Zero Discrimination Day

Zero Discrimination Day is celebrated every year on the 1st of March. It’s a day to recognise that everyone deserves to live a full, safe, and dignified life without judgement, stigma, or exclusion. Each year focuses on a different theme, but the main focus of the day never changes; challenging discrimination in all its forms and standing up for the rights of every person.

This year’s theme is “People First,” and it highlights the ongoing discrimination faced by people living with HIV and those most at risk. Despite huge progress in science, treatment, and awareness, stigma still affects people’s lives, health, and wellbeing. “People First” is a reminder that behind every statistic is a human being who deserves respect, compassion, and equality.

For LGBTQ+ communities this message is powerful. Many of us know what it feels like to be judged for who we are, who we love, or how we express ourselves. Zero Discrimination Day is a chance to push back against that. It’s a reminder that our identities are valid, our experiences matter, and our voices deserve to be heard.

So this Zero Discrimination Day challenge misinformation about HIV, support friends who might feel isolated, and speak up about unfair treatment. Discrimination doesn’t disappear on its own; it changes when people choose kindness, solidarity, and courage.

Written by Aster, a supernova

If you want to read more about Zero Discrimination Day follow this link to the UNAIDS website for useful information https://www.unaids.org/en/2026-zero-discrimination-day

NHS Data Workshop and Keyring Making at Poole!

At Poole group the young people got involved with a workshop on how their NHS data is used for research. The workshop was being conducted by Bournemouth university and allowed the young people to have a say in how their data is used. All the young people enjoyed being able to give their opinions.

Following the workshop they chilled out playing games and making keyrings

SYP Litter Pick!

On the 14th March, SYP did a litter pick around Poole Park to help keep our local community stay clean, reduce the hazards for those enjoying the park, give back to our community and help the environment. It's also really important that we are getting out in the fresh air, spending meaningful time outdoors with others and getting away from our screens.

Here's what our young people thought of the day!

"I enjoyed picking the litter, I found that working as part of a team for a good cause was very rewarding, and I had fun. Litter picking is so important for anyone to do, it not only improves how your local area looks and is perceived, but also means that any local wildlife isn’t harmed by ingesting or getting caught on pieces of litter. It also allows the grass and soil to remain healthy." - Will

"The litter pick was enjoyable for me because I think it’s fun to walk around outside and do things that are good for the planet, especially with other people. Another thing that I think was important was that we were showcasing a good deed to so many young children who walked past us, and their parents explained what we were doing." - Kai

"I would say the litter pick was very fun and it was a great experience to be able to help clean up such an important space for the Poole community." - Keiran

A huge thank you to Bourne Free for lending us hi-vis jackets so we could safely carry out the litter pick! And an huge thank you to Scoops for offering the team discounted ice creams as a thank you for doing the litter pick!

There are numerous opportunities locally to get involved with litter picking around Dorset and you can even plan your own like we did and ask your local council for the supplies! We are looking forward to our next one!