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Toronto Youth Stand Up for Change at Largest Sold-Out AIDS Conference Youth HIV/AIDS Arts Festi

Toronto Youth Stand Up for Change:
Joining Youth From Around the World to Fight HIV/AIDS At Largest Sold-Out Youth HIV/AIDS Arts Festival

August 15 & 16, 2006
Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People (165 Front Street East, Toronto)
Doors 6:30PM / Show 7:00PM -9:00PM

August 15, 2006. Toronto - Canadian organization The 411 Initiative For Change's (411) dynamic arts festival "Connect: HIV/AIDS & Youth" providing HIV/AIDS education for young audiences as part of the 2006 International AIDS Conference Cultural Program is now at full capacity. After resounding success touted by conference organizers as the most attended main stage event at the Global Village of the XVI International AIDS Conference, 411 will be presenting its production to over 800 young people, including delegates from Canada and worldwide at Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young
People August 15 & 16. Artistic content including film, photographs, music and theatre showcasing young voices from around the world will be featured at this unique event. The festival works to engage young people and the community at large in the global fight against HIV/AIDS, while also
combating misinformation, stigma and stereotyping related to HIV/AIDS.

Attendees will partake in a unique opportunity to open a global dialogue in the international fight against HIV/AIDS. During the International AIDS Conference, 411's presentations merging contemporary arts with education may be the only event geared specifically towards young audiences that is open to Toronto-area youth.

"Many Toronto youth and youth groups were looking for an affordable and accessible opportunity to take part in an HIV/AIDS education and advocacy program during the conference," explains 411 Executive Director Tamara Dawit "411 is able to fill this need through activities that speak to the interests of youth, and to provide opportunities for Toronto youth to take part through 411's digestible programming."

Young people are hardest hit by HIV/AIDS - with over 6,000 new infections among young people each day worldwide. This festival bridges arts, culture, and community development while working to increase awareness and knowledge on how HIV/AIDS affects young people around the world. It teaches that HIV/AIDS is a global common issue faced by many and connects young Canadians to opportunities in their communities and abroad to curb the spread of HIV/AIDS. 411's paramount philosophy is that young Canadians are drivers of change and can make a difference through action.

Festival Highlights:

'The Corner' an HIV/AIDS theatre production featuring soul songstress Melanie Durrant, spoken word poet Dwayne Morgan, rapper Rochester aka Juice and hip-hop educator Will Strickland. Their performances discuss the effects of HIV/AIDS on women and children in various communities around the world, and promote the efforts of young people working to combat the spread of the crippling disease.

'AIDS: Picture Change' - a photography presentation showcasing hundreds of images documenting the global struggle against HIV/AIDS. These images represent a side of the story that rarely gets told - that behind mind-numbing statistics about prevalence and despair, there is a human experience. There is a fight, which is far from over.

The Condom Project Visual Voice Program - 30-second video clips made by youth in Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, India, Nigeria, Thailand and The USA aiming to desensitize the community to condoms. These humorous, nonsensical clips have no dialogue, only music, and are not sexual in nature and have no religious content. Each 30-second clip represents the visual voice of youth around the world, and represents a non-traditional
media approach to reduce the ignorance, fear, and shame too often associated with condoms.

The festival is hosted by renowned Asian-Canadian musician Masia One.

HIV/AIDS & Youth Arts Festival
Tuesday August 15 & Wednesday August 16, 2006
Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People (165 Front Street East, Toronto)
Doors 6:30PM/ show 7:00PM -9:00PM

Media Accreditation Required:
Telephone: 416-473-3595
Email: connect@whatsthe411.ca