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Announcing the Launch of NextGen RH

The Next Generation of Youth Community of Practice


Are you working in adolescent and youth reproductive health (AYRH)? Then we’ve got exciting news! Read about how Knowledge SUCCESS is launching NextGen RH, a new youth Community of Practice that will serve as a platform of exchange, collaboration, and capacity building. Together we’ll creatively develop solutions to common challenges, support and develop AYRH best practices, and push the field towards new areas of exploration.

There has never been a more critical time to focus on the reproductive health needs of adolescents and youth than today. Today’s population of adolescents and youth is the largest in history. In 2019, there were approximately 1.8 billion adolescents and youth in the world; in many countries, young people make up half or more of the population. Ensuring that the needs of this population are met is important to achieving improvements in reproductive health globally. Yet, despite progress, well-documented reproductive health challenges among this population persist, and programs working in the adolescent and youth reproductive health (AYRH) field often express a desire for an increase in the coordination of programs, and development of technical guidance, tools, and practical recommendations for implementation.

There is no time to wait. Now is the time for the next generation of reproductive health programming and research for adolescents and youth. Achieving this ambitious goal requires collaboration and knowledge-sharing across all projects and organizations working to improve AYRH. This is why the Knowledge SUCCESS Project is launching NextGen RH.

A dance troupe with Public Health Ambassadors Uganda. Photo © 2016 David Alexander/Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs, Courtesy of Photoshare
A dance troupe with Public Health Ambassadors Uganda (PHAU) perform in the Luwero market to call attention to a pop-up health clinic providing HIV testing, Family Planning education and referrals, and de-worming kits. Photo © 2016 David Alexander/Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs, Courtesy of Photoshare

NextGen RH is a new Community of Practice (CoP) that is focused on strengthening collective efforts to advance the field of AYRH. Supported by an advisory committee and general members, the CoP serves as a platform of collaboration, knowledge sharing, and capacity building to creatively develop solutions to common challenges and develop and support AYRH best practices. The CoP also works to drive the field towards new areas of exploration, including new research and connections to other development sectors. It will push the boundaries on what was previously thought possible. The CoP encourages diverse participation from those working in AYRH, including youth-led organizations, and local non-governmental organizations and civil society organizations.

Are you working on AYRH programs? Are there questions related to AYRH that you can’t seem to find answers to? Do you wish you could brainstorm with a wide range of professionals and organizations on innovative strategies to push the field forward?

Then NextGen RH is for you!

Please join us on our IBPXchange page (free account required) to receive CoP updates and engage with other members! Together we can build the next generation of reproductive health programming and research for adolescents and youth.

Brittany Goetsch

Program Officer, Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs

Brittany Goetsch is a Program Officer at the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs. She supports field programs, content creation, and knowledge management partnership activities. Her experience includes developing educational curriculum, training health and education professionals, designing strategic health plans, and managing large-scale community outreach events. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from The American University. She also holds a Master of Public Health in Global Health and a Masters of Arts in Latin American and Hemispheric Studies from The George Washington University.

Kate Plourde

Technical Advisor, Global Health Population and Research, FHI 360

Kate Plourde, MPH, is a Technical Advisor within the Global Health Population and Research Department at FHI 360. Her areas of specialization include advancing the health and well-being of adolescent girls and young women; addressing social norms, including negative gender norms; and using new technology, including mobile phones and social media, for health education and promotion. She is a DrPH candidate at the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health and earned a Master of Public Health with a Global Health concentration from Boston University.