Understanding Adolescent and Youth Needs and Rights

Adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive health (AYSRH) is crucial, especially with young people (ages 10-24) comprising 1.8 billion of the global population. Since the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), progress has been made to improve AYSRH but many challenges remain due to societal barriers and ineffective strategies. Recently, effective interventions like comprehensive sexuality education and youth-responsive services have emerged but are not always implemented effectively.

The Family Planning 2030 (FP2030) initiative calls for meaningful youth engagement (MYE) in sexual and reproductive health (SRH) programs, integrating young people’s perspectives to ensure youth-driven interventions. FP2030 emphasizes removing barriers related to age and marital status and advocating for inclusive policies.

Persistent myths, misconceptions, and biases often hinder young people’s access to SRH services. AYSRH programs aim to overcome these challenges by making services accessible and challenging societal norms that restrict access. This approach empowers young people to make informed reproductive decisions and improves their overall well-being.

What is Meaningful Youth Engagement?

Young people are diverse rights holders on their own, and meaningful youth engagement is a right of all young people by the Convention on the Rights of the Child. MYE means that young people can participate on equal terms with adults, or work independently, in organizations as well as in all stages of programming and policy-making: design, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation. Mechanisms are set in place for young people to have an active role, in which their voices are heard and respected. 

AYSRH programs that engage youth authentically benefit from the energy, unique and fresh perspectives that youth bring into program design, help remove barriers to engaging youth in their diversity, and ensure that appropriate attention is given to problems that might otherwise go unnoticed by adults. 

Effective engagement of youth in AYSRH programs emphasizes their active involvement, empowerment, and skill development. This includes leveraging innovative technologies to facilitate youth engagement, aligning program strategies and approaches with the actual needs and perspectives of young people, and establishing collaborative two-way partnerships that amplify the voices of adolescents and youth. Implementing transparent and innovative approaches is key to effectively addressing adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive health concerns in a meaningful and sustainable way.

Youth engagement can range from no engagement to true youth engagement or partnership, with youth partnership referring to rungs 7-8 of Hart’s Ladder of Participation, when youth are afforded leadership roles and power, and decision-making is equally shared with non-youth.

Strategies for Meaningful Youth Engagement and Challenges

Meaningful youth engagement is not just a buzzword but a fundamental principle that can drive the success and impact of initiatives aimed at improving the health and well-being of young people.  

Let’s explore some key strategies for meaningful youth engagement in AYSRH programming, drawing from best practices and innovative approaches. 

As a young professional specializing in youth-responsive research and programs related to AYSRH, gender, and mental health in both Ethiopia and international contexts, I often utilize a powerful tool known as the “flower of participation,” developed by CHOICE for Sexuality and Education, when talking about youth engagement. This tool, employing the metaphor of a blooming flower, illustrates the diverse forms of youth participation, grounded by rights and empowerment (the roots) and supported by acts of information sharing and shared decision-making (the stem) that lead to to youth-centric outcomes (the petals). This metaphor also serves as a valuable reflection tool to assess the level of youth involvement in initiatives. 

In a recent workshop to enhance understanding of MYE among project implementers and staff, I facilitated an exercise with other youth using the “flower of participation” tool. Participants analyzed case studies of common scenarios in youth programs, initially believing these represented correct engagement practices. This led to insightful discussions. During this activity, an adult project coordinator I collaborated closely with took a moment to reflect on a past incident where he suspected his actions might have been tokenistic. He approached me privately to seek clarification and express his concerns, demonstrating a genuine commitment to understanding and improving his approach. Though I didn’t think the incident was tokenism, I appreciated his willingness to engage in critical self-reflection and open dialogue. This experience reaffirmed my conviction in the efficacy of utilizing the “flower of participation” tool with diverse stakeholders to foster greater understanding and meaningful youth engagement within projects and organizations.

The “flower of participation” emphasizes the importance of acknowledging young people’s rights and needs in their participation, highlighting the significance of involving youth authentically in decision-making processes and program implementation. Check it out here. 

What Works and What Doesn’t? 

Engaging Adolescents and Youth in Decision-Making

Empowering young people to actively participate in decision-making processes related to AYSRH should be more than just paying lip service to youth involvement. In my experience with adolescents and youth, I’ve observed that many youth-focused and youth-led organizations claim to involve young people in decision-making but fail to do so meaningfully. This is a challenge I’ve faced as well. True and meaningful engagement requires us to relinquish the need to micromanage and genuinely provide adolescents and youth with the platforms to lead in planning, implementing, monitoring, and evaluating initiatives and programs. 

I’ve witnessed firsthand how programs can fail or even cause harm when there is a lack of shared power between adults and young people. By stepping back, adults can allow adolescents and youth to lead in shaping the priorities and activities based on their needs, resulting in more relevant and responsive programming tailored to their community’s challenges. Acknowledging the unique perspectives and experiences of young participants leads to them feeling heard, valued, and empowered. Such a collaborative approach fosters ownership and mutual accountability. 

Empowerment and Skill Development

Investing in capacity building and leadership development, programs can foster a sense of ownership and agency among youth, enabling them to take charge of their sexual and reproductive health. As both a youth and a program implementer experienced in working with adolescents and youth, I have consistently observed certain skills such as personal development, problem-solving abilities, and entrepreneurship are the ones that come up repeatedly.  However, this does not mean all adolescents and youth are homogenous and want the same thing nor spoon-feeding them information and expecting passive acceptance. As we develop their skills, we must also recognize that youth possess their own expertise beyond simply being “young.” It is crucial not to assume that, because they are youth, they lack knowledge or are always in need of capacity strengthening and leadership development. We can assess their needs by engaging in meaningful conversations that allow adolescents and youth to articulate their needs for skill development. Respecting and valuing their existing expertise is essential for truly empowering and engaging them in impactful ways.

Balancing Innovation With Trust in Youth Engagement 

Utilizing digital platforms, mobile apps, and social media can facilitate communication, education, and service delivery, making it easier to connect with young people and provide them with relevant information and support. While it’s exciting to chase the next best tool, we risk losing sight of resolving the actual issues if we don’t prioritize genuine, trustworthy relationships with the youth we aim to support. Balancing innovation with trust-building is essential for truly effective youth engagement.

Aligning Strategies With Actual Needs

Tailoring AYSRH programs to address the specific needs and priorities of young people by conducting needs assessments, listening to youth voices, and adapting interventions accordingly can better meet the diverse and evolving needs of adolescents and youth in SRH. One of the biggest mistakes I made was assuming a one-size-fits-all approach would work. For instance, while working with a youth-focused organization, I realized that the youth advisory council had been designed with a one-size-fits-all approach, unintentionally overlooking the unique needs of young people with disabilities (YPWDs). Recognizing this critical oversight in 2022, I collaborated with a group of youth council members to launch a disability-inclusive AYSRH program. This initiative addressed the gap by training health professionals in disability inclusivity and basic sign language, and by facilitating dialogues among YPWDs on sexual and reproductive health and rights. Additionally, during another recent youth council launch, I ensured the active participation of YPWDs by providing necessary accommodations such as sign language interpreters and braille materials. Furthermore, when forming the next youth advisory council, the alumni and I made sure to include a diverse representation of adolescents and youth, including YPWDs, those living in urban and rural areas, individuals from various socioeconomic backgrounds, and age groups ranging from 10 to 24. 

Collaborative Partnerships

Working together with diverse partners, programs can leverage collective expertise, resources, and networks to amplify the impact of AYSRH initiatives and create sustainable change. This collaboration and working together needs to be bi-directional. The term I like and use to explain this approach is the “youth-adult” partnership in which both young people and adults are equally involved and share power. Adults learn from youth just as youth learn from adults. 

Challenges to Meaningful Youth Engagement

“Meaningful Youth Engagement” has become a ubiquitous phrase, adorning countless grant proposals and non-government organization (NGO) websites. Yet, beyond the facade of buzzwords, how many adults are truly prepared to relinquish power and embrace being challenged? It’s an uncomfortable prospect. It entails surrendering control and acknowledging that traditional approaches are no longer sufficient.

Navigating through these endeavors is not devoid of challenges. Among the most prevalent hurdles is the absence of youth-centered programming, often resulting in initiatives that fail to adapt to the distinct needs and complexities faced by young individuals. This exclusion from decision-making processes can significantly impede the efficacy of programs, constraining their capacity to adequately address the diverse needs and hurdles encountered by youth.

Another is the lack of resources and funding for MYE efforts. MYE can often require more time and resources, especially in staff time, and accounting for this in budget and implementation is crucial. The other is managing the expectations of stakeholders, such as team members, donors, partners, and young people themselves. It is crucial to communicate clearly what the purpose and goals of the program are, and what they are not. This includes explaining that the program is not a final product, but a learning tool that will help iterate and improve the solution.

Achieving meaningful youth engagement in AYSRH demands genuine interaction with adolescents and youth, tailored to their specific needs, and fostering equitable power dynamics. It’s essential to recognize that adolescents and youth aren’t passive recipients but active participants with valuable stories, knowledge, and capabilities that can enhance AYSRH programming. By embracing technological advancements, fostering trust, and aligning strategies with their actual needs, we can refine and personalize our AYSRH initiatives. 

Let’s always remember that the true power holders and recipients of AYSRH programming are adolescents and youth themselves.