Background | Registered Youth | Organizations Sponsoring Youth
Criteria for Application | Apply to Attend the Pre-Conference
Rapporteur Reports

The Toronto YouthForce, a continuation of previous YouthForces at the International AIDS Conference in Barcelona (2002) and Bangkok (2004), is a coalition of youth-led and/or youth-serving HIV/AIDS organisations and individuals that empower young attendees before, during and after the XVI Toronto International AIDS Conference (August 13-18, 2006).

As part of a comprehensive strategy to foster young delegates’ meaningful participation within AIDS 2006, the Toronto YouthForce (TYF) is coordinating a three day Pre-Conference for approximately 250 young leaders in HIV/AIDS who are registered for AIDS 2006 from August 10-12, 2006. The Pre-Conference is supported by UNFPA, UNAIDS, UNICEF, UNESCO, Canadian CIDA, and the Summit Foundation.

Based on evaluations from the pre-conference workshop at Bangkok, young participants remarked that the Pre-Conference was one of the most useful and informative aspects of the entire Conference experience. Youth participants gained skills that were useful not only during the main conference, but in their HIV/AIDS work in their home countries.

The pre-conference has two main objectives:
• To provide technical information and capacity building on the political, scientific, economic and social context of HIV/AIDS to young people (ages 16 to 26) so they can effectively participate in the five tracks of the XVI International AIDS Conference.
• To empower young people through information, advocacy, and relationship-building to be advocates for youth at the main conference, in their home countries and internationally for an end to HIV and AIDS.

The pre-conference will consist of informative and skills-building workshops related to HIV/AIDS in the context of science, socio-economics and advocacy. Participants will also gain skills in research methodology, monitoring and evaluation, media and communications as well as updated information on treatment, care for PLWHAs and prevention strategies, among other critical topics. Participants will learn how to advocate to decision-makers on issues relevant to young people and how to deliver the YouthForce’s advocacy messages (developed in an e-consultation with over 200 youth from 36 countries) at the conference and beyond.

The pre-conference will culminate with a reception on Saturday, August 12 at 8 pm. The reception will celebrate the efforts of young people to ensure that their voices are heard in decision-making that affects them. All pre-conference participants and honorary guests are invited to attend the reception.

AIDS 2006 REGISTERED YOUTH

Cost

The pre-conference is free to attend for any young person (ages 16 – 26) who can pay for his/her own accommodations and food during the four days. You must be able to fundraise for your own accommodations and board. Young people who would like to attend the pre-conference must have funding for the following breakdown of costs for 4 nights from Wednesday night August 9 to Saturday night, August 12, 2006 and 3 meals/day plus brunch on August 13. Check out will be on Sunday, August 13th.

Double Room: $176.40 to $216.00 (cost per person for four nights, including food in CAN$)
Single Room: $191.76 to $258.00
(Lower prices are for non-air conditioned rooms)

Travel and per diem will not be provided. It is the responsibility of all Pre-Conference participants to ensure that their flights are scheduled to arrive on Wednesday evening, August 9 so that they can participate in Pre-Conference sessions beginning Thursday Morning, August 10. Only participants who are registered for the Main Conference will be considered. All youth attendees are responsible for arranging their own accommodations during the main conference. Please contact Incia - incia@youthaidscoalition.org if you would like information on low cost housing during the main conference.

Suggestions for Paying your Costs:

We recognize that you might have limited means to fundraise to attend the pre-conference and perhaps costs for your attendance at the main conference. Consequently, we invite you to join the Take Two to Toronto campaign. The Take Two to Toronto Campaign seeks to engage organizations participating in AIDS 2006 by encouraging them to sponsor a young person in addition to their representative. The attachment provides information on how an organization you know that is attending AIDS 2006 can support young leaders like you in HIV/AIDS to be meaningfully involved in the Toronto AIDS Conference. Please present the letter to an organization that you think might be interested in enhancing youth participation at AIDS 2006 by supporting you to attend the pre-conference. Feel free to use it as a tool to fundraise for covering any other costs you have to attend AIDS 2006.

Download Fundraising Tips. We hope you find them useful!

• Take Two To Toronto Campaign (PDF, 120KB)
• Fundraising Tips (PDF, 204KB)
• AIDS 2006 Fundraising (DOC, 32KB)

ORGANIZATIONS SPONSORING YOUTH TO ATTEND THE AIDS 2006 TORONTO YOUTHFORCE PRE-CONFERENCE

Cost

By sponsoring a youth to attend the pre-conference, you will need to secure payment for 4 nights from August 9 – 12, 2006 (check out on August 13) including 3 meals/day plus brunch on August 13. You will also need to ensure that flights are scheduled to arrive on Wednesday evening, August 9th so that they can participate in the pre-conference sessions beginning on Thursday morning, August 10.

The following is a breakdown of costs:

Double Room: $176.40 to $216.00 (cost per person for four nights, including food in Canadian $)
Single Room: $191.76 to $258.00
(lower prices are for non-air conditioned rooms)

You are responsible for ensuring that your sponsored youth have accommodations for the duration of the main conference. Please contact Incia Z. Khan (incia@youthaidscoalition.org) for information on low-cost main conference accommodations at University of Toronto.

Per Diem will not be provided. Please arrange to cover your participants’ per diem.

CRITERIA FOR APPLICATION

• Candidate is a youth aged 16-26
• Can understand and communicate effectively in English
• Youth MUST be registered for the main conference. Please go to www.aids2006.org to register a young person. The costs are $200 USD before May 15 and $240 USD after May 15th for OECD countries, or $150 USD before May 15 and $180 USD after May 15 for non-OECD countries.

TYF is committed to ensuring that all applicants receive fair and equal treatment regardless of gender, sexual orientation, HIV status, disability, race, religion, marital status, or national origin.

The language of the AIDS 2006 conference is English and thus participants must have at least a basic understanding of the language. There may be a limited number of translators available to assist young people with language difficulties.

APPLY TO ATTEND THE PRE-CONFERENCE

Registered Youth

All AIDS 2006 registered youth will be contacted by email with instructions on how to apply to attend the pre-conference.

Organizations Sponsoring Youth

The registration deadline has passed!
Registration is now closed.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER!

If you are making payment arrangments for accomodations at University of Toronto, please indicate on the form that you are attending the Youth Preconference AIDS 2006 and are booking the rooms reserved by Global Youth Coalition on HIV/AIDS (GYCA)

Deadline

Please send your application as soon as possible because capacity at the pre-conference venue is limited. The sooner you submit your application, the greater the chance of acceptance. Applications will tentatively be accepted until June 22 depending on capacity availability.