There's More to Living with HIV/AIDS than Taking Pills

By Corey Boyette

Young people infected with and affected by HIV/AIDS have few opportunities to come together to share their experiences, celebrate their successes and reflect on their concerns. The recent Positive Youth Institute was a great exception.

Held in Atlanta, the Institute attracted participants from across the country, people in their teens and early twenties living with HIV/AIDS. Rest assured, neither you nor I are the only people our ages sorting out issues ranging from rejection and healthcare to the maintenance of meaningful relationships, while staying strong and believing in ourselves. The workshops focused on everything from self-image to the social and political context of HIV/AIDS.

The first workshop was conducted by representatives of the NAMES Project. They brought a panel containing numerous decorative Quilts made by family and friends to commemorate loved ones who died of AIDS-related causes. It provided a vivid, personalized understanding of the history of HIV/AIDS and the tens of thousands of people who have been impacted by the disease.

Hopefully, one day, as the NAMES Project has done in the past, they’ll spread the entire Quilt across the Mall in Washington, DC as a stark reminder to those who have forgotten or don’t appreciate the magnitude of the disease. Unfortunately, the Quilt is now so large that the Washington Mall is too small a place to display it.

Another workshop was titled Performance/Body Movement. Participants were encouraged to share our feelings and concerns through performance. Many of the exercises involved the interpretation of pictures and phrases, points of view that made you step back and reflect on the bigger picture we call life. At the end of the workshop, the group discussed what they had learned from these exercises. It was a moving experience to see how many people had begun to appreciate, for the first time, their unique role in the “big” picture.

The last workshop I attended was called Getting Health: Expanding Health & Wellness. It redefined concepts of health and wealth, emphasizing that good health is more than a clinical definition. It’s also about how we feel, both emotionally and physically.

Likewise, wealth is more than a number in a bank. It’s also a measure of how prosperous we are in differing social settings and in our personal lives. The workshop offered clarity, providing me another point of view to consider as I make decisions about my career and my life, while setting aside time to help others so they may flourish in their own lives and careers.

During my time at the Institute, I learned a lot of things I hadn’t previously known. It was a unique opportunity to spend time with people my own age discussing the challenges we share in common. I want to thank CHAMP and NAPWA for all of its efforts on behalf of people like you and me.

Corey Boyette was born in 1989 to Kimberly Belcher and Timothy Boyette, growing up in a suburb of Atlanta, GA. In 2003, his family relocated to Phoenix. Corey joined 1n10 in 2004 and became a member of its Youth Council. Diagnosed with HIV in 2006, he began attending Ryan White EMA board meetings, becoming a voting member of the Phoenix Ryan White EMA in January 2008. Corey currently educates members of his peer group on HIV and safe sex practices.