OUR SERVICES & ACTIVITIES

Chiva offers a range of opportunities and support for children, young people and young adults:

• One-to-one direct support from Specialist Support Officers for anyone who needs it.

• Hardship support which includes practical help for those with critical needs relating to economic hardship.

• Freedom 2 Be (F2B), a residential camp for young people aged 11–17 which takes place every summer.

• Chiva Youth Committee, a group of up to 20 young people aged 12–18 who are keen to get involved in a wide range of projects and campaigns

• Art is Key – a project for 17–25 year-olds which uses the arts and storytelling to explore a person’s journey with HIV. It includes residential trips with peers, specialist arts facilitators and Chiva staff.

• Family conference – an annual conference where families or young adults who have grown up living with HIV can connect and share experiences.

• Volunteer roles at the annual Chiva Freedom 2 Be Camp. Young adults aged 18-24 can apply to be a Camp Leader.

• Positively Spoken project provides a safe space for people who have grown up living with HIV to share their life stories, so that they can be archived in the British Library and included in the social history of HIV in th UK.

• The Blueprint: Support for young adults – a new programme designed for young adults aged 18-25 who have grown up with HIV, helping them navigate the challenges of life with HIV and build a brighter future for themselves and those around them. It combines group sessions via Zoom with one-to-one online support and coaching, and in-person meet-ups.

Young adults aged over 18 can access two programmes run in partnership with Terrence Higgins Trust (THT):

• Work and Skills is a mentoring programme supporting young adults who are unemployed, in insecure or temporary employment, or would like to consider future qualifications or training. A mentor will talk through career opportunities and support people to improve CVs, look for work and prepare for interviews.

• The Youth Counselling Service is a youth-friendly, easily accessible and flexible online counselling service which can offer an initial six sessions with a trained counsellor.

What can I take part in now? 

To talk through how you might get support from Chiva or join our activities, email our Participation Manager, Abi, at [email protected] or call / text 07807 705062.