Highly commended
Penta: Young Reporters
Summary of work
Children and adolescents living with HIV face stigma, poor mental health, and poorer health outcomes. HIV education often overlooks their needs, being written by adults for adults and focusing on those infected in adulthood. Cutting-edge research is shared at medical congresses but rarely reaches young people. The high cost of these events makes participation nearly impossible, particularly in low-to-middle-income countries where HIV is most prevalent. This exclusion leaves young people misinformed, disconnected from scientific progress, and without the hope that knowledge can bring. Penta, a leading scientific organisation in children’s health, has worked in paediatric HIV for over 30 years and, in the past six, has prioritised engaging young people in meaningful research. To bridge the information gap, Penta and Envision 90TEN launched Young Reporters, training young people living with HIV in social media and messaging skills to share scientific findings from medical congresses with their peers. By giving them access to information and the tools to share it on their terms, the initiative empowers youth to take greater control of their HIV. Originally shortlisted for PMEA in Year One, the project has been resubmitted on the jury’s recommendation with Year Two data demonstrating its success in driving behavioural change.
Judges’ comments
The “Penta: Young Reporters” project had evidently developed from its 2024 entry and took an innovative approach to a clear problem. The entry had great attention to detail, with significant measurements, results and outcomes. It had fantastic partner sign up and very nicely done.
