Introducing NextGen RH CoP’s New Advisory Committee Members: Rising Stars and Experts in AYSRHR

Almost 1.2 billion people across the world are young people (ages 15-24), so there has never been a more critical time to focus on the sexual and reproductive health needs of adolescents and youth than today. Ensuring that the needs of the youth population are met is important to achieving improvements in reproductive health globally. Working with youth leaders who are AYSRHR experts in developing responsive solutions is necessary to make lasting change.

Leadership Structure within the CoP

Since it was launched in 2022, the NextGen RH Community of Practice (CoP), which is led by youth experts from Africa and Asia, has convened 4 general meetings with CoP members. The meetings have been platforms to learn about different topics such as applying behavioral science to AYSRHR programming, youth-led innovations in AYSRHR, and youth access to SRH information. Advisory committee members worked to identify the topics and experts for these meetings.

We recently included 11 new committee members to the CoP advisory committee, and a new youth co-chair. We’re excited for these vibrant members bringing in their expertise towards a collaborative CoP for young people. 

The youth co-chair works in partnership with the coordinating organization co-chair (currently the Knowledge SUCCESS KM Regional Officer for East Africa, Collins Otieno) with support from the CoP coordinating team to lead the CoP and coordinate the Advisory Committee. 

NextGen RH Advisory Committee Members

The youth-led CoP is headed by two co-chairs, one CoP Coordinator, one Communications Lead, and one Youth Technical Advisor in collaboration with 18 advisory committee members. The structure of this team of trailblazers creatively addresses considerations of representation and voice.

The NextGen RH Advisory Committee is a group of youth experts who run the CoP. They are motivated to share their experiences and advocate for evidence-based sexual and reproductive health interventions, providing technical support to AYSRHR knowledge sharing. 

Role of Advisory Committee Members

Since March 2022, AC members have actively participated and engaged in monthly meetings organized by Knowledge SUCCESS and the youth co-chairs. The engagement involves:

• Improving pre-planning.
• Collaborative activity design.
• Conducting design exercises.
• Exchanging materials with AYSRH organizations.
• Seeking input for CoP enhancement.

Members prioritize trust-building through activities and WhatsApp chats, fostering open sharing of experiences, challenges, and successes, promoting collaborative teamwork. View bios of committee members, including new members and the youth co-chair below.

NextGen RH Advisory Committee Members

(Hover over the photos and click “learn more” to read more about each member.)

In 2024, we are looking forward to having more advisory commitee sessions, and creating content on key AYSRHR topics. If you are interested in joining the CoP, more information can be found on this page.