The AHF Youth Task Force kicks off first HBCU college tour to promote sexual health awareness and STD prevention

(Black PR Wire) LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) announced today the launch of the Know Your Status Tour (KYST), a multi-city youth awareness campaign geared towards educating college students on the importance of safer sex, taking the proper precautions to avoid contracting STDs, and if already infected, how to be treated and continue living a productive life day to day. The AHF Youth Task Force will team up with Social Media Influencers and Pop Culture Influencers Nina Parker, Karen Civil, Don Benjamin, Amber Rose, Sibley, Cordell Broadus, Jacquees and more, to reach even more college students across the nation while on tour.

The highly anticipated KYST kicks off on Wednesday, April 12th at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) in Tallahassee, Florida, with second and third stops at Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta. GA on Thursday, April 20th and Texas Southern University in Houston, TX on Wednesday, April 26th (see list of talent/participants below). Chris Grace, founder of AHF’s KYST initiative, creatively meshed the worlds of social impact with sexual education on the tour by selecting respected influencers to create an environment of comfort and familiarization who will encourage open dialogue.

“Each year, 12 million young people contract an STI and there is an undeniable urgency to target safer sex messages that are interactive, engaging, and relevant to their lives and experiences. With the Know Your Status Tour, we are doing our part to educate our youth on the importance of being tested regularly for STIs and help them form good sexual health habits that they can take with them long into adulthood,” Grace explains.

The tour will feature celebrity panel discussions, breakout discussions, specialized school activities, social media pledges and musical performances by influential artists including Epic Records’ Hip-Hop artist Kent Jones (DJ Khaled/We the Best Music Group). Students who participate in STD and HIV testing will receive a custom t-shirt and be eligible to win prizes including: 1) $5,000 student scholarship, 2) Pimp My Dorm Room for participating schools, and 3) tablet giveaway for each campus.

DID YOU KNOW?

• 10 million young adults in the U.S. alone contract an STD each year
• Chlamydia and Gonorrhea are the most commonly reported STDs in the U.S.
• 1 in 4 sexually active young women are living with an STD

The KYST Schedule
4/12/17: Tallahassee - FAMU (Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University)
Nina Parker - Moderator
Kent Jones - Artist
Cordell Broadus - Panelist
Chris Grace - Panelist
Jacquees - Panelist

4/20/17: Atlanta – CLARK ATLANTA UNIVERSITY
Karen Civil - Moderator
Kent Jones - Artist
Cordell Broadus - Panelist
Nina Parker - Panelist
Don Benjamin - Panelist
Sibley - Panelist
Amber Rose - Panelist

4/26/17: Houston - TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY
Karen Civil - Moderator
Kent Jones - Artist
Cordell Broadus - Panelist
Nina Parker - Panelist
Don Benjamin - Panelist
Amber Rose - Panelist

To learn more about The KYST and AHF Youth Task Force, please visit www.KnowYourStatusTour.com.

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS organization, currently provides medical care and/or services to over 700,000 individuals in 36 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, the Asia/Pacific Region and Eastern Europe. To learn more about AHF, please visit our website: www.aidshealth.org, find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/aidshealth and follow us on Twitter: @aidshealthcare and Instagram: @aidshealthcare