiral - Nepal

Anna Koshikova-Ukraine

Vikram LaishramIndia

Kolawole Muyideen Oreoluwa - Nigeria

Dr. Khalil Sakhri - Algeria

Youth RISE International Advisory Committee Members

Joya Banerjee, Co-Founder of Global Youth Coalition on HIV/AIDS

Damon Barrett, Senior Human Rights Analyst at International Harm Reduction Association (IHRA)

Dr. Sue CurrieGeneral Manager of Virology and Gastroenterology at Clinical Care Options

Pablo Cynerman, (Psychologist) Advocacy Coordinator of Intercambios

Pierre Robert, UNICEF Specialist for Adolescents and HIV

*Caitlin Padgett, Public Health/Harm Reduction Consultant

*(founder & former International Network Coordinator of Youth RISE)

Special Thanks and Best Wishes to Diane Widdus, former UNICEF Adolescent HIV

Senior Specialist for all of your support and dedication in investing your time, energy,

and resources into Youth RISE!

Youth RISE annual report 2009

Documents

Transcript of Youth RISE annual report 2009