California: AIDS Ambassadors

The AIDS Ambassadors program, launched in 2004 under the auspices of the UCLA AIDS Institute, teaches college undergraduates to talk to teenagers about the epidemic. Last August, the program was expanded to train high school students as instructors too, said Enrique Rivero, the institute's media relations officer. Ambassadors participate in training retreats, then they visit high schools to talk to about HIV prevention and testing. Olivia Clements, a rising junior at Crossroads School in Santa Monica, is passionate about the mission of AIDS Ambassadors. "We have this dreadful plague. I can't think of anything more important than keeping people alive," she said. Clements has also launched an initiative called "Teens Stop Rape," which will include a Web site and DVD for high school workshops targeting teenage boys to urge them to commit to the goal of a "rape-free society."

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