(P485) HIV Prevention Education Dissemination through Youth Networks: The Youth Leaders in HIV Program

Project: Youth Leaders in HIV (YLH) is a youth-led HIV prevention initiative developed for the key population of youths who are racialized as Black and brown, and gendered as queer and transgender. The goals of the YLH program are to: 1) provide leadership opportunities; 2) develop and disseminate youth-informed HIV prevention education through youth networks, with a focus on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) inclusive sexual health; and 3) promote mental health among participants. Over the next three years, each YLH cohort will co-facilitate HIV prevention education to school-based LGBTQ+ support groups (GSAs).



Issue: There are limited leadership opportunities for young people to support the sexual health education needs of their peers. YLH takes place in Chicago, IL, USA, where the highest HIV incidences occur in people aged 20-29, the LGBTQ+ community, and among individuals who are Black and/or Hispanic/Latinx. Providing young people with the skills and education needed to promote sexual health will reduce the risk of HIV infection and improve health outcomes.



Results: From May to December 2022, 14 YLH programmatic sessions were conducted with 10 youth leaders, maintaining a 77% attendance rate. During sessions youth leaders were trained in sexual education and HIV prevention, mental wellness, and leadership development. Youth leaders demonstrated an increased knowledge of sexual health and HIV prevention education and confidence in disseminating this information to their peers according to a post-session survey. Barriers to program implementation included access to transportation and lack of time dedicated to relationship building between participants. Facilitators to program implementation included conducting virtual sessions and leveraging community partnerships to conduct in-person sessions closer to participants’ homes.



Lessons Learned: Facilitators to program success include accessibility to the program site, minimizing commute time, and prioritizing relationship building among participants. We also found that providing a supportive environment increased leaders’ knowledge and confidence in disseminating HIV prevention information to their peer networks. YLH is a programmatic model that simultaneously addresses the gap in leadership opportunities for youth and advances HIV prevention education in peer networks. Documenting implementation barriers and facilitators can inform adaptation and future scale up of YLH.