New Stars Shine

On March 16th 2017, a collective of intelligent, passionate young people came together in support of Youth Stop Aids. Youth Stop Aids is a movement campaigning to end AIDS by 2030. As a brilliant man once put: 'In the face of the grave threat posed by HIV/AIDS, we have to rise above our differences and combine our efforts to save our people. History will judge us harshly if we fail to do so now, and right now' - Nelson Mandela (International AIDS conference, 2000) With DFID Minister. 17 years on, and we are still campaigning, still raising awareness and still reducing the stigmas around HIV/AIDS. New infections fell by 38% and we are no longer referring to HIV/AIDS as a death sentence.   I ventured to London on the 16th March, arriving fairly early on a sunny London morning I was greeted by a sea of volunteers, we each shared our stories on why we were here and why we think it was important. The campaign this particular day was called, 'It Ai...

Hello! Courtesy of Chanelle Manton photography Courtesy of Chanelle Manton photography Last week I went to an interesting panel named 'Aids Activism', the idea behind this was a Q+A and a open panel discussion on HIV, the movements that have been done around this and discussing the stigmas connected with HIV/AIDS, especially as last week was World Aids Day, it seemed fitting. Sussex, Stop AIDS and LGBTQ+ organised the event, which took place at the Sussex University campus (came with free wine!) with a fantastic panel of speakers including: The speakers + organiser Hugh Stirling and members of the Youth Sussex Stop Aids and Ellie Priest (member of LGBTQ+ community (Courtesy of Chanelle Manton Photography) Courtesy of Chanelle Manton Photography Edwin J. Bernard Edwin is the global co-ordinator of the HIV Justice Network, based in Brighton but with an international reach, which focuses on ending the inappropriate use of the criminal law to regulate...

Helloooo!   What drives you? What inspires you? What makes you sit up and listen? Discussing mission statements in the office! I attended a Focus Group in the Restless Development office in London this afternoon, it was about reshaping Restless, what attracts their target audience (young people), and how to attract more. The office, based in London It was an interesting afternoon, spent with like-minded people, some who have never heard of their work, and others, like myself, who are quite accustomed to their agency. I thought it was incredibly interesting, I have always admired Restless and the work they do, but once you start analyzing, and having the chance to debate and disagree, it sparks a flame in a group of young people that is influential to all.  Focused minds analyzing work We started the session off with a video on the agency's statement, what they believe in. This we analyzed together, discussing what makes the video eye-catching, and ...

Helloooo friends! Nick Hurd and I after a discussion on child marriage. I hope you have had a wonderful summer so far, Britain has even had the fortunate spell of sunshine for a whole weekend! (Thats a big deal!) I have had a busy few weeks, and it led me to think about my future. Which is something everybody has to do at some stage, for some it is in the shower or in bed late at night. For me it is on a train.  Since I was sixteen I have been volunteering, I have a fire for it, a passion. I won't go into it in the article but feel free to read my previous one (My Greatest Achievements). Girls in Education I have been with Restless now for over 2 years, it has been a rush of a journey, it constantly pushes me to be a better person, to inspire more people, to encourage, to teach, to develop myself and others around me. It is constantly making me stronger, louder, and more determined than ever. I recently went to the Girls Education Forum, which was just brilliant. ...

When I joined ICS last June I never thought how far it could take me. I assumed 3 months in Africa would be a chance to volunteer and really help those in need. However it was so much more than that, which you know from my previous blogs. However- What have I learnt? A little girl in Zambia when she found a pair of shoes! I have learnt to accept myself, I may not be skinny, I may not have the perfect complexion, I haven't even got good fashion sense or home style! Yet I am happy with my morals. I know now that my life, a life, is incredibly valuable. And you only have 1, so why not make the most out of it? I'm Okay! An underfed dog roaming the pits of Keembe, Zambia  Compared to the lives of people, who struggle to get water, or have to sacrifice an education to help their families. People that don't have a choice in their life, whether that's with their sexuality, or who they marry! My decisions I can make myself, and whilst I was in Zambia I realised j...

Few bits I took back from Zambia! As you know by now, I spent three months in Zambia. However I wish that someone gave me a packing list before I went, 50% of what I took I didn't need! So to save you the expenses I thought I would give you an insight on what is useful and what isn't! Useful pills: Ibuprofen, paracetamol, dioralyte, purification tablets and Tums!  First things first, stock up on pills! 1. Paracetamol And Ibuprofen (2 packs of each) 2. Tums! For those awkward foreign food moments! 3. Dioralyte! Needed for hot long days in the sun, buy the powder and the drink for both situations! 4. Purification Tablets-perfect for drinks but I suggest bringing some concentrated squash considering the tablets taste like dirt! 5. Don't forget your malaria tablets! Make sure you check, double check and triple check you have all of them! 6. Not necessary but it definitely helped me out! A pill box is handy to keep on track with the malari...