StephenHunt

Stephen Hunt

www.yeah.org.au

Stephen Hunt has lived everyday to the fullest in his brief 24 years on this earth. He started out as a musician at a young age, then an adventurer, an academic, a sportsman, an actor and now a World Youth Ambassador. He has excelled to the highest levels in each of these fields as well as helping a few people along the way.

Best known for his portrayal of Matt Hancock in ‘Neighbours’ (BBC drama series), Stephen has also popped up in ‘Home and Away’ (Channel 7 Series), several commercials, and as a guest on ‘RISE’, ‘GMA’, ‘Stitch Up’, and ‘Xchange’. He is an award winning playwright and has performed his own work on stage as well as headlining a Christmas Pantomime in Stevenage (near London, U.K) with Bradley Walsh.

Stephen has been performing music professionally since early 2000. He has played solo and in bands all over the world including Australia, the U.S, and the U.K with a variety of different performers. Always giving a percentage of his fee to charity, Stephen has performed in several top class venue's including the Iceberg's in Bondi, and the Hard Rock Cafe in London. He has also recorded an independent release, 'the light' with band members Simon Horn and Matt Templeton while living in London. The band are set to release their first album, 'listen' in the next 6 months.

Perhaps Stephen’s most admirable achievement to date occurred in 2002 when he swam the English Channel Solo to raise over 40,000 pounds ($100,000 AU) for AIDS charities around the world. He completed the swim in 12 hours and 12 minutes after narrowly be pushed past completion at the 10 hour mark by the strong tides. He also managed to scoop the Bronze medal in the Australian Open Water Swimming Championships for the 25km event whilst training for the Channel crossing.

This year Stephen swam the Gibraltar Straits (Europe to Africa – Spain to Morocco) to once again raise funds for AIDS charities around the world. He finished the swim in a new Australian Record of 3 hours 47 minutes. The swim raised roughly the same amount as the English Channel project.

Stephen also launched Y.E.A.H (www.yeah.org.au) or Youth Empowerment Against HIV/AIDS this year with fellow Australian Alischa Ross. The two are now running the NGO Nationally in Australia and looking to expand overseas next year. Y.E.A.H is an education/information based AIDS charity targeted at youth and focussing on prevention.

Stephen’s fundraising efforts have culminated in an AIDS Trust of Australia project in Cambodia. There they have funded the purchase of land, construction of an orphanage and running costs to house over 100 children orphaned by the pandemic.

On the diplomatic front, Stephen has spoken at conferences around the world including the International AIDS Conference (Bangkok), the European Youth Peace Summit (Sarajevo) and the FAF Conference (New York). He has represented both Australia and the United Kingdom as a diplomat.

He is now planning a swim from New Zealand’s North to South Islands and across Bass Strait (Australian mainland to Tasmania). There is also talk of climbing Mt Aconcagua (tallest peak in the America’s) if the right sponsor were to back it.

For more information please visit www.stephenhunt.com.au; www.yeah.org.au; www.aidstrust.com.au.

Stephen wants to know!

Stephen Hunt has posed a question to be answered by the One World Youth Project participants on the Forum page! All participants are encouraged to give a thoughtful answer.

click here to go to the question

Stephen answers students questions!

One World Youth Project participants submitted the following questions.

We as Africans are used to hearing and watching on the Television about how are effects of HIV/AIDS but its real tough now to stop it, since the youth are still dying so we are real not understand what to do ...as you are experienced on this, we would like to ask you what can we do out of Cooperation (as we trust this is one of the weapons for fighting HIV/AIDS)? - Tanzania

Stephen: The best tool for halting the spread of HIV/AIDS is education. Through education comes awareness and a social response. If everyone knew the facts about HIV/AIDS and how to protect themselves we could prevent its spread very quickly. It is important that the stigma of HIV/AIDS be broken down in order for people to be able to talk about it and openly admit if they are suffering from it. Too often is the virus transmitted because the infected person is too ashamed to tell their partner. The best thing you can do is obtain facts from UNAIDS about the current state of HIV/AIDS, how it is transmitted and how to prevent it. Armed with this information it is up to you how to most effectively disperse it throughout your community. Always remember that even a small impact is worth the effort, and no big impact can be achieved without someone taking the first chance on an idea.

What do you think is the number one contributor to the AIDS epidemic? - USA

Stephen: Poverty. Unfortunately, poverty affects so many people in so many different ways (e.g. education, medical treatment, condom access) that it is the perfect partner for HIV transmission. In countries and social demographics where these factors aren't such a problem, AIDS has been controlled (generally) due to access to treatment and preventative education.

I don't have a lot of money. I'm a young person; but I want to help stop the spreading of HIV/AIDS, what can I do? Where do I start? - USA

Stephen: You've taken the first and most important step by taking notice. Now it's up to you to work out how you can best effect the people around you and the problems you face in your local community. You need to set a goal, find people to help you achive it and see it through. My first goal was to raise money for a charity which I did by using something I was good at (swimming) to do so. I got so much out of that experience and realised how much more I could do and now run an NGO (Non-profit Government Organisation) dealing with an area I felt was being neglected in my country. You don't have to take things as far as I have, but perhaps organise a fundraiser, take an HIV test publically (tell the papers) to show you're not ashamed to deal with the situation, or most importantly, learn what you can and tell others. I highly recommend all of you see the film 'A Closer Walk' for a quick eduaction on HIV/AIDS. It's narrated by hollywood actors Glenn Close and Will Smith and it a remarkable, yet confronting film which my NGO has written a study guide for. Perhaps you could encourage your school to adopt a program around this film and study guide. One last thing I will say is that it doesn't cost money to do something. If you have a good enough idea, people will give you the money to do it but you need to be that thorough that you can convince them it's worth it. That's the hard part. No one gave me a dollar without me proving where it would go, for what reason and what they would receive back. Most companies who donate to charity expect some sort of public recognition and this is a good way to approach getting the money in the first place.

According to a report from the Student Campaign for Child Survival there are 6 conditions that are responsible the vast majority of childhood death, these conditions are: Pneumonia, Diarrhea, Malaria, Measles, Neonatal Diseases, and HIV/AIDS. What can governments, International organizations, NGOs, health organizations, and donors can do rapidly to reduce children death rates before the year 2015 and to what extent can Africa be looked at in this vulnerable case? - Liberia

Stephen: Again, when talking about Africa, I would suggest that the primary factor which needs changing is poverty. Childhood death and these kind of (mostly) treatable diseases are so prolific because the bodies of both the children and parents are malnourished and there is little medicine or vaccine available. AIDS is going to have a very terrible effect on this situation because it kills the strong and the weak in the population. It is wiping out a generation of work force leaving the elderly and the young to drive the economy. Only through a massive integrated response from Governments in particular, but also the other bodies you've mentioned, will we see the African continent thrive on it's next generation. This will require decades of aid and support to the youth of Africa today before we see the continent standing alongside the the 1st world economies. We can hope that the simple issue of reducing childhood disease can be achieved in the short-term, but the underlying cause will only go away with fair trade, and a healthy work force; two factors which are not likely to exist for a long time to come.

What inspired you to take action to help eradicate HIV/AIDS? - USA

Stephen: The simple answer is that my Uncle died of AIDS when I was 15. I had until that point worked in many charities and thoroughly enjoyed both the work and the people I met doing it. It wasn't until I was 22 and living in London that I decided to devote my career and life (if it takes that long) to eradicating the disease. This decision was motivated by what I had learned and the people I had met since swimming the English Channel. Their stories, losses and the extent to which my eyes had been blinded to the REAL sitution in the world today, changed my life.

Human rights is a global concern but it is not adequately practical in Africa as compare to Europe and the USA. Major reasons are our traditions, belief, and poverty. The question is what can advocates or activists do to see that human rights is not just being preach on paper as we think is happening in Africa, but being practical in our lives so that it can affect changes in our life, society and institutions? - Tanzania

Stephen: Know your rights and tell others. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a famous document, yet how many of you have actually read it? Not many I'd guess. I only read it 2 years ago for the first time. Start by reading this historic document and passing it on to your teachers and fellow students. There would be nothing more impressive to a teacher or principal of a school than a student asking them to teach this to their students. Discuss which of the rights are not practical and why. Then decide how to overcome this divide. This is a very difficult task for many societies who don't enforce Human Rights in their law or through their law-keepers. The media is the most powerful tool of the activist. If you are a young activist preaching a strong, intelligent message, you will find there are plenty of journalists ready to listen. Always be clear with what you want to achieve, plan you strategy and follow through.

It seems to me that so many people think AIDS is only affecting Africa. How can we raise awareness of the fact that AIDS affects people everywhere?... in the USA, in Europe, in South America, everywhere! - USA

Stephen: This is true. AIDS is on the rise in most parts of the world. Even in Australia we are still under threat and we will see in years to come that AIDS affects everyone. My role in Australia is to facilitate this exact argument. Most people in my country think of AIDS as a thing of the past and like you say, believe it only affects Africa or Asia. My NGO tries to break down this misconception through the arts (film, theatre, music, art) primarily. We do art exhibitions, film premiers, rock concerts, short play festivals and are now attempting to launch a media campaign similar to anti-smoking or wear you seat belt campaigns. This involved coming up with a good idea, taking it to the relevant Government with a clear budget and plan and asking for the $10-$12 million dollars we need to do it. It sounds crazy but we will most likely get it. Remember that this money can only be used to it's purpose. None goes to our charity or our pockets. We have already spent around $5000 developing our idea and pitch to the Governement. So you see, we are doing a professional job with the goal of eduating the general public. As for what you can do, I love the slogan "Act locally, think Globally". Do something on a smaller scale to make a difference. Even if you just make a few banners and stick them up around town. They'll be taken down over a few days, but people will see them and a difference will be made.

	For Participants Stephen Hunt www.yeah.org.au Stephen Hunt has lived everyday to the fullest in his brief 24 years on this earth. He started out as a musician at a young age, then an adventurer, an academic, a sportsman, an actor and now a World Youth Ambassador. He has excelled to the highest levels in each of these fields as well as helping a few people along the way. Best known for his portrayal of Matt Hancock in ‘Neighbours’ (BBC drama series), Stephen has also popped up in ‘Home and Away’ (Channel 7 Series), several commercials, and as a guest on ‘RISE’, ‘GMA’, ‘Stitch Up’, and ‘Xchange’. He is an award winning playwright and has performed his own work on stage as well as headlining a Christmas Pantomime in Stevenage (near London, U.K) with Bradley Walsh. Stephen has been performing music professionally since early 2000. He has played solo and in bands all over the world including Australia, the U.S, and the U.K with a variety of different performers. Always giving a percentage of his fee to charity, Stephen has performed in several top class venue's including the Iceberg's in Bondi, and the Hard Rock Cafe in London. He has also recorded an independent release, 'the light' with band members Simon Horn and Matt Templeton while living in London. The band are set to release their first album, 'listen' in the next 6 months. Perhaps Stephen’s most admirable achievement to date occurred in 2002 when he swam the English Channel Solo to raise over 40,000 pounds ($100,000 AU) for AIDS charities around the world. He completed the swim in 12 hours and 12 minutes after narrowly be pushed past completion at the 10 hour mark by the strong tides. He also managed to scoop the Bronze medal in the Australian Open Water Swimming Championships for the 25km event whilst training for the Channel crossing. This year Stephen swam the Gibraltar Straits (Europe to Africa – Spain to Morocco) to once again raise funds for AIDS charities around the world. He finished the swim in a new Australian Record of 3 hours 47 minutes. The swim raised roughly the same amount as the English Channel project. Stephen also launched Y.E.A.H (www.yeah.org.au) or Youth Empowerment Against HIV/AIDS this year with fellow Australian Alischa Ross. The two are now running the NGO Nationally in Australia and looking to expand overseas next year. Y.E.A.H is an education/information based AIDS charity targeted at youth and focussing on prevention. Stephen’s fundraising efforts have culminated in an AIDS Trust of Australia project in Cambodia. There they have funded the purchase of land, construction of an orphanage and running costs to house over 100 children orphaned by the pandemic. On the diplomatic front, Stephen has spoken at conferences around the world including the International AIDS Conference (Bangkok), the European Youth Peace Summit (Sarajevo) and the FAF Conference (New York). He has represented both Australia and the United Kingdom as a diplomat. He is now planning a swim from New Zealand’s North to South Islands and across Bass Strait (Australian mainland to Tasmania). There is also talk of climbing Mt Aconcagua (tallest peak in the America’s) if the right sponsor were to back it. For more information please visit www.stephenhunt.com.au; www.yeah.org.au; www.aidstrust.com.au. Stephen wants to know! Stephen Hunt has posed a question to be answered by the One World Youth Project participants on the Forum page! All participants are encouraged to give a thoughtful answer. click here to go to the question Stephen answers students questions! One World Youth Project participants submitted the following questions. We as Africans are used to hearing and watching on the Television about how are effects of HIV/AIDS but its real tough now to stop it, since the youth are still dying so we are real not understand what to do ...as you are experienced on this, we would like to ask you what can we do out of Cooperation (as we trust this is one of the weapons for fighting HIV/AIDS)? - Tanzania Stephen: The best tool for halting the spread of HIV/AIDS is education. Through education comes awareness and a social response. If everyone knew the facts about HIV/AIDS and how to protect themselves we could prevent its spread very quickly. It is important that the stigma of HIV/AIDS be broken down in order for people to be able to talk about it and openly admit if they are suffering from it. Too often is the virus transmitted because the infected person is too ashamed to tell their partner. The best thing you can do is obtain facts from UNAIDS about the current state of HIV/AIDS, how it is transmitted and how to prevent it. Armed with this information it is up to you how to most effectively disperse it throughout your community. Always remember that even a small impact is worth the effort, and no big impact can be achieved without someone taking the first chance on an idea. What do you think is the number one contributor to the AIDS epidemic? - USA Stephen: Poverty. Unfortunately, poverty affects so many people in so many different ways (e.g. education, medical treatment, condom access) that it is the perfect partner for HIV transmission. In countries and social demographics where these factors aren't such a problem, AIDS has been controlled (generally) due to access to treatment and preventative education. I don't have a lot of money. I'm a young person; but I want to help stop the spreading of HIV/AIDS, what can I do? Where do I start? - USA Stephen: You've taken the first and most important step by taking notice. Now it's up to you to work out how you can best effect the people around you and the problems you face in your local community. You need to set a goal, find people to help you achive it and see it through. My first goal was to raise money for a charity which I did by using something I was good at (swimming) to do so. I got so much out of that experience and realised how much more I could do and now run an NGO (Non-profit Government Organisation) dealing with an area I felt was being neglected in my country. You don't have to take things as far as I have, but perhaps organise a fundraiser, take an HIV test publically (tell the papers) to show you're not ashamed to deal with the situation, or most importantly, learn what you can and tell others. I highly recommend all of you see the film 'A Closer Walk' for a quick eduaction on HIV/AIDS. It's narrated by hollywood actors Glenn Close and Will Smith and it a remarkable, yet confronting film which my NGO has written a study guide for. Perhaps you could encourage your school to adopt a program around this film and study guide. One last thing I will say is that it doesn't cost money to do something. If you have a good enough idea, people will give you the money to do it but you need to be that thorough that you can convince them it's worth it. That's the hard part. No one gave me a dollar without me proving where it would go, for what reason and what they would receive back. Most companies who donate to charity expect some sort of public recognition and this is a good way to approach getting the money in the first place. According to a report from the Student Campaign for Child Survival there are 6 conditions that are responsible the vast majority of childhood death, these conditions are: Pneumonia, Diarrhea, Malaria, Measles, Neonatal Diseases, and HIV/AIDS. What can governments, International organizations, NGOs, health organizations, and donors can do rapidly to reduce children death rates before the year 2015 and to what extent can Africa be looked at in this vulnerable case? - Liberia Stephen: Again, when talking about Africa, I would suggest that the primary factor which needs changing is poverty. Childhood death and these kind of (mostly) treatable diseases are so prolific because the bodies of both the children and parents are malnourished and there is little medicine or vaccine available. AIDS is going to have a very terrible effect on this situation because it kills the strong and the weak in the population. It is wiping out a generation of work force leaving the elderly and the young to drive the economy. Only through a massive integrated response from Governments in particular, but also the other bodies you've mentioned, will we see the African continent thrive on it's next generation. This will require decades of aid and support to the youth of Africa today before we see the continent standing alongside the the 1st world economies. We can hope that the simple issue of reducing childhood disease can be achieved in the short-term, but the underlying cause will only go away with fair trade, and a healthy work force; two factors which are not likely to exist for a long time to come. What inspired you to take action to help eradicate HIV/AIDS? - USA Stephen: The simple answer is that my Uncle died of AIDS when I was 15. I had until that point worked in many charities and thoroughly enjoyed both the work and the people I met doing it. It wasn't until I was 22 and living in London that I decided to devote my career and life (if it takes that long) to eradicating the disease. This decision was motivated by what I had learned and the people I had met since swimming the English Channel. Their stories, losses and the extent to which my eyes had been blinded to the REAL sitution in the world today, changed my life. Human rights is a global concern but it is not adequately practical in Africa as compare to Europe and the USA. Major reasons are our traditions, belief, and poverty. The question is what can advocates or activists do to see that human rights is not just being preach on paper as we think is happening in Africa, but being practical in our lives so that it can affect changes in our life, society and institutions? - Tanzania Stephen: Know your rights and tell others. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a famous document, yet how many of you have actually read it? Not many I'd guess. I only read it 2 years ago for the first time. Start by reading this historic document and passing it on to your teachers and fellow students. There would be nothing more impressive to a teacher or principal of a school than a student asking them to teach this to their students. Discuss which of the rights are not practical and why. Then decide how to overcome this divide. This is a very difficult task for many societies who don't enforce Human Rights in their law or through their law-keepers. The media is the most powerful tool of the activist. If you are a young activist preaching a strong, intelligent message, you will find there are plenty of journalists ready to listen. Always be clear with what you want to achieve, plan you strategy and follow through. It seems to me that so many people think AIDS is only affecting Africa. How can we raise awareness of the fact that AIDS affects people everywhere?... in the USA, in Europe, in South America, everywhere! - USA Stephen: This is true. AIDS is on the rise in most parts of the world. Even in Australia we are still under threat and we will see in years to come that AIDS affects everyone. My role in Australia is to facilitate this exact argument. Most people in my country think of AIDS as a thing of the past and like you say, believe it only affects Africa or Asia. My NGO tries to break down this misconception through the arts (film, theatre, music, art) primarily. We do art exhibitions, film premiers, rock concerts, short play festivals and are now attempting to launch a media campaign similar to anti-smoking or wear you seat belt campaigns. This involved coming up with a good idea, taking it to the relevant Government with a clear budget and plan and asking for the $10-$12 million dollars we need to do it. It sounds crazy but we will most likely get it. Remember that this money can only be used to it's purpose. None goes to our charity or our pockets. We have already spent around $5000 developing our idea and pitch to the Governement. So you see, we are doing a professional job with the goal of eduating the general public. As for what you can do, I love the slogan "Act locally, think Globally". Do something on a smaller scale to make a difference. Even if you just make a few banners and stick them up around town. They'll be taken down over a few days, but people will see them and a difference will be made.

For Participants