The 20th AIDS Education Month launches next week with a series of events, discussions and workshops throughout the city to increase education and awareness about HIV/AIDS.
Among the events is the presentation of the 2014 Kiyoshi Kuromiya Award to Françoise Barré-Sinoussi, who won a Nobel Prize for her work in discovering the HIV virus.
“She was among the researchers who identified that HIV was the virus that causes AIDS and has been in the forefront in pushing an agenda to end the global AIDS epidemic,” said FIGHT director of education Juliet Fink Yates.
Barré-Sinoussi will be awarded at the opening reception, 5:30-7:30 p.m. June 3 at Independence Visitor Center, Sixth and Market streets.
New to this year’s line-up is Step Up Against AIDS, a stepping event geared towards young adults, to be held 5-9 p.m. June 5 at Temple University Performing Arts Center, 1837 N. Broad St.
The event is free, and there will be rapid and confidential HIV testing on site.
Guests age 13-24 who get tested will be able to earn a free ticket to Hip Hop for Philly, June 27 at the Trocadero Theatre, featuring Grammy nominee Wale. There are several other testing events and opportunities to obtain tickets throughout the month. Hip Hop for Philly was introduced last year.
“We tested so many youth that we ran out of tickets last year and that was exciting,” Yates said. “Wale is collaborating with some big artists and is socially conscious and brings awareness of HIV/AIDS.”
Yates said the event is a good opportunity to show youth the importance of being tested.
“It is a great way to normalize testing and get young people out and making sure they know their status,” she said. “Many youth don’t get a high level of sexual health or HIV education in schools anymore. This is an opportunity for us to have some time to get them tested and talk with them about safer sex.”
For more information, visit www.aids-educationmonth.org.