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Adolescent and Youth Sexual and Reproductive Health AYSRH

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Adolescent and Youth Sexual and Reproductive Health (AYSRH)

Youth (ages 10–29) are a diverse group with different needs. They face numerous social, economic, and health challenges all while exploring and establishing their identity. The family planning and reproductive health (FP/RH) workforce in Asia, East Africa, and West Africa have identified youth, as well as meaningful youth engagement, as key focus areas in Knowledge SUCCESS surveys. The findings reiterated the fact that many young people are sexually active and are at risk of adverse reproductive health outcomes that subsequently can affect the achievement of their life goals. Youth may  not have access to contraception (including condoms) or may not feel empowered or have the knowledge to use them consistently. In general, young people are unlikely to seek health services, and when  they do, they often encounter bias and judgment from health workers.(read more)

While health systems have slowly evolved to accommodate the needs of this age group—both from program and service delivery perspectives—more needs to be done. To combat this gap, programs can apply knowledge management techniques to the following approaches:

  • Training to address health worker bias
  • Social and behavior change communication
  • Advocacy for policy change
  • Edusports and edutainment
  • Life skills education
  • Educational messages designed for youth and shared via various media outlets
  • Mentorship
  • Outreach services
  • Adolescent Responsive Service delivery
  • Social media
  • Youth support structures
  • Demand creation linked to services
  • Social behavior change communication in communities
  • Social norm change

These approaches are usually implemented in conjunction with others—like pairing demand creation with outreach services and addressing provider bias. Donors, government agencies, programs, and service providers must take holistic approaches to addressing youth issues, utilizing existing resources and evidence-based interventions to counteract social norms. (read less)

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Mother in Sylla Diongto, Senegal holding her infant in a purple cloth.
Mother in Sylla Diongto, Senegal holding her infant in a purple cloth.
A group of African men and women sitting down. Photo credit: Neil Freeman for Alliance
A powerpoint presentation intro slide that has pictures of contraceptives and the presentation title, which is "Advancing Self-Care in Asia: Insights, Experiences, and Lessons Learned"