YouthCO April Newsletter
Dear YouthCO Members,
The long weekend is coming up fast! Looks like the weather is warming up for spring and everyone is feeling the love in the air! Or maybe that's just allergies...
This month we welcome some new staff, we're excited about a Beyonce art show for PWN and we're searching for another great person to join our Yúusnewas team.
1. News
Welcome New Staff Members!
We have 2 fantastic new staff members on the YouthCO team! Andre Azzam is our Mpowerment Coordinator and Amber Bedard is our Yúusnewas Outreach Educator. Check out their bios on the staff page of our website and feel free to say hi!
Insite and Bill C-2
Insite received an exemption from Health Canada to keep their doors open for another year! Supervised injection sites are amazing harm reduction tools. Now let's fight Bill C-2, which will make it more difficult for Insite to apply for future exemptions and nearly impossible for other facilities to open. Find more info on Bill C-2 and what to do about it here.
HIV Non-Disclosure #StopProsecutingHIV
YouthCO took a strong stand against criminalization of HIV non-disclosure in June 2014.
Since then, criminalization continues to hurt our communities, and we want action to #StopProsecutingHIV. The folks at Positive Living BC have put together a petition at LeadNow to have Suzanne Anton, BC Minister of Justice consider new approaches to HIV non-disclosure. Check it out at https://you.leadnow.ca/petitions/stop-the-unjust-prosecutions-hiv-isn-t-a-crime-3.
Hep C Treatment in BC
BC just passed legislation on two new drugs for Hep C treatment that will be covered under Pharmacare.
Think Before You Type
Our friends at the Health Initiative for Men have launched a new campaign asking those of us who hook up online to ‘think before we type’. The campaign aims to start a conversation on how gay + bi guys engage with each other on dating and hook-up sites. Think Before You Type (TBYT) started out as a project during Totally Outright and now has a life of its own online. Join the conversation today! httpss://www.facebook.com/TBYTVancouver
2. Upcoming Events
FLAWLESS: A Beyonce Inspired Art Show and Fundraiser in support of Positive Women's Network (PWN)
Door tickets will be a sliding scale 8$-20$. No one will be turned away if they cannot afford entry.
Opening night is April 18, 2015 from 7pm-2am at Studio East. Submissions open until April 12th!
PrEP Campaign Planning Meeting
Come join YouthCO in planning our PrEP Campaign. We'll be meeting on April 10th at 6:30pm at YouthCO :)
3. Jobs & Volunteer Opportunities
YouthCO is HIRING
Yúusnewas is hiring again! We're looking for a Yúusnewas outreach educator. Check out the link for the full job description.
Camp Moomba Volunteers Needed!
Camp Moomba, a camp for kids living with or affected by HIV, is looking for Camp Leaders and other volunteers. Email [email protected] for more information.
That's all folks. Have a great long weekend!
Team YouthCO
