PFY and NBLCA host PrEP Breakfast Forum for Health and Human Service Professionals from throughout Long Island

Pride for Youth in partnership with the National Black Leadership Commision (NBLCA)on AIDS held the breakfast forum, Are You Ready for PrEP: Bringing Health and Human Service Providers Together to Develop a Regional Plan for effective Implementation, on Wednesday, October 21,  2015 in Freeport, NY (flyer attached). Over 30 health and human professionals were in attendance and took part in some rich conversation about best practices for PrEP implementation here on LI! The goal of the forum and presentations were to focus on successes and challenges with PrEP implementation in Long Island, giving a brief overview of existing PrEP programs. Huge thanks to following organizations that participated in our presentations/panel discussion: NuHealth, NS-LIJ, AIDS Institute (NYC), Gilead, AIDS Institute (ADAP) and especially NBLCA!

                                                    Promotion for the Event

Event organizers, Pete Carney (PFY) and Rick-Anthony Richards Jr. (NBLCA) with our panel presenters from NuHealth, NS-LIJ, AIDS Institute and Gilead. 

Meet our Peer Navigators!!

In August of this year, Pride for Youth hired and trained 7 new Peer Navigators, all young gay/bisexual men, ages 17-24. Our Peer Navigators are reaching out to the LGBTQ youth community. They are providing workshops on HIV, STIs and PrEP/PEP. They are working hard to get the community involved in Pride for Youth and let young people know about the services available to them! 

Pride for Youth Staff Present at the NYS LGBT Beyond the Epidemic Conference in Albany

Pride for Youth staff were honored to be selected to present at the statewide LGBT Beyond the Epidemic Conference in Albany this past July. The conference, organized by the Empire State Pride Agenda and NYS AIDS Institute, brought together over 200 health and human service providers from throughout the state. PFY Assistant Drector, Tawni Engel presented on LGBTQ Substance Abuse from a Mental Health Perspective; Supervising Social Worker, Galo Cunto, presented on Harnessing Established Social Media Platforms to Engage YMSM; and Director, Pete Carney, co-presented with Demetre Daskalakis, Asst. Commissioner Bureau of HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control, NYC DOHMH, on PrEP/PEP.

PFY Asst. Director, Tawni Engel

PFY Asst. Director, Tawni Engel

PFY Supervising Social Worker, Galo Cunto

PFY Supervising Social Worker, Galo Cunto

PFY Director, Pete Carney

PFY Director, Pete Carney

PFY's Pride Invasion 2015!!!

For the first time ever, Pride for Youth took part in the Queens, Long Island and NYC Pride Parades in June 2015. "As our free and confidential services continue to expand beyond Long Island, into Queens, we felt what better time than Pride Month to raise awareness of our services that are available to LGBTQ young people and young adults, from throughout LI and Queens" stated PFY Director, Pete Carney. Much thanks to our many youth participants and community supporters who joined us to celebrate Pride throughout the month of June!!

                                                              Queens Pride 2015

Queens Pride 2015

Queens Pride 2015

Long Island Pride 2015

Long Island Pride 2015

Long Island Pride 2015

NYC Pride 2015

NYC Pride 2015

NYC Pride 2015

Pride for Youth launches groundbreaking new HIV testing program on Long island!

Exciting News!! Pride for Youth is one of only 6 programs statewide, selected to be part of a NYS AIDS Institute Pilot Program to provide access to free Self-Administered HIV Testing Kits to those at risk for HIV infection. This new program, is open to all members of the LGBTQ community, age 17 years and up, or anyone who feels they may be at risk for HIV. Individuals will be given the opportunity to self-administer their own rapid HIV test, with the support of a PFY counselor, or take the test home to administer in the privacy of their home. PFY counseling staff will follow up with all participants to offer linkage to care and ongoing HIV prevention education and support. Call (516) 679-9000 ext 16 and speak with Jill Estes (jestes@longislandcrisiscenter.org) to get connected! All testing services are free and confidential.

Pride for Youth's Pride Invasion 2015

 What's better than 1 day of Pride? How about 3?!?! For the first time ever Pride for Youth is signed up to march in the Long Island (6/13), Queens (6/7) and NYC (6/28) Pride Parades!! We are calling all participants and PFY supporters to join us and show your Pride. All marchers will receive a free PFY Pride 2015 t-shirt (while supplies last). Check out our Facebook page  https://www.facebook.com/prideforyouth.pfy for all the details!!!

Creating Success Through Pride... and Education!

Every two years, GLSEN (Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network) conducts "The National School Climate Survey", which aims to determine how LGBTQ youth across the country are feeling in their schools. The results of the 2013 survey have been published, and they are a glaring validation of the community education services that Pride for Youth offers to schools in Nassau County. Here are a few of the statistics taken from the survey: over 55% of LGBTQ students felt unsafe in school due to their sexual orientation; nearly 40% also felt unsafe due to their gender expression; 60% of students reported that school faculty & staff do no intervene when negative LGBTQ remarks are openly made at school; and almost 70% stated that no LGBTQ-related topics are ever integrated into any classroom curriculum. Often we feel like a lot of progress has been made because we are seeing Marriage Equality passing in an increasing number of states, but the reality is that MUCH more work needs to be done. And it starts with educating our youth. For more information on the educational topics Pride for Youth offers and how to book a workshop, please visit www.longislandcrisiscenter.org/pfy/programs.html. To see "The 2013 National School Climate Survey" in its entirety, visit www.glsen.org