Girls in Motion Minnesota, Inc. will be providing African-American high school girls the opportunity to have an open dialogue about the devastating HIV/AIDS infections rates in the African American community and particulalrly the high rates among young high school age Black girls. Along with the dialogue we will engage girls in a community service project to help prevent other young women from engaging in risky bahavior. African-Americans represent about 3.4% of Minnesota’s population, they account for 22% of the state’s adult and adolescent HIV infections. “Person’s of color account for a disproportionate number of new HIV infections among [Minnesota] adolescents and young adults.” (a) African-Americans have the highest proportion of persons infected with HIV/AIDS among all native-born ethnic groups in Minnesota, more than ten times the rate of white Minnesotans. (b) Over time, young people between 13 and 24 years of age have accounted for an increasing share of new HIV/AIDS infections in Minnesota particularly with African-American girls and women. African-American young women accounted for 32% of the new infections. (c) Statistic provided by: a.)Minnesota AIDS Project, Profile of HIV Epidemic in Minnesota 2005, citing Minnesota Department of Health data. http://www.mnaidsproject.org/pdf/pubpol/HIVprofile2005.pdf b.)Minnesota Department of Health, HIV/AIDS Prevalence and Mortality Tables 2006. http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/idepc/diseases/hiv/stats/pmtables.html#table3 c.)Minnesota AIDS Project, Profile of HIV Epidemic in Minnesota 2005, citing Minnesota Department of Health data. http://www.mnaidsproject.org/pdf/pubpol/HIVprofile2005.pdf

Girls in Motion Minnesota, Inc. is a non-profit youth organization founded and lead by two students from Minnesota: Jazzmin Brooks and Dafina Bobo both sixteen years of age, started October 1, 2006. It is important for young girls to dream that the world can be a better place. Therefore, it is more important to teach them how to gain the skills needed to participate in that change. Ultimately, Girls in Motion Minnesota, Inc. prepares girls for excellence in academic career and their community. One of our motto’s at Girls in Motion Minnesota, Inc. is, “Girls can make the world a better place one girl at a time.” We believe that when you help one girl in our organization you help us all. Our mission is to promote excellence in education, vocation, leadership, civic service and the arts through a variety of educational and career opportunities. Provide a forum where all girls can come together to discuss career and college preparation, promote literacy and a positive self-image, develop leadership and civic skills. Our goal is to take these skills learned from Girls in Motion Minnesota, Inc. activities and put them into action in our communities. With your help, we can make sure that Girls in Motion Minnesota, Inc. continues to empower girls to lead dynamic and purpose driven lives. Our core values are based on the seven Kwanzaa Principles: Umoja (Unity); Kujichagulia (Self-Determination); Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility); Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics); Nia (Purpose); Kuumba (Creativity); Imani (Faith). Our program targets girls in the Minneapolis/St. Paul communities in grades eight through twelve. We meet quarterly around the metropolitan Twin Cities at sponsored locations and we volunteer at local charities and community organizations quarterly. It is our hope that girls who join or participate in Girls in Motion Minnesota, Inc. activities will learn to define their goals and dreams. Girls who participate in our workshops learn how to support each other and personal endeavors. Girls will create service learning projects and promote literacy among their peers. By using this innovative platform, it will promote healthier relationships between girls, families and communities. The result is increased self-esteem, better choices and actively planning for a future of success. Girls in Motion Minnesota, Inc.; Knowledge, Strength,and Beauty from Within Girls in Motion Minnesota, Inc.(GIMM) On-going project to address the dangerous HIV/AIDS infection rates for Black girls: GIMM will host a two day community event called "RING THE ALARM - BLACK GIRLS AND HIV/AIDS" The two day non-residential retreat will be targeted towards girls in grades 9-12. Are goal is to have between 150 - 250 girls in attendance. The message is not only about abstinance but the necessity to use latex condoms and other preventative measures to decrease the number of young women becoming infected and also to educate young women on the importnace of loving themselves to demand that their partners always use a condom and also a community service project to get the word out on the risks of engaging in any type of sexual behavior without proper protection. The fist day young women will engage in a dialogue with women from the African-American community who are infected with HIV/AIDS and living with the disease. The sessions will inlcude discussions about body image, self-esteem and the pressures to have sex and the myths about HIV/AIDS that still surround the African-American community. From these discussions youth will create a seris of PSA announcements via spoken word, still pictures, dance, theatre and interviewing members of our community who are living and thriving with the HIV. The PSA's will be called "LOVING ME SERIES" loaded up to YouTube, Facebook, and a blog created from the event, the PSA's will be titled as following: 1.)Loving Me, Means Knowing My Status 2.)Loving Me, Means Knowing The Facts About HIV/AIDS 3.)Loving Me, Means Sisters Fighting Together to Reduce HIV/AIDS Infections In Black Girls/Women 4.)Loving Me, Means Asking My Partner to Get Tested Before We Engage In Any Type of Sexual Activity 5.)Loving Me, Means There Is Absolutely No Compromise For My Partner Not Using A Condom "No Glove, No Love"! 6.)Loving Me, Means I Learn To Love Myself Enough To Know That It Is Always OK To Say No To Sex Period! The PSA's will be showed throughout the Minneapolis/St. Paul communnity events that we are already connected to, we are hoping to show the PSA's to high schools in Minnesota and throughout the world. The retreat will allow girls to get connected to other community resources as well, that nurture self-esteem, promote civic service and the educational advancement of women.

Nelly Stone Johnson School has donated the auditorium and 8 classrooms for GIMM to hold the two day retreat and also the video equipment to record the Public Service Announcements. GIMM have created registration forms, release of photo to use image and liability forms for the two day event. GIMM are connected to many agencies who service are target population to get the word out so students can attend. GIMM has also hosted community events in the past for all youth. We have created the outline for the two day event.

We have contact the Minnesota African American AIDS Task Force who connected us with 10 African American women who are living with HIV/AIDS and have agreed to help facilitate the conversations about black girls HIV/AIDS infection rates. But we also want to keep the project ongoing, by holding the dialogue twice a year and incorporating people form the Public Health community.