Winner
Penta Young Reporters
by Penta supported by Envision 90TEN
Summary of work
Children and adolescents living with HIV face stigma, poor mental health, and worse health outcomes. HIV education often overlooks their needs. It is written by adults for adults, focusing on those who contracted HIV in adulthood.
Additionally, cutting-edge research is shared at medical congresses but rarely reaches young people. The high cost of these events makes participation nearly impossible, especially in low-to-middle-income countries where HIV is most prevalent. This exclusion from medical conferences and scientific discourse leaves young people misinformed and disconnected from advancements in research and the hope that knowledge brings.
Penta, a leading scientific organization dedicated to children’s health, has been working in paediatric HIV for over 30 years. In the past six years, they have focused on engaging young people living with HIV in meaningful research.
To bridge the information gap, Penta, in collaboration with Envision 90TEN, launched Young Reporters. This innovative initiative trains young people living with HIV in social media and messaging skills to communicate scientific findings from medical congresses to their communities. By giving young people access to information and equipping them with the skills to share it on their terms, we aim to empower the younger generation to take better control of their HIV.
Judges’ comments
‘Penta Young Reporters’ is a brave and refreshing programme built for, and by, young people living with HIV. The team employed a simple yet incredibly innovative approach to reach a typically hard-to-engage group. Every strategic choice was directly informed by the target audience, resulting in value for both the young reporters and wider HIV community. The judges had never seen anything like this before and are excited to see how the programme progresses.
