- African Americans are disproportionately affected by HIV in the United States, accounting for almost half of new HIV infections and people living with HIV despite making up only 14% of the population. - HIV infections among blacks have remained stable in recent years, though new infections among black women decreased 21% from 2008-2010. - Risk factors for higher rates of HIV among African Americans include high prevalence of HIV and other STDs in their communities, lack of awareness of HIV status, stigma, and socioeconomic challenges like poverty and lack of healthcare access. - The Safe2Live program provides HIV education and resources targeting at-risk youth ages 8-13, especially black teens who represent 68% of new youth infections.

2. National Overview
• Currently, 1.1 million people are living with HIV in the United States
(16 percent) are unaware of their infections.
• 50,000 Americans becoming newly infected with HIV each year.
• More than 15,000 people with AIDS still die each year in the United
States.
• While blacks represent approximately 14 percent of the U.S.
population, they account for almost half of all new infections in the
United States each year (44 percent) as well as almost half of all
people living with HIV (44 percent).
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - CDC

3. National Overview

4. AIDS continues to claim the lives of too many
African American men and women.
• Blacks account for almost half of all those have died
from AIDS in the United States since the beginning
of the epidemic.
• Additionally, according to the most recent
published data, AIDS is among the top five causes of
death among black women and men aged 25 to 44.
AFRICAN AMERICAN ADULTS

6. Among racial/ethnic groups, African Americans face the most
severe burden of HIV and AIDS in the nation:
• At some point in their lives, approximately one in 16 black men will be
diagnosed with HIV, as will one in 32 black women.
• Among blacks, men account for 70 percent of new HIV infections.
Women account for 30 percent.
• Within the African American community, gay and bisexual men are the
most affected, followed by heterosexual women.

7. • The rate of new HIV infections for black men is more than six
times as high as that of white men, and more than two times
that of Hispanic men and of black women. Among black men,
the majority of new infections occur among men who have sex
with men (MSM).
• Comparing 2008 to 2010, new HIV infections among black
women decreased 21 percent (from 7,700 to 6,100); however,
black women account for the vast majority (64 percent) of all
new infections among women overall and the HIV incidence rate
for black women remains 20 times as high as that of white
women, and almost five times that of Hispanic women.

8. • Despite increases in the total number of
people living with HIV in the United States in
recent years, the annual number of new
infections has remained relatively stable
overall.
• HIV infections among blacks overall have been
roughly stable in recent years.

9. An analysis by the
Black AIDS Institute
found that if Black
America were its
own country,
it would rank
16th in the world
in the number of
people with HIV —
ahead of Ethiopia,
Botswana, and Haiti.

10. AFRICAN AMERICAN YOUTH
• African American youth continue to be one of the
groups most severely affected by HIV infection in the
United States.
• Black youth represent more than half (57%) of all
new HIV infections among young people aged
13 to 24.

11. AFRICAN AMERICAN YOUTH
• Among those aged 13 to 24, black men have higher rates of infection than any
other race/ethnicity.
• The rate of new infections among young black females aged 13 to 24 is five
times as high as that of young white or Hispanic females.
• Many African American youth are diagnosed late in the course of infection, when
it may be too late to fully benefit from life-prolonging treatment.
These numbers underscore the need to reach a new
generation with effective HIV prevention programs and
messages.

12. • Complex Factors Increase Risk High prevalence of HIV: African Americans
of all ages face a higher risk of being exposed to infection with each sexual
encounter than do other racial/ethnic groups. This is because the burden
of HIV is greater in African American communities than in any other
racial/ethnic group, and because African Americans are likely to have
sexual relations with other African Americans. Therefore, even with levels
of individual risk behaviors (e.g. unprotected sex, multiple partners) that
are comparable to other races/ethnicities, African Americans face a higher
risk of infection.
• High prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs): Data also show
that the burden of STDs is far higher in African American communities
than in any other racial/ethnic group; for example, gonorrhea rates among
African Americans in 2011 were 17 times as high as those of whites.
Because STDs such as syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia can increase the
risk of HIV acquisition and transmission, this likely contributes to higher
HIV incidence among black men and women.

13. • Lack of awareness about HIV: Research also shows that African Americans are less likely than
those of other races/ethnicities to be aware of their HIV status. In fact, the rate of
undiagnosed HIV infection among blacks was nine times that among whites. This is critical,
considering the majority of new sexually transmitted HIV infections are believed to be
transmitted by those who are unaware of their infection.
• Stigma: The stigma associated with HIV and homosexuality may help to spread HIV in African
American communities. Fear of disclosing risk behavior or sexual orientation prevents many
from seeking testing, treatment and support from friends and family. As a result, too many in
African American communities lack critical information about how to prevent infection.
• Socioeconomic factors: The stark realities of some African Americans’ lives can also increase
HIV risk. These include higher levels of poverty, racial discrimination, lack of access to
healthcare, and higher rates of incarceration, which disrupt social networks. Studies have
shown, for example, that lower income and educational attainment are significant factors
contributing to new infections among African Americans who contract HIV, despite low risk
behaviors.

14. Safe2Live History
The Safe2Live Program, founded by Monique
Richert/Chayenn, launched during 2008.
The Safe2Live Program provides HIV/AIDS
health information, resources and support for
under-served populations locally & nationally.
The Safe2Live Program includes:
• Safe2Live.org website
• Virtual world presence in JokaydiaGrid
• Public Service Announcements
• Mobile Puppet Theater

15. These resources provide accessible outreach
tools, for engaging and educating the most
vulnerable demographic and target audience:
youth ages 8-13. Black teens represent 15% of
the US teenage population but account for 68%
of the new HIV infections. •
Safe2Live offers fun, entertaining, and
interactive tools for educating youth through
social media networks, STEM skills acquisition
and live events tailored to the individuals
scholars education needs.
The effectiveness of the Safe2Live curriculum
program is substantiated by the program pre
and post- surveys than gauge knowledge
retention and changes in skills, attitudes and
behaviors.

16. Safe2Live Live
Safe2Live Live educational events in
Baltimore City Public Schools and Community Centers.
350 youth scholars were oriented to e-learning on the
Safe2Live SIM on the JokaydiaGRID: PY1 (177, 90, 24).
The sessions included: avatar creation, customization,
navigation, HIV/AIDS education in an interactive
environment and STEM skills acquisition (learning to
build inworld).
Youth scholars HIV/AIDS knowledge increased by 25%
through the Safe2Live program as gauged through the
pre and post- test surveys, evaluations and other
metrics.
PY1 was an exhibitor and participated in the XIX
International AIDS Conference, in Washington, D.C.

17. World HIV/AIDS Statistics
•More than 35 million people now live with HIV/AIDS,
3.3 million of them are under the age of 15.
•In 2012, an estimated 2.3 million people were newly infected
with HIV - 260,000 were under the age of 15.
•Every day nearly 6,300 people contract HIV—nearly 262
every hour.
•In 2012, 1.6 million people died from AIDS. 210,000 of them
were under the age of 15.
•Since the beginning of the epidemic, more than 75 million
people have contracted HIV and nearly 40 million have died of
HIV-related causes.
Statistics courtesy of amfAR

19. Safe2Live goes Global
Through a unique public and private partnership,
PY1 is developing the Safe2Live HIV/AIDS Virtual
Health Education Program to educate 500,000 youth
aged 8-24 from nine African countries: Benin,
Burundi, Central African Republic, Democratic
Republic of Congo, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, Togo
and Zimbabwe.
The Safe2Live Virtual Health Education Program
utilizes proven multi-media learning theory, are
culturally and linguistically appropriate to our
audience, and presented in English and French
languages.

21. At PY1 we believe that by adapting the Safe2Live program to a virtual
world format, we have created a cost-effective and proven model that
can serve many more youth in Baltimore City and Washington, DC
and literally the world.
Safe2Live helps us to achieve an AIDS – Free Generation.
New classes of HIV medicines help millions of HIV+ people to attain the
highest possible quality of life every day. While these medical advances
hold bright promise, we must act individually in our communities to
fight HIV/AIDS. Each of us holds great influence in shaping our common
future. To commemorate the 25th World AIDS Day and to honor people
living with HIV and those who have died, we ask that you lend your
heart, hands and minds in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
This World AIDS Day PY1 asks you to act:
Take an HIV Test, Volunteer at your local AIDS Service Organization, Lend
your support to a HIV+ friend, Talk with your kids, friends and
colleagues about HIV/AIDS, Reach out to your community of faith,
Distribute Condoms and HIV educational materials in your community,
Use social media networks to heighten HIV/AIDS Awareness.

22. Monique Richert/Chayenn
Tom Kujwaski/INCARN8
443.491.3634 :: info@PY1.org
Visit: protectyourself1.org
Follow: Twitter.com/PY1US
Like: Facebook.com/PY1US
Watch:youtube.com/protectyourself1

23. Sponsors and Supporters
Protect Yourself 1 asserts as we educate our youth, we also protect the future of our communities.
The greater the number of youth that are educated and made aware of safe choices yields a
significant reduction of the incidence of HIV/AIDS/HCV/STIs community-wide.
Protect Yourself 1 is proud to acknowledge our sponsors and supporters for their generous
contributions of financial, in-kind and technical support in fulfilling the PY1 mission and programs.

24. PY1 Mission
Founded in 2004, PY1’s mission is to increase
awareness, education and individual
responsibility with respect to
HIV/AIDS/STIs for underserved, at-risk
populations. Our programs integrate music,
art, e-learning, STEM skills acquisition and
social media campaigns to help youth attain
the highest possible quality of life.
PY1 helps to eliminate the taboos, myths and
stigma associated with HIV/AIDS and to
reduce risky behaviors and new infections.

25. Questions &
Answers