NoTimeToWait, a LetsStopAIDS initiative, was first launched in 2020, and is Canada’s largest Youth-HIV leadership event, operating in-person and online.

For the past 4 years, NoTimeToWait has provided youth across Canada and the world with an opportunity to further their knowledge on the current state of HIV-related issues, and the ways in which the epidemic continues to emphasize health inequities at both the local and global levels, giving them broad context to how HIV continues to impact communities. Attendees also have the opportunity to develop skills in leadership and advocacy, and are provided with tangible ways in which they can take action and positively contribute towards the HIV response.

Now, being an official partner of the Toronto District School Board, and armed with research into areas within the Greater Toronto Area grappling with key social determinants of health associated with increased vulnerability to HIV, we are poised to relaunch NoTimeToWait in November 2024, with a primary focus on facilitating the in-person participation of youth from these identified communities, making it our most impactful edition to date.

We are also seeking funding to facilitate the in-person attendance of youth based in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, the Canadian provinces facing the highest HIV diagnoses rates.

Implemented as a multi-day hybrid event, NoTimeToWait features various activities such as keynote speeches, workshops, panel discussions, and networking opportunities. Both in-person and virtual sessions are offered to accommodate diverse youth audiences, ensuring accessibility and inclusivity. Participants have opportunities to pitch advocacy campaigns to policy makers and politicians, engage with healthcare professionals, hear personal stories of advocates with lived experience of making change within their communities, and much more.