UK

Our UK project partner, Body & Soul, is a unique charity supporting children, teenagers, women, hetrosexual men and their families living with, or closely affected by HIV/AIDS. Teenspirit, supporting teenagers aged 13-19 who know of their own HIV status or a family member's within Body & Soul, is the focus for Bottletop's support.

Teenspirit:

Society's stigma and ignorance surrounding HIV means the majority of young people living with HIV are forced to live in isolation.

Teenspirit was the first project set up which recognised that teenagers living with HIV needed support in order to cope. A core aim of the group is to equip and empower young people with the skills, information and confidence to respond positively to the challenges they face, which range from family conflict to multiple needs depression and self harming. The holistic approach taken by our UK project partner, Body & Soul not only helps teenagers find solutions to their immediate problems but also works with them to build their self-esteem.

More specifically Bottletop helps to increase the teen’s participation within the outreach programme.

Key Achievements include:

 

  • Provision of training for HIV+/affected young people to develop skills and confidence to take part in outreach programme. This has been provided internally and through support by V-inspired Press & PR team.

 

  • 12 young people have been through the media training.

 

  • All young people have been provided with support through the process of outreach.

 

  • A piece of research was undertaken by Teen Spirit to look at new ways to reach young people in improving awareness of HIV alongside other issues young people are dealing with on a daily basis. This has informed the new web based support that is to be launched later this year.

 

  • Provision of a dedicated volunteer on developing youth involvement in the outreach project.

 

  • As a result of joining the outreach team the following awareness activities have gained from the input of young people affected by HIV:

    o       Speech about living with HIV as a teenager to a corporate company  - 100 people

    o        Short film interview for online piece with MTV

    o        BBC Cash in the Attic piece on living with HIV

    o        Students at City University recorded a piece for use on their Radio station.

    o        Three young people attended the World Aids Conference in Mexico.

    o        2 young people interviewed for the Big Issue.

    o        1 young person wrote a column for the public inquiry in the Guardian.

    o        1 young person interviewed for the Times for World Aids day.

    o        Speech to 120 people at the V-inspired fashion event.

    o        2 young people spoke to at an evening event of 40 guests.

     
    'Without Bottletop's support there wouldn't be a voice for young people living with HIV in the UK"

     Emma Colyer, Director, Body and Soul.