From Words to Action

Beth Pellettieri

Beth Pellettieri is the Coordinator of the International Youth Leadership Council at Advocates for Youth and the co-chair of the Toronto YouthForce Advocacy Task Force.

Yesterday at the "Steady, Ready, GO!: Universal Access for Young People" session, speakers and young people turned research into action.

Steady Ready Go is the synthesis of research on youth prevention programming, analyzing studies to provide policy and programming recommendations. The research breaks programs into four categories for implementation. The first programs are GO for implementation. The second programs are promising and READY, but still need more research. The third programs are STEADY, but definitely need more research. The final category is NO GO, programs that don't work for youth.

Walk This Way

Beth Pellettieri

Beth Pellettieri is the Coordinator of the International Youth Leadership Council at Advocates for Youth and the co-chair of the Toronto YouthForce Advocacy Task Force.

Too often people talk the talk without walking the walk. This year, the Toronto YouthForce is aiming to change that by ensuring youth activists have tools to follow up with leaders after the International AIDS Conference. Through the Commitments Desk, key leaders, policy makers, and program managers are making concrete commitments for stronger youth participation and leadership in their governments, organizations, and programs. Toronto YouthForce members are then posting and distributing these commitments at the Youth Pavilion and via the internet so that young people can hold their leaders accountable to these promises after the International AIDS Conference.

The desk has become a huge success! Over 120 adults[img_assist|nid=469|title=Bill & Melinda Gates Talk to Toronto Youth Force Members|desc=|link=none|align=right|width=640|height=479] have made key commitments to young people. In addition, key leaders are utilizing the space to show their concrete commitments to young people in the press. Visitors (and I've met them all!) include Bill & Melinda Gates, David Miller, the Mayor of Toronto, and Mary Robinson, Former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Toronto YouthForce Pre-Conference Begins

Beth Pellettieri

Beth Pellettieri is the Coordinator of the International Youth Leadership Council at Advocates for Youth and the co-chair of the Toronto YouthForce Advocacy Task Force.

I arrived in Toronto yesterday morning, with AIDS 2006 banners flying high downtown and 25,000 registered participants gradually beginning to descend on the city. Although the XVI Toronto International AIDS Conference begins Sunday, organizers and activists are already in Toronto, turning months and even years of planning into action.

For the Toronto YouthForce, activities started months ago.