community spotlight by david vera
UPCOMING SDYP EVENTS:
9/8 leadership Meeting, 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
at Twiggs Coffee House on Adams Avenue
9/9 Glee Premiere
9/12 2nd Saturday—2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
9/17 3rd Thursday—7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
9/27 AIDS Walk San Diego
10/3 Rafael’s Birthday Bash and SDYP Fundraiser at The Hole, 5:00 p.m.
Because He Can: RAFAEl ACEVEDO, Secretary and Co-Founder of San Diego Young Positives
You don’t think you can handle anything else on your plate? Try juggling gradu- members and serves as a forum for sharing information.”
ate school, establishing a new youth HIV program, setting up the website for that Supplementing the Yahoo group,
youngpositives.com also offers a great list
service, coordinating events for members to enjoy and preserving a social life. of resources. In addition, Rafael explains what prospective members can expect
Keep that going successfully for longer than a year and then talk to me. Better from a real-world gathering with the group. “New members will see a bunch of
yet, talk to Rafael Acevedo, Secretary and Co-Founder of San Diego Young Posi- friendly guys having a good time with each other! Our signature events are Sec-
tives (SDYP). Rafael originally moved here to attend graduate school at SDSU and ond Saturday—a picnic in the park where we grill hot dogs and hamburgers and
earned a masters degree in 2001. Since then, he’s been on a community crusade play a few games; and Third Thursdays—a bar event where we meet at Redwing
of sorts, giving guidance and hope to locals who have recently seroconverted. Bar and have a few drinks while playing pool and darts and—again—eat with
A familiar face at The Center’s David Bohnett Cyber Center, Rafael once each other! Fun, festive, relaxed and good times had with other men just like us!”
volunteered his time monitoring the lab and presenting resume writing and in- As far as requirements for joining, any HIV-positive male who is willing to social-
terviewing skills workshops. He and his close friend—and co-founder of SDYP— ize with others is warmly invited. Such hospitality has not gone unnoticed by the
Kaleb James, served on the San Diego POZabilities Board of Directors helping to community. Rafael recounts one example of how his efforts were directly and
coordinate potlucks, coffee sessions, a yard sale and a very successful fundraiser. unexpectedly compensated.
Together these two tireless workers developed a concept that would cater to a “In 2006, I decided to transform my birthday party into a fundraiser and was sur-
group that desperately needed attention. prised how many people were willing to help make it a success—from The Hole
“The beginning of SDYP starts with San Diego POZabilities—the other San management team to the San Diego leather community, SD King Club and Sisters
Diego Social group for HIV-positive men,” explained Rafael. “Kaleb and I attended of Perpetual Indulgence. The biggest surprise was when I received a donation
their events and were approached to help inform recently infected and generally through the mail from graduate students from UCSD’s Sociology Department.
younger men about the POZabilities events. We joined their board creating “POZ I was the Sociology Ph.D. Program Coordinator for two years before moving to
Youth” in November 2004. 40 guys attended our first meeting. We had monthly the Economics Department. The students had a collection to make a generous
meetings drawing 30-40 each session. We were obviously serving a niche. Kaleb donation to SDYP and purchased me season tickets to the Diversionary Theater.
and I approached the Imperial Court de San Diego (ICSD) becoming a ‘program.’” Grad students do not earn much, so it touched me very deeply.”
Today SDYP has a board of its own, run by volunteers who coordinate monthly There are still many scared, young and uninformed people in the community
events and participate in community events and speak at UCSD panels where who don’t know what to make of their recent diagnosis as poz—inevitably feel-
they share their story to students enrolled in the AIDS course. ing isolated. Rafael would like to convey the following message to anyone who
“This is our public service,” said Rafael. “We want people to learn that HIV-positive feels this way. “You are not alone. I’ve been there and know how you feel. Work
folks can live long healthy and normal lives contributing to the workforce; and we through your emotions and learn to let go of the anger and transform the pain
hope that listening to our mistakes would help prevent others from becoming into a positive. Your life will be what you make of it. Seek out help and you can do
infected. Our Yahoo group (health.groups.yahoo.com/group/SDYP) has over 300 anything you want!”
8 RAGE monthly | september 2009
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