Metro TeenAIDS

MTA helps youth and families impacted by HIV/AIDS.  MTA provides a range of services to HIV positive youth, youth at risk for HIV and children with HIV-infected parents.

How do you help people in my community?

Metro TeenAIDS works directly with young people to help them lead healthier lives. We conduct HIV/AIDS education in more than 10 DC Public Schools as well as in community locations like clubs, malls, and other teen hang-out spots. We offer an afternoon/evening Drop-In Center at our Eastern Market facility, so teens have a safe place to go after school where they can engage in creative arts, get mentored, and learn computer skills. We encourage young people to know their HIV status and we offer them safe, HIV tests and confidential counseling. When we find a young person with HIV, our support networks helps them manage the complicated and sometimes overwhelming medical system, so they can get the care they need.

We also work on systems change. We mentor teens to become leaders; helping our city’s leaders make decisions that help the community. For example our Young Women of Color Leadership Council has successfully testified before the DC City Council and the Board of Education on the need for expanded HIV programming in the city.

Why do you need my support?

Metro TeenAIDS makes the most of every donation.   When you invest in Metro TeenAIDS, your money goes directly to the youth who need it most.  You also help us respond quickly to the needs of young people. You allow us to respond when an HIV-infected young person has a crisis, or when we have a sharp increase in referrals from the juvenile justice system, or when one of our coalitions needs to work quickly to respond to an emerging political issue.

Our vision is a world in which Metro TeenAIDS is not needed anymore. We are working towards a world without AIDS, but it’s a vision that can only be achieved when everyone in the community works together. We need your help to realize this goal.

How can I be sure that you will use my money wisely and won't waste it?

We take our donor’s trust very seriously. We know people have a wide variety of places they can give their money and we want to make sure we use our contributions wisely. Recognized as leader in the nonprofit community, we value the responsible use of our resources; ensuring that all resources are being used at maximum efficiency for greatest impact.

MTA only implements programs that are tested and effective – our whole philosophy is one of using evidence-based programs that have been shown to work by respected evaluators. In addition, MTA constantly assesses and improves our programs through evaluation and feedback.

Can I Volunteer? How?

Metro TeenAIDS uses peer-to-peer outreach and education, so there are few opportunities for adults to work directly with the teen population we serve. We do have other ways that you can be involved, however. We’re always looking for people to help publicize our fabulous events, for example – we have a wine event in the early Spring and mid-Fall, as well as an amazing Auction in June. We love people who help spread the word about our events, as well as attending them. We also have a host of volunteers who provide pro bono services for us, such as graphic design or marketing. If you think your talents would help us serve youth, please contact the office so we can talk further.