BLACK AIDS INSTITUTE @ AIDS 2012

Welcome to Black AIDS Institute @ AIDS 2012. The Black AIDS Institute is honored to have been one of two local civil society partners selected to serve on the central coordinating committee of the XIX International AIDS Conference. We have worked, in partnership with the Positive Women's Network and other members of the CCC, to develop a conference agenda fitting of the unique deciding moment in the trajectory of the AIDS epidemic in which we find ourselves. Given the magnitude of the AIDS epidemic in Black and other underserved communities, we have also worked to develop a coordinated comprehensive program to facilitate the participation of members of our communities in the conference, engage you will you are there and provide you with support and resources to assure that you leave with the skills and capacity to take the information you learn at this conference back to your local communities. Our program is called the Community Science Empowerment Project (CSEP). Our goals are to increase community access to and engagement in the conference, maximize community participation in the core science tracks of the conference, and expand the dissemination of treatment and prevention sciences to underserved communities.

But before we can bring the science to the people, we need to bring some of the people to the science. With a host of recent scientific advances offering the greatest hope to end the AIDS epidemic in our lifetimes, future success will depend in large measure on broad-based scientific literacy in affected communities. But, it doesn't matter if we have the tools to end the epidemic if we don't have access to those tools, or don't know why, when or how to use them. Knowledge and awareness at the community level must be robust enough to
overcome persistent fear, misinformation and stigma about HIV.
CSEP is designed to address these issues.

The Black AIDS Institute's efforts started months ago with monthly webinars, regular conference calls, emails, newsletters, and town hall meetings. The CSEP program has six major components:

1. Black Advocates Delegation (BAD). To accomplish the CSEP goals we are recruiting dedicated advocates and activists to join the Black Advocates Delegation (BAD). Members of BAD will individualized support, training, and special access to selected events and activities and
2. International Community Science and Treatment Preconference—Friday and Saturday, July 20-21. This two day training will provide you with an orientation on the basic, clinical, and prevention tracks of the conference. There will also be plenary sessions and a track on bio medical interventions, the "Cure" science, and other cutting edge/late breaking news.
3. The CSEP mentorship program. BAD members will be assigned a mentor to help them maneuver the conference and provide one on one support during the conference.
4. Daily CSEP Breakfast updates (Monday-Friday, July 23-27). BAD members will convene every morning for a hot breakfast and review of the most important sessions from the conference. BAD members will have an opportunity to share their experiences and present on selected sessions they've attended.
5. Communication strategy. Each BAD member will be connected to the 25 Black journalists who are participating in the Black Media Delegation. BAD members will also Blog everyday from the conference.
6. Post conference updates (HUBS). BAD members will get support in organizing and producing a post conference HUB in their local communities.

So, be BAD at AIDS 2012. Sign up for our CSEP program. Maximize your experience at this once in a lifetime conference. Our activities are free, but space is limited and registration is required. Complete the registration form on this page or on any of the following pages. Select any or all of the activities you want to participate in. We can do this thing, if each of us does our part. Together we are greater than AIDS.

With over 25,000 registrants and 2000 journalists from all over the world, this meeting can be extremely overwhelming to maneuver. Lucky for you, you don't have to do it alone. Join the Black Advocates Delegation (BAD) and maximize your conference experience. Let's face it, AIDS 2012 is a once in a life time opportunity. There is much riding on this conference. We have the tools to end the AIDS epidemic in our communities. The question is not can we end the epidemic. The question is, "will we?" The tools don't mean a thing if we don't know how to use them, don't have access to them, or don't use them in an efficient, expeditious, and compassionate matter.

BAD is a body of community advocates committed to learning everything they can learn at this conference, making as many connections as possible, and taking it all back to their local community.

BAD members will participate in a comprehensive coordinated program designed to:

• Increase their understanding of the information being presented at the conference,
• Connect them to the best and brightest scientists, researchers, and clinicians,
• Help them tell their stories to journalists,
• Arrange for the me to share their experience back to their local communities in real time, and
• Prepare them to take what they learn at the conference and organize a post conference update in their local community.

BAD membership gets you:

• Participation in the International Community Treatment and Science Pre-Conference, July 20-21
• Special access to Plenary Speakers and other newsmakers
• Access to special receptions and screenings
• Your very own mentor
• Daily Breakfast Updates
• BAD t-shirts and paraphernalia
• Special Road Map to AIDS 2012
• Training on organizing a post-conference update in your community
• Technical assistance in organizing a local post-conference update
• Free collateral materials to promote your post-conference update
• Training on how to use Greater Than AIDS materials in your community
• And MORE!

WHEN: Friday, July 20, 2012 and Saturday, July 21, 2012
TIME: 8AM TO 5PM
COST: Participation is free
NOTE: Breakfast and lunch provided

A HEAD START to understanding:

• Basic science
• Clinical science
• Epidemiology and prevention science
• Cutting edge topics that will be presented at AIDS 2012

Through this conference you will:

• Strengthen knowledge with pre-conference tracks on HIV vaccines, biomedical interventions, cure research, hepatitis c and cutting edge research.
• Increase community participation in and understanding of AIDS 2012 science sessions.
• Increase community utilization of science and treatment information.
• Provide an orientation of the science tracks to CBO/NGO HIV/ AIDS workers.
• Provide support to CBO/NGO workers during the conference.
• Increase the productivity of community activists at AIDS 2012.
• Expand treatment advocacy among people of color, low-income
  countries and women.
• Strengthen connections among treatment activists from
  around the world.
• Provide support in the development and execution of
  post conference updates.

Don't delay! Register today!

BlackAIDS Workshop interviews from Alfred Zerfas on Vimeo.

WHEN: Monday, July 23, 2012 through Friday, July 27, 2012
TIME: 7AM to 8:30AM
WHERE: Global Village Session Room 2, DC Convention Center

Let's meet for Breakfast!

Get the most out every day. Join the Black AIDS Institute and the Black Advocates Delegation for a 90 minutes Breakfast update each morning.

In addition to a hot breakfast, these jump start your day sessions will feature:

A review of important sessions from the day before and A sneak pre-view of the important sessions of the day by leading community activists, researchers, science experts, and members of the Black Advocates Delegation.

Friday's session, in partnership with National Latino AIDS Action Network (NLAAN), will focus on how to organize a post-AIDS 2012 update hub in your community.

You must register for this event. After all, we need to know how many eggs to cook!