Summer camp for young people living with HIV held in Germany

From August 15th to 20th, a summer camp for young people living with HIV from Ukraine was held in the German city of Cologne. The event was organised by Life4me+ in partnership with the local non-profit organisation GSSG (Gemeinnützigen Stiftung Sexualität und Gesundheit) with the support of UNAIDS, ViiV Healthcare and Gilead Sciences.

It was important for us to unite Ukrainian youth, who’ve been scattered across the European Union since February 2022, and create a safe platform for mutual support, co-operation and communication. Most importantly, we wanted to give these young people skills and knowledge that will help hem adapt to life in a foreign country, maintain their treatment adherence, and support their fellow peers living with HIV.

33 participants came to the summer camp, including HIV activists and mothers with children. Seven specialists from Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan and Germany worked with the participants - with a special focus on mental health, sexual and reproductive health, non-confrontational communication and safety. There was, of course, still time for fun.

According to the participants, the five day long camp was “emotionally intense” and “incredibly productive”. Some attendees went home with ideas for a personal blog, another wanted to start a local support group and a team of activists started planning a series of education videos.

Everyone expressed their desire to hold events, such as this camp, on a regular basis - inviting not just people living with HIV, but young people in general. The goal for 2023 is to hold a similar camp, but this time in nature - with group walks and overnight camping in tents.

The Life4me+ team expresses great gratitude to the specialists who helped organize and hold the summer youth camp 2022: Alyona Khlistik, Nikita Progunova, Lyudmila Kolomoets, Aigul Adzhieva, Irina Lesik and Kristina Shapran.