Prevention is my cause.

Hooray for my FIRST EVER Teen Damien Blog post! Yours truly (AKA Mackenzie, self-proclaimed Youth Outreach Educator Extraordinaire) is here to start off the blog, introduce myself (not because I'm self-centered, I swear, but because I want you to know who you're working with), and or course, represent TEEN DAMIEN:

HIV/AIDS prevention* is my cause. Why?

Because it affects all of us--including youth. When I took my first crash course in HIV101, we all learned "it's not who you are, it's what you do." HIV knows no race, gender, age, or sexual orientation. It DOES, however, know how to infect people that choose risky behavior. Everyone I know, myself included, is affected by HIV/AIDS--even if we don't realize it.

Because risks are avoidable. The fight against HIV/AIDS can and will be won. We can stop it from spreading just by making smart choices, like using condoms every time we have sex.

Because knowledge is power. Who would've thought that a piece of latex could save your life? If we know what we can do to prevent HIV/AIDS, we've solved half the problem right there.

Because you deserve the truth. I don't care if you're abstinent, or if you have sex with your boyfriend or girlfriend, or even if you have sex with ten boyfriends or girlfriends--everyone should know all of the facts so you can make your own decisions about your sexual health.

Because, well, I just love Teen Damien. I help with Peer Educator Trainings and Youth Advisory Council meetings. I learned how to do HIV and STD testes for people in the community. I work with groups like Indiana Youth Group, Butler University, Brothers United, and U of I. I get to wear bright colors and find out about the latest safer sex supplies on the market. Oh, and I get free coffee in the morning, which is enough to make me fall in love.

If HIV/AIDS is your cause too, or if you'd like to find out how it can be, shoot me at email at mszymanski@damien.org. We have a lot of opportunities for you to make a difference!

*Prevention means awareness, education, and action to protect ourselves and others from HIV infection.

**Abstinent means you choose not to have sex.

Solidarity,
Mackenzie
Youth Outreach Educator for Teen Damien