Statements by opinion leaders at the XIV International AIDS Conference, held in Barcelona, Spain, in July 2002, suggest that a partnership combining youths' energy and daring with adults' experience, funding, and credibility can elevate youth concerns about HIV/AIDS as a priority for international leaders in HIV prevention.
"We are taking a new direction and you can count on it," said Peter Piot, executive director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), at a preconference rally sponsored by the Barcelona YouthForce, a group of young people and adults who worked together at the conference to raise awareness of youth and HIV/AIDS. "We are working with young people rather than for young people."
At the conference, the YouthForce alliance of some 150 youth and 50 adults from throughout the world highlighted the growing impact that HIV is having on those under age 24. The alliance sponsored press conferences and a satellite session, hosted networking sessions for youth, and published an on-site newsletter. The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funded the effort. It was coordinated by the FHI-led YouthNet program and the U.S.-based Advocates for Youth, along with two youth-run groups: the Student Global AIDS Campaign and Youth Against AIDS.
"For the first time at an international HIV/AIDS conference, young people are raising their voices and demanding to be heard as key participants in the fight against HIV/AIDS," reported the official conference newsletter, AIDS2002Today, in regard to YouthForce. And, at the closing conference plenary, in a speech reported widely around the world, former U.S. President Bill Clinton said, "The YouthForce ... [is an example] of what we have to have more of if citizens will take ownership of this fight."
Why create youth-adult partnerships?
In the reproductive health and HIV/AIDS fields, information about the impact of youth-adult partnerships on youth is limited. But literature from related fields indicates that involving young people in programs helps them form aspirations, grow in confidence, attain resources, gain skills and knowledge, change attitudes, and develop more meaningful relationships with adults.1 It can enhance social competence, problem-solving skills, autonomy, and a sense of purpose.2 Finally, it can help young people be more open to learning, engage in critical dialogue, exercise creativity, and initiate activities.3
Little information is available on the impact of youth-adult partnerships on adults, youths' reproductive health, and the programs or organizations involved. A U.S. study examined organizations where youth had decision-making roles, including serving as advisory board members, staff members, peer educators, and program planners. Interviews and focus group discussions with young people and adults from 31 organizations showed that adults began to view youth no longer as recipients of services but as competent individuals who contributed to the organizations. The energy of youth also enhanced adults' commitment to the organizations and ability to work collaboratively.4
In a program in Nigeria and Ghana called the West African Youth Initiative, youth have worked as reproductive health peer educators and in other related activities with local nongovernmental organizations. An evaluation of the project included an analysis of data from more than 3,500 interviews conducted in control and intervention communities where the youth activities took place. The proportion of sexually active youth reporting use of a modern contraceptive increased significantly in the intervention area (from 47 percent to 56 percent) during two years between baseline and follow-up data collection, compared to a slight decrease in the control area. The intervention also had a marked impact on youths' reproductive health knowledge, willingness to buy contraceptives, and ability to use contraceptives.5
Involving youth in reproductive health programs can increase credibility, visibility, and publicity for their programs, according to several studies.6 Young people often prefer to rely on peers for reproductive health information. And, youth can be visible ambassadors for their programs and organizations by serving as outreach workers, peer educators, and counselors, or – as in the case of the Barcelona YouthForce – as advocates working with policy-makers.
This article was written by Smita Sonti and William R. Finger, with technical assistance from Dr. Shyam Thapa and Hally Mahler. Sonti is an intern with YouthNet, a program coordinated by FHI and funded by USAID to improve reproductive health and prevent HIV/AIDS among young people. Finger works on information dissemination, Dr. Thapa coordinates research activities, and Mahler coordinates youth involvement issues for YouthNet. YouthLens is a YouthNet activity.
References
- Rajani R. Discussion Paper for Partners on Promoting Strategic Adolescent Participation. New York: United Nations Children's Fund, 2000; Pittman K, Irby M, Tolman J, et al. Preventing Problems, Promoting Development, Encouraging Engagement. Competing Priorities or Inseparable Goals? Takoma Park, MD: The Forum for Youth Investment, 1996.
- Norman J. Building effective youth-adult partnerships. Transitions 2001;14(1):10-12.
- Mokwena S. Youth Participation, Development and Social Change. Baltimore, MD: International Youth Foundation, 1999.
- Zeldin S, McDaniel AK, Topitzes D, et al. Youth in Decision-Making. A Study on the Impacts of Youth on Adults and Organizations. Madison, WI: The Innovation Center for Community and Youth Development, 2000.
- Brieger WR, Delano GE, Lane CG, et al. West African Youth Initiative: outcome of a reproductive health education program. J Adolesc Health 2001;29(6):436-46.
- Senderowitz J. Involving Youth in Reproductive Health Projects. Washington, DC: FOCUS on Young Adults, 1998; Academy of Educational Development. Prevention Marketing Initiative. Youth Involvement. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1997; Zeldin.
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