Working in PHE (Population, Health, and Environment) gives me a unique perspective on the realities of community development. A lot of the factors that hinder the realization of optimum human health are closely linked to changes in the environment. As such, PHE projects bring about improved health outcomes, improved environment indicators, and more youth participation in natural resource management. As a young PHE advocate, it is important for me to find integrated and systemic approaches that increase people’s resilience and adaptation to climate emergencies. If you are a youth interested in undertaking your own advocacy journey, here are five things you should know in order to implement an effective advocacy campaign.
In August 2020, Knowledge SUCCESS embarked on a strategic initiative. Responding to knowledge-sharing needs expressed by adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive health (AYSRH) professionals, it established a robust global Community of Practice (CoP). It worked collaboratively with a group of AYSRH professionals to create the NextGen Reproductive Health (NextGen RH) CoP.
Recently, Knowledge SUCCESS Program Officer II Brittany Goetsch chatted with Sean Lord, Senior Program Officer at the Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All-Sexuals and Gays (JFLAG), about LGBTQ* AYSRH and how JFLAG pursues their vision of building a society that values all individuals, irrespective of their sexual orientation or gender identity. In this interview, Sean details his experiences with centering LGBTQ youth when creating community programs, and supporting them through initiatives like JFLAG’s peer support helpline. He also discusses how JFLAG has helped connect these young people to health care services that are safe and respectful, and how JFLAG is currently looking for opportunities to share best practices and lessons learned with others implementing LGBTQ helplines around the world.
In September 2021, Knowledge SUCCESS and the Policy, Advocacy, and Communication Enhanced for Population and Reproductive Health (PACE) project launched the first in a series of community-driven dialogues on the People-Planet Connection Discourse platform exploring the links between population, health, and the environment. Representatives from five organizations, including youth leaders from PACE’s Population, Environment, Development Youth Multimedia Fellowship, posed discussion questions to engage participants around the globe on the links between gender and climate change. The one week of dialogue generated dynamic questions, observations, and solutions. Here’s what PACE’s youth leaders had to say about their experience and their suggestions for how the discourse can be translated into concrete solutions.