AIDS 101 Seminar was held on Saturday, August 27, 2011 at Harmony Grove United Methodist Church by Aid

Atlanta. I came to this workshop not only because it is one of the assignments for my AIDS Epidemic course at Clayton State University in Fall 2011 semester, but I am also willing to formally learn about how AIDS epidemic has an intensive domestic as well as global impact on human being population. There are total of five sessions with sixteen classes being held in one day and following is the detail agenda of the AIDS 101 Seminar. (Note: Highlighted sessions are those which I attended.) Time 8:00 am 8:30 am 8:45 am Sessions Introduction and Welcome Small Group Meeting Sessions Description REGISTRATION Speakers Tim Gustavson Members in group introduced to each other Wayne Snipes and Joan Campitelli (volunteers)

9:15 am 10:15 am

10:25 am

11:20 am

11:50 am

Breakout Session 1: General Medical This session covered Prof. Dingis basic information about HIV, modes of transmission, how HIV works in the body, types of opportunistic infections, testing and risk reduction. Current statistics and trends were discussed. Advanced This session included in Dr. Bob Wallace Medical/Current depth information Treatments concerning HIV medications available. This class is for the participant who has a solid understanding of HIV, transmission, drug resistance and disease progression. Personal Experience Infected and affected Walter Bradley, Pat Panel people shared their (infected people) experiences with ample and Joan Campitelli time for questions from (affected person) the audience. Volunteer Overview Volunteer coordinator Tim Gustavson introduced opportunities to become in involved Lunch and Community Resource Fair

12:25 pm 1:15 pm AIDS in the African American Community

AIDS and Women

AIDS in the Gay Community

The Search for a Vaccine

1:25 pm 2:15 pm

When Someone You Love Has AIDS

Spirituality and HIV

2:15 pm 2:30 pm Legal Issues

2:30 pm 3:20 pm

Volunteering with AID Atlanta

Sexually Transmitted Infections

Breakout Session 2: This session consisted of a guided discussion, exploring issues specific to this community. This session discussed about issued specific to women, both positive and negative. This session addressed the social, political, emotional and sexual issues that are affected by HIV in this community. Breakout Session 3: This session was compromised of a comprehensive overview of current efforts to develop an effective HIV vaccine. This session provided an overview of practical and emotional issues for when a loved one has HIV. This session addressed spirituality and how it can fit into the lives of people living with HIV. Snack Break Breakout Session 4: This session focused on work, insurance, housing, discrimination and confidentiality issues of people living with HIV. This session provided an overview of the current need for volunteers and the process to becoming one. This workshop looked at the most common

Dwayne Banks

Vonda Malbrough

Steven Igarashi

Theron Stuart

Angela Johnson

Aquarius Gilmer

Martha FinemanSower

Loreen Krug

Zoe Mayers

sexually transmitted infections, including their symptoms and treatments. Session 5: AIDS Advocacy HIV: Journey to Now 3:30 pm 4:20 pm This interactive session explored the history of the HIV epidemic in the United States leading up to a review of current statistics and trends. This class addressed the global impact of the HIV epidemic. This session gave a chance to review all important information about causes and prevention methods for AIDS END OF SEMINAR Val Blankenship

Global Issues Prevention Because There is No Cure

Lolem Ngong

4:30 pm

Kevin Calhoun

5:00 pm

After the short introduction of the Volunteer Coordinator Tim Gustavson about the AIDS 101 Seminar, we were divided into three small groups so that we could easily ask questions and introduce ourselves to the rest of the group. The first session, in which I attended after the introduction period, was the General Medical class. I chose this session instead of the Advanced Medical and Current Treatment because I would like to enhance and enrich my basic knowledge about AIDS. Professor Dingis gave a very interesting and informative presentation about the fundamental information of AIDS including names meanings, transmission, treatment and prevention. She went over the differences between AIDS and HIV. AIDS stands for Acquired ImmuneDeficiency Syndrome which is the name of the disease while HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus which is the name of the virus causing AIDS. This part of the presentation helps me be able to distinguish and to use the proper names when discussing about AIDS later on. During her lecture, Professor Dingis used a variety of statistics from research and examples mostly from her own life with friends who are AIDS positive people. These real stories help me more easily understand and remember the causes, and effects of AIDS as well as how important the effective prevention is in order to protect ourselves and others. This first session was an excellent warming-up activity which motivated me looking forward to the next one.

The Personal Experience Panel was my second favorite section. There were three speakers, infected and affected people, who shared their own experience with AIDS. Joan Campitelli was the first person sharing with us about her brothers life with AIDS back in 1990s when there were a lot of stigmas about AIDS more than ever. It was unfortunate for her brother that there was no medication for AIDS treatment at that time. Therefore, her family and Joan was heartbrokenly watching their son and brother who terribly suffered the opportunistic diseases and finally passed over, left behind his tremendous success and loved ones. Since her brothers death, Joan has committed her life to volunteer in activities of Aid Atlanta which assist AIDS positive people and others in different ways for many years. The other speakers were Walter Bradley, and Pat (for some reasons, I couldnt get Pats full name.) They are AIDS infected people even though I couldnt tell that by looking at their healthy and athletic bodybuilding. They were in their midlife stage, were having tremendously successful lives, and ambitions for their good futures when they found out they were AIDS positive. Their lives turned to another page where their mentality totally changed in negative direction. They became alcoholic, jobless, homeless, and in huge debt. However, fortunately their loved ones and friends helped them get over this chronic depression and get the appropriate treatment. Their health has gradually improved and they have been able to live with the disease for many years since then. After listening to their stories, I have realized that everyone, no matter educated or uneducated, rich or poor, is always having a risk of infecting AIDS. In addition, the most valuable assistances which infected people really need from us are our true love, empathy and encouragement. Positive mentality is very important for them to fight against AIDS, the disease of the century. The next session I attended was AIDS in the Gay Community. I chose this section because I would like to learn more in-depth information about how AIDS has impacted on the gay community which is the issue has not yet been discussed openly so far in our society, especially in Asian culture like my country, Vietnam. Steven Igarashi, the Gay Outreachs Coordinator, did a pretty good job on presenting some facts about social, political, emotional and sexual issues which gay community have experienced, especially when they are infected by HIV. However, I am somewhat still not satisfied with these generic information. I wish he could gave some more real life examples in order to help me, an outsider of gay community, understand more about difficulties and discriminations which gay people have suffered nowadays so that we, straight people, can assist them with treatment and prevention plans. Another interesting and touching session which I attended was When Someone You Love Has AIDS. At this moment, there is no one in my family and friends having HIV positive, but who knows what would happen in future. Also, when I become a nurse, this information would be very important and helpful for me to understand and take care of my patients better. Even though Angela Johnson, the speaker of this session, didnt look like a professional speaker when she stepped in the room with her very inform dressing style, she definitely impressed me by her touching story about her parents deaths and her straight forward, useful strategies for those who have to take care of loved ones who are AIDS infected. I must be grateful for her

informal speech because she helps me realize that there is nothing better than our deeply love can encourage our loved ones live longer with us when they have HIV in their bodies. The next two sessions I attended were Legal Issues and Global Issues which were presented respectively by Martha Fineman-Sower and Lolem Ngong. In Legal Issues class, with limited time, Ms. Fineman-Sower, a lawyer specialized in civil cases, tried to give us as much information as she could about the legal issues that HIV positive people might experience, for example employment, insurance, healthcare and other confidentiality problems. Even though there was not enough time, she was very nice, supportive and willing to stay a little while after the session to answer thoroughly our concerns. In the Global Issues, because of a small technical problem, Ms. Ngong, who is from Cameroon and have worked in different African countries with AIDS organizations, couldnt show her wonderful power point presentation to audience. However, she tried her best to give us the most updated and useful information about the impact of AIDS not only in America but also in the global scale. She also spent time to answer and discuss with us about some possible methods to help educate and prevent AIDS epidemic within young generation. The last session, the most engaging, interesting and informative, was Prevention presented by Kevin Calhoun. With his great sense of humor, he helped us review important points about AIDS by a pop quiz to see how much information remaining in our mind after a long and intensive studying day. I must say the most unforgettable part was when he taught us how to correctly use condoms. I believe the purpose of this interactive teaching method is to help us always remember that prevention is the most important and the best method to decrease the AIDS epidemic level because until this day, there is no cure. Overall, I have no regret and any significant complain when attending the AIDS 101 Seminar. Even though this workshop is held within a time constraint which is only one day, Aid Atlanta committee and all passionate volunteers try their best to bring to attendees the most informative lessons about AIDS/HIV epidemic. I just wish the seminar could be stretched out into two days so that we could attend all sessions and get more information about this transmitted disease. I would love to express my sincere gratefulness to our professor of the AIDS Epidemic course, Terri Summers, who introduces this useful workshop to us, as well as enthusiastic, passionate volunteers, and speakers who have opened our minds and engaged us to the world of AIDS.