13-Year-Old Clout Will Deliver Message To The World

Smith and Clout discuss the Alicia Keys sing-along event

Toronto is busy preparing to open its doors to the world for the AIDS 2006 - XVI International AIDS Conference August 13 – 18, and North Bay will be sending a strong delegation.

Leading the pack is none other than the very articulate and candid 13-year-old Jerri Clout, as she welcomes women and youth from 130 countries from around the globe.

Provincial Health Minister George Smitherman was so impressed with Clout and the message she delivered during the June "Shave the Pinata" head shaving event, that he lobbied to have Clout awarded with a scholarship, as well as play a role at the Toronto conference.

“I’m delighted that Jerri and her mom are coming down to the World AIDS Conference and that they are going to be participating in so many sessions,” says MPP Monique Smith.

Smith says Clout will be focusing on a majority of the youth sessions while she will be attending and opening several sessions including an indigenous satellite program.

“It is important that we raise awareness again. That people continue to recognise that it is a problem, it continues to be a growing problem particularly in certain parts of the world and that we all have a responsibility to try and do something to deal with this crisis,” states Smith.

The MPP says she is very excited that Toronto, Ontario and Canada are hosting a conference of this magnitude.

“It’s a huge conference, there’s thousands and thousands of people attending there’s over 400 sessions over the length of the conference. Bill Gates and his wife will be there, I understand Bill Clinton will be there, Stephen Lewis and AIDS activists and community workers and health professionals from around the world from just about every country."

"So it’s a very exciting opportunity to see first hand what’s going on around the world and also to raise awareness here in Canada of what’s going on and what role we can play.”

Clout says she is really excited and can’t believe that she has been blessed with such an opportunity.

“I’ve never been to something like this before, so my mind keeps drifting to what’s it going to be like, what’s going to happen, what am I going to learn and I’m really, really grateful for the opportunity,” she says.

“And thank you to Monique and George Smitherman, and really I just can’t wait.”

Although Clout isn’t sure what the conference will hold she knows what she wants to walk away with.

“I hope lots of people learn about Patrick 4 Life and Patrick 4 Life’s goals,” she says.

“I’d like to leave hope and I’d like to leave Patrick 4 Life.”

A Blog has been set up for Jerri at www.patrick4life.org so that she can share her thoughts over the course of the week.

Clout says she is not star struck by the idea of rubbing elbows with the likes of Clinton Gates and the Bare Naked Ladies.

“It’s really inspiring because Bill Gates just donated half a billion dollars to the World AIDS Conference and somebody like him really inspires me because he has everything. He could be spending his money on himself and travelling the world and doing what he wants, but instead he’s donating his money and especially his time to this cause.”

BayToday.ca will also be covering the conference and filing reports.