Throughout my time so far at the AIDS Conference, I keep being struck by the idea that our world is an incredibly diverse place. Look around at any session or seminar, stand still in a bustling corridor, or walk through the global village and you will notice that everyone present is culturally rich, ethnically unique, and representative of a geographical region. This is one example of diversity.
However, there is something in common about all of these people. We all come from a socio-economic bracket that has allowed us to participate in the week’s events. We all are able-bodied and well-educated. We all have had too little sleep this week. (Ok, maybe I made that one up, but I’ll certainly vouch for that among the youthforce members.)
We keep talking about youth, youth as a single group, youth as a united front. But in reality, the term youth covers a HUGE expanse. Among us, some are differently-abled. Some use drugs. Some have very little money. Some have committed crimes. Some live in rural and remote communities. Some are stopped at airports. Some don’t have access to information about international conferences.
I’m getting at the idea that youth are just as diverse as the general population, and if we are going to keep speaking about youth in general, we must make sure that we don’t presume to speak on the behalf of those who are not with us, without their permission. Instead we should be working to enable marginalized youth increased participation in the likes of the AIDS Conference and other international dialogues on issues affecting humanity at large.
