Summary

In October 2001, Advocates for Youth launched a 3-year initiative called Youth Leadership in Fighting the Epidemic (YouthLIFE) in order to build youth's leadership capacity in the area of youth-specific HIV/AIDS prevention interventions and advocacy. The program involves partnering with four youth-led NGOs in three countries: the Youth Health Organization (YOHO) of Botswana, the Youth Action Rangers of Nigeria (YARN), the Township AIDS Project (TAP) in South Africa, and the South African Centre for Organisational Development (SACORD). Efforts include skills-based training, advocacy program implementation, organizational development, and efforts to secure youth participation in policy making.

Main Communication Strategies

A key approach spanning all program efforts is community (youth) participation.

In Botswana, Advocates for Youth is working with YOHO to implement youth-specific HIV/AIDS interventions, including the use of program that entertain while educating as a prevention strategy. YOHO promotes Ministry of Health program, such as those that focus on preventing mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV/AIDS and on blood donation. It also conducts peer education program with in- and out-of-school youth and uses various media outlets (radio and printed materials) to spread sexual health messages. Finally, Advocates for Youth assists YOHO in its efforts to increase the participation of youth participation in policymaking bodies by offering advocacy and leadership skills training sessions.

In Nigeria, Advocates for Youth is helping YARN foster its organizational capacity as a sustainable NGO. Specifically, Advocates for Youth is helping establish a staffed office in Lagos, providing assistance with YARN's peer education program, facilitating the offering of youth-friendly voluntary counseling and testing (VCT) services, and helping develop an interactive Web site. YARN is also working to secure youth's participation at all levels of sexual health policy making.

In South Africa, Advocates for Youth is supporting SACORD in the development of the Mayihlome Graduate Alive Project, a tertiary institution-based HIV/AIDS student leadership project. Through regional leadership trainings and one-on-one meetings, SACORD is providing technical assistance to student leaders who seek to organize campus-wide HIV/AIDS awareness raising and stigma reduction activities. Advocates for Youth is also assisting SACORD in developing an interactive Web site and radio programs.

Advocates for Youth is also assisting YOHO in Botswana, YARN in Nigeria, and TAP in South Africa with the launch of cyber café initiatives, whereby youth are provided access to the Internet, guidance on how to access information on reproductive and sexual health, and trained to be online peer advisors. Cyber café activities are intended to complement each NGO's existing youth outreach efforts by providing a virtual and physical space for youth.

Advocates for Youth also provides opportunities for staff from youth-led NGOs to expand their skills as educators and advocates, and to network with other youth HIV/AIDS activists. For example, Advocates sponsored a weeklong, Youth Leadership Institute for youth activists.

Finally, the project sponsors the participation of youth leaders in international conferences. It is hoped that these conferences will build youth's leadership skills and provide them with networking opportunities. For example, YouthLIFE supported 15 young people who helped organize the Barcelona YouthForce at the International AIDS Conference in Barcelona (July 2002). The YouthForce helped youth leaders attending the conference with networking, and also raised visibility about the lack of youth participation in HIV/AIDS policy making.

Key Points

As a result of the 2002 Youth Leadership Institute, in Botswana, participants formed a Youth Activist Network (YAN) to bring together youth from various NGOs to collaborate on ways to improve youth's reproductive and sexual health in their communities. The YAN offers a weekly forum for young leaders to share information about activities, brainstorm on collaborative efforts, and transfer skills related to health promotion activities. In addition, young people successfully advocated for a position on the National AIDS Coordinating Association (NACA). The YAN representative on the NACA successfully advocated for a 50 percent increase in funding designated for youth programs, including programs to improve youth's access to condoms.

In Nigeria, youth activists also developed plans to press for more participation by youth on decision making bodies. One youth activist educated his peers about the importance of youth's participation in decisions that affect their reproductive and sexual health. In turn, these youth activists helped secure a position for a young person on the Nigerian national coordinating mechanism for the Global Fund on HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria, the CISGHAN (Civil Society Consultative Group on HIV/AIDS in Nigeria).

In South Africa, youth activists held a workshop in October 2002 for 30 university students on the importance of comprehensive sexuality education and youth's access to sexual health services.

Partners

Advocates for Youth, YOHO, YARN, TAP, and SACORD. Funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

For More Information, Contact

Kent Klindera
Director, YouthLIFE Initiative
Advocates for Youth
2000 M Street NW, Suite 750
Washington, DC 20036 USA
Phone: (202) 419-3420
Fax: (202) 419-1448
www.advocatesforyouth.org

Individual Partners

Mr. Vuyisele Otukile
Youth Health Organization of Botswana
c/o BOTUSA Project
PO Box 90
Gaborone—Botswana
Phone: (267) 393-3537
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Mr. Moses Imayi
Youth Action Rangers of Nigeria
56, Moleye Street; Off Alagomegi
Sabo, Yaba, Lagos—Nigeria
Phone: (234) 1.482.3550
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Mr. Freddy Pilusa
South African Centre for Organisational Development
Barclay Square—Office 406
Sunnyside, Pretoria 0001—South Africa
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   OR

PO Box 494
Kasselsvlei 7535—South Africa
Phone: +(27) 12.440.3076 or 12.341 7765
Fax: +(27) 12.440.3168

Ms. Enea Montague
Township AIDS Project
Ipeleng Community Center
White City, Jabavu, Soweto—South Africa
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   OR

PO Box 4168
Johannesburg 2000—South Africa
Phone: +(27) 11.982.1016/27 or +(27) 11.833.6748/9
Fax: +(27) 11.838.5073

This summary written by This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , consultant for The Communication Initiative, April 2003.