Grant: Master's Award - HIV/AIDS Community-Based Research: General Stream

The purpose of this research study is to engage youth in the Durham Region in a youth lead capacity building process to create a healthy environment in which youth can identify their sexual needs and priorities for HIV prevention and healthy sexual development. HIV is a crucial component to sexual health and through identifying the sexual health concerns faced by youth, we will learn more about how to better prevent the transmission of HIV/AIDS. Durham Region has experienced an increase in the number of STIs in recent years among youth, which has led the need for programs and services that are youth informed and youth friendly. In order to encourage young people ages 15-24 to engage in making healthy decisions related to their sexuality, we will engage in a collaborative process that includes youth, agencies working for and on behalf of youth and university researchers. Researchers at UOIT will work with the Durham Healthy Sexuality Coalition to create youth groups that are reflective of the diversity of Durham youth. This study utilizes focus groups to engage youth in discussions related to their sexual health concerns for HIV prevention and healthy sexual development. There will be four different groups that are reflective of the diversity of Durham youth, including an Urban Group, Rural group, Semi-Rural group and LGTBQ group. The research process embodies the principles of CBR whereby the needs are community indentified and driven. The whole process of engagement will become one of empowerment, where youth will direct us in how and why their issues should be studied rather than having community agencies create programs and services for youth aimed at behavioural modification, with little or no input from youth. The results can also be used to create programs in other communities throughout Canada. This will allow programs to be youth centred and will assist in the fight against HIV/AIDS as well as other sexual health issues such as STIs and pregnancy.