Hey everyone! I just want to share my experience with you all about HIV/AIDS world day on December 1st. I reached out to six high school students and actually convinced them to get tested for HIV!! I also got tested with them and we all came out negative =] We had a little lesson on HIV/AIDS and played many fun games.  I highly encourage you all to get tested every six months if you are sexually active! It is a very quick, easy, and a pain free procedure. You can go with a group of friends and it can even make a great date with a partner =]  To conclude, I just want to say thank you to everyone that came! I had a blast!!! I love my job!

What's up with society today?? Why is sex taboo to us??? Many of the problems that the community is facing today is because of our fear to speak about sex and how it can affect us. If we were brave enough to accept reality we could be avoiding many unnecessary issues. For example, if parents would just stop pressuring their kids to not have sex until marriage and educate them on safe sex, and if people were more open to the distribution of condoms and other types contraceptives, our teen pregnancy and STD rates would go down!! Studies have shown that kids that attend or have attended abstinence until marriage programs actually start having sex earlier than kids that attend safe sex education programs! My point is that this is reality and we have to accept it. We need to be more open minded in general. For sake of our community and generation, lets make a change! Encourage others to have safe sex! Be brave and take care of yourself!
 
Columbia Youth Activist
-Susana

Hello everyone! Just wanted to inform everyone that I am planning a Pizza Protection Party in January! This is an hour long event where I educate peers on subjects like: HIV/AIDS, OTHER STD'S, CONTRACEPTION METHODS, THE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM etc. So if you live in Columbia SC and you are interested in learning more about safe sex, sign up for my event! Also, if you are interested in getting tested for HIV I can help you with that at my Pizza Protection Party as well. I will provide pizza and drinks! Send us a message for more information or email me at thescyan@gmail.com or Columbia.yan@gmail.com.
 
Columbia Youth Activist
-Susana

Last weekend I was invited to go to the Summer Institute in Charleston with Zikeya and Terrance! This is a 3-day sexual health event that is done every year with people from many different organizations and other places that come together to help the community! It was an amazing! This event has given me so much more motivation to keep helping the community and keep working hard to make a difference. Aside from meeting amazing people and learning so many things, we stayed in an awesome hotel and went shopping! I also presented with my fellow Youth Activists and I loved it! This trip helped me so much with my presenting skills and leadership skills. It also made me realize how much I love my job and how priviledged I am to have it! Thank you SC YAN for everything you have taught me! It is going to stay with me for the rest of my life :) I am pumped for the Washington trip! WOOHOOO.

Hello everyone! We are desperately looking for some more Youth Activist!!!! Especially in the Greenville/Spartanburg area. Looking through our myspace page you can get an idea of some of the things that we do as Youth Activists, so if you are around the ages of 14 and 24, live in South Carolina, and you have an interest in sexual health, send us a message so we can give you more information about us! It is a wonderful expirience :) :) Don't forget to add us on facebook and remember to have safe sex!!!
 
LOVE ALWAYS,
Susana Cuellar.

Hi everyone! I just wanted to share with you my expirience of taking an HIV test  Four of my friends and I decided that we should do it just to not have any doubts. It was so simple! It only took about 15 minutes, it doesn't hurt, and it's worth to know that you are healthy! My friends and I even celebrated afterwards by going out to eat together. It was fun and relieving! You all can go with friends and/or with a boyfriend/girlfriend to make a relationship stronger! I think everyone should take the courage to go get tested for HIV! There is nothing to loose!
 
-Columbia YA Susana Cuellar

Hi everyone! I just wanted to remind everybody that life is wonderful, and you should always know that! Protect your life and your partner's life by always having safe sex. Many of us are still so young and have so many things going for us. Don't let anything stand in your way and always take initiative in doing the right thing. Protect yourself and our community and remember to always think before you act! Just a reminder
 
 LOVE
-Columbia YA Susana Cuellar

Today I was in class and could not help but overhear a conversation from another table. A young lady said that she did not like to use the restrooms in school because she could "catch AIDS". I was so amazed that I had to speak about it . In a very respectful way, I told her that first of all, you "catch" the virus HIV, which will then eventually become AIDS. Second of all, there are only four ways to get HIV, which are by: blood, vaginal fluids, semen, and breast milk. You cannot get the virus from kissing, hugging, or drinking out of somebody's cup; however,  I made sure I told her that other STD's could be transmitted through a toilet. In a way, I was glad that the girl made that statement because I had the chance to inform her the correct ways that HIV/AIDS is transmitted, and she would not think that way forever. This should make people realize how important it is to inform people

Working as a Youth Activist has made me more passionate about sexual health than I thought. Even though I haven't done heavy projects yet, I have learned so many things and have learned to understand why it so important to inform the community about these topics. Therefore, I feel like I have learned enough to come up with a conclusion. The reality is that people are having sex at very young ages without knowing the dangers and responsibilities they are facing. A lot of my friends and other girls tell me they are ready to have sex, but I have noticed that none of them know their body well enough or even understand the responsibilities that come along with it. I strongly feel that before kids take such a crucial decision, they should learn how their body works, like when you understand how the reproductive system and the menstrual cycle work, it is easier to take care of yourself when you are having sex because you understand how your body works. That way, they can properly protect themselves and not come across "accidents". I have even come across grown people who don't know very many things about sex, or how the body works. Before I started training, I never thought this way, and then as I started learning how my body works, and how important it is to take care of it, I started to realize that if everyone knew this stuff, we would certainly have less problems. Sure, sex may be good, but make sure you know what you are doing!!