| De: |
Charlotte Hansen [ Profil ] |
| Sujet: |
Summary of week three
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| Envoyé: |
Oct 16th, 2008 - 18:08:11 |
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Dear Participants,
Please find below the summary of week three. It will also be uploaded as a Word file in the "Documents" folder on this E-Consultation site together with the other summaries.
SUMMARY OF WEEK THREE
“I think that we who stand to be "leaders" in our own right should set the conditions for other young people to follow suit. By this, we can set the conditions, give them something to work on.”
Participant from the Philippines
1. Do you know of efforts among young people to coordinate their efforts on and participation in promoting family planning, reproductive health, addressing sexually transmitted disease and gender equality?
The efforts mentioned by the participants who responded to the questions of week three varied from large scale efforts to efforts among just few people:
- Youth networks at larger scales such as National Youth Councils/Networks. A participant from Kenya mentioned that young people have joined networks run by adults to promote youth-adult partnerships and to identify potential and dedicated adults who are willing to work on and for youth issues
- Young people with similar background e.g. medical students who create networks on reproductive health and family planning issues
- A group of few individuals joined efforts to hold seminars on gender equality
The coordination of young people’s efforts are sometimes managed and coordinated by faith-based organizations or government-subsidized organizations.
Barriers to effective coordination can sometimes be seen in culture itself if the culture does not “allow” people to openly discuss youth issues and their organization.
2. In your experience, what conditions have led to the best opportunities for young people to actively participate in activities which seek to promote family planning, reproductive health, and gender equality and address sexually transmitted disease? What have been the greatest barriers?
Favoring conditions include:
- Youth-adult partnership
- Peer-education because young people better understand one another
- Goodwill and commitment from development partners
- Governments who are responsive to citizen's demands
- Government giving attention to family planning, reproductive health, sexually transmitted diseases and gender equality as elements to sustainable development
- Support from government institutions
- Goodwill from members of parliament
- Persistent advocacy efforts by civil society
- Reorganisation of youth themselves
- Motivation of community elders to work with young people
- Implement programmes where the young people are like in schools and clubs
- Volunteering in NGOs
- Young people are motivated to participate when they are heard and taken seriously
- Creating a balance between civil society and government involvement
The greatest barriers include:
- Low literacy levels among youth
- Inadequate attention to family planning, reproductive health, sexually transmitted diseases and gender equality in the family
- Continued controversy about sexuality education
- Inadequate resource allocation
- Inadequate dissemination of information
- Competing interests among civil society organizations
- Lack of governmental accountability
- Religion and culture
- Lack of acceptance of young people teaching older people on e.g. family planning issues
- Lack of understanding among young people about their health risks
- Lack of funds to organizations run by young people due to lack of trust
- Involving marginalized youth
3. How have the perspectives and opinions of young people been perceived among public and private institutions designing and implementing development programmes, with particular attention to those on family planning, reproductive health, sexually transmitted disease and gender equality?
Generally, the respondents believe that young people are negatively perceived and not listened to. However, several people believe that private institutions are better at listening to young people and accept their opinions.
The respondents’ experience and opinions include:
- The abilities of young people are under estimated. They are looked at as the problem, not the solution
- Older people do not give young people the opportunity to implement development programmes
- Some development agencies do not consider the opinions and views of young people when they plan and implement their programmes
- In order for young people to be heard it is important to make the right step and the right decision towards choosing people who can represent them meaningfully in e.g. parliament and other policy-making institutions
- If private institutions positively perceive the opinion and suggestions of youth, it will become easier to persuade the public
- Religion and culture play a role in the perception of young people. E.g. in Asia where wisdom is considered to come with age
- Civil society, including youth organizations, are considered as opposition to government. On the other hand, many NGOs are established by politicians to favor their own interests and hamper developmental process
- Private institution encourage young people to continue their activism
Society is yet to give young people their right to both making and executing policies that directly or indirectly affects young people
Best regards,
Charlotte
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