What is the Chiva Youth Committee (CYC)?

The CYC is a vibrant and creative group of young people who give their input on a wide range of projects and campaigns. The CYC formed in 2010 and they work alongside Chiva’s staff, Trustee Board and Steering Group. All CYC members are 13–17 years-old and living with HIV. There are up to 20 members of the committee at any one time. The committee has two main purposes:

  1. To make sure Chiva’s work has the views and experiences of children and young people living with HIV at its centre.
  2. To bring together a group of young people from across the UK to represent their peers and give a voice to all children and young people living with HIV in the UK.
Join the Youth Committee

The CYC achieves its aims by:

  • Reviewing Chiva’s work and influencing developments at CYC meetings.
  • Working with Chiva’s partner organisations to tackle issues, strengthen campaigns, speak at conferences or liaise with politicians.
  • Getting involved in projects they feel will work towards creating better awareness and understanding of HIV.

What does it involve?

We ask committee members to come to three residential meetings a year. These will all be in the school holidays or on weekends. They are also invited to attend a Chiva Conference which is usually on a school day in March or April. We also hold online meetings – roughly one per month.

We also encourage and support committee members to get involved with other projects that interest them as they come along. These could be outside of the UK (European or International projects).

Each member holds their position for approximately 2 years.

It is an exciting opportunity so please keep an eye on this page to hear about the next opportunity to apply to join!

To find out more about the CYC, please email Abi Carter, Chiva’s Participation Manager, at abi.carter@chiva.org.uk or call or text on 07807705062.

Don't Listen to My HIV - Listen to Me Podcast

Don’t listen to my HIV – listen to me!

Listen to the podcast series developed by our youth committee. Young people living with HIV explore some key themes, including their healthcare, mental health and relationships. 

Recent achievements

Conferences

  • CYC members presented at the 25th International HIV and AIDS Conference in Munich, Germany in July 2024
  • A standing Youth Symposium at the annual Chiva Conference in 2024 focusing on the journey of a young person as they grow up and access treatment and care at an HIV clinic

Research and Policy

  • Two CYC alumni are members of a Patient and Public Involvement Group for the Medical Research Council Clinical Trials Unit.
  • The CYC regularly contribute to consultations for research projects for students, most recently about the experiences of single parents living with HIV. 
  • The CYC has also led internal research at Chiva looking at the experiences of young people in HIV clinics, with a particular focus on Quality of Life outcome measures.

Partnership work

  • The CYC are very open to working with different organisations and we are happy to be contacted via the Participation Manager.
  • We are currently working with The Welsh National Opera on a touring schools project.
  • We are also working with ‘Think before you Ink’ – a project exploring the training and support needs of Tattoo artists with relation to blood borne viruses.

Resources

  • The CYC worked with the Chiva team and aidsmap and to produce the ‘My Medicine My Health‘ animations and written resources about HIV for children and young people

In this short video, CYC members share their experiences.