Each year, Empower participants create a digital story where they share their own stories around becoming an HIV peer educator. A selection of these stories are shared below.

These stories connect to HIV in indirect and direct ways: the stories explore challenges with homophobia and transphobia, finding community, racism, accessing resources in rural communities, colonialism, peer pressure, and more. They speak to HIV prevention in a way that goes beyond just using a condom or a dental dam and speak to the many issues and challenges that youth face in accessing resources and making decisions around their bodies and communities.

These stories are beautiful. But they can also be difficult to watch. Each video contains a list of ‘tags’ that provide a glimpse into video content.  Please take care of your heart while watching, sit back, hold these stories in your hands, and enjoy.

Digital Storytelling Community Artist: Hisayo Horie

Funder: Ontario Trillium Foundation
Image Credit : Video Stil, Kay Pee