Mission / About Us
The mission of Educating Teens about HIV/AIDS, Inc is to promote and advocate for HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention education for pre-teens, teens, and young adults through collaboration with communities, schools, and houses of worship. ETAH is committed to a comprehensive approach that addresses all facets of the youth experience.
About Us
The Educating Teens about HIV/AIDS project and Educating Teens about HIV/AIDS Month are the results of Kezia L. Ellison’s Service Learning Project (SLP) for the Pennsylvania Governor’s School of Excellence for Health Care in 2000.
In February of 2000, she had the opportunity to serve as a Pennsylvania Delegate to the National Summit on Africa and learn about the devastating effects of AIDS on that continent. She was appalled and determined to do something in her community about HIV/AIDS. The SLP for the Governor’s School gave her the opportunity. With the belief that education is the key to solving many of today’s societal and health problems, she chose to do her Service Learning Project on educating teens about HIV/AIDS.
With the motto that, HIV/AIDS is 100% preventable, the Educating Teens about HIV/AIDS project was enacted in 2001, while Kezia was a senior in high school.
The project is designed to educate teenagers about the deadly impact of the HIV virus and AIDS through collaboration with the greater community. The project has four (4) primary goals:
- To spearhead a community effort to educate teenagers about the impact of HIV/AIDS.
- To encourage teenagers to make informed decisions about engaging in sexual activities.
- To promote abstinence as a way of preventing contraction of HIV/AIDS.
- To encourage the practice of safer sex for those who are sexually active.
At Kezia’s request in 2001, Pittsburgh’s City Council proclaimed the month of March as Educating Teens about HIV/AIDS Month. In 2002, the Allegheny County Council also made the proclamation.
Educating Teens about HIV/AIDS Month calls attention to the need for educating teens about HIV/AIDS. It also serves as a focal point for collaborating with the business community and for encouraging schools, houses of worship, and community groups to plan programs to educate teens about HIV/AIDS during the month of March.
The program is in its eighth year of operation. Kezia’s decision to continue the Project after she completed the requirements for the Governor’s School was easy, because she feels that the need for HIV/AIDS education is still crucial. She remains determined to help in the fight against this deadly disease. In March 2005, the program was expanded statewide, and Awareness Days were held in Pittsburgh, Harrisburg, and Philadelphia. Educating Teens about HIV/AIDS Inc. is now a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization.