It's a common perception that HIV/AIDS is so large that we can't do anything about it. The thought is that it is bigger than us. But there are ways to make a difference. There are world organizations, charities and lobbies. There are also community efforts, like the AIDS Quilt (a section of it is our group image). The AIDS Quilt helped AIDS Awareness and it was visited by President Clinton in the 1990s. Now, what can we do? What do you do? How do you suggest we all get involved?

Lucy Bowles: What we can do about AIDS? Start with yourself, be safe, get tested and don;t play ignorant. And we should support simple initiatives for prevention, rather than cure. Giving people in certain countries education and open information combined with free preservatives is a great thing. And having local stars that speak up for safe sex would be a great start.

Obviously prevention is the first step in combating AIDS, but while living in South Africa, I read the stat: "50% of 15-year-olds dead in the next 10 years from Aids and HIV-related diseases." This changed my life. When I came home to Canada to work in aids organizations I realized that the prevalence of HIV-related diseases amongst homeless women in the States and Canada was almost as high. On an activism level I'd say, reduce the 13-year patent on Aids treatment drugs and create state sponsored HIV trial networks. 1. TREATMENT DRUGS: You've got these huge pharmaceutical companies who make millions off of Viagra and cold medicines and yet they refuse to allow generic treatment drugs to flood the market. Generic drugs=affordable access= millions being helped. 2. HIV TRIALS: The best HIV trial networks are currently funded by pharmaceutical companies who are looking at the issue of Aids from a business standpoint and not from the reality that this is an epidemic that needs to be addressed collaboratively and at all costs. When we put a government in charge of the trials and set aside a budget for them (probably a huge budget), it means that a group supposed to serve the people owns a treatment or cure and distributes it widely rather than putting profit first. As a tax payer, if I knew one extra dollar would fund something that might not just save lives in my country, but also save kids in Africa, I'd gladly throw that dollar into the pool.

Dana Oshiro: Hey Dana. I sympathize with what you are saying. At the same time the world is scattered in totally different departments. What I see happening in the Western world is that youngsters already see AIDS as some sort of minor thing. They think it is not lethal anymore. It has to be brought to them very carefully that even though you can have medicines for the rest of your life and you might not die, it is not going to be fun. It is tempting...to be careless