Youth
Community Page
About the Youth Subcommittee
The ICFP Youth-Subcommittee (YSC) was formed in 2013 out of the need to develop a youth program and youth centered strategies for meaningfully engaging adolescents and young people across each ICFP, and ensure that youth participants are actively participating and getting the most out of their conference experience. Out of this need, the International Youth Alliance for Family Planning (IYAFP) was born. IYAFP played a major role during the 2016 & 2018 ICFP and is proudly co-leading all youth-focused engagement and activities at this 2022 ICFP.
The Youth Subcommittee is convened, facilitated and co-chaired by the Bill & Melinda Gates Institute for Population and Reproductive Health and engages partners across the world working with youth or in the field of Adolescent Youth Sexual and Reproductive Health.
Committee's Vision for ICFP2022
Our vision is that by 2030, no young person will be left behind, and no future generations will face inequity in access to SRH, and that all countries’ universal health coverage packages are inclusive of youth-friendly family planning and sexual and reproductive health products and services.
Although we have a long way to go, we believe that convening youth from around the globe is critical to achieving these goals. By providing a space in which diverse young voices are heard, we can best determine strategies that are sustainable, inclusive, culturally competent and representative of the SRH landscape at the global level.
The Youth Steering Committee is committed to creating opportunities within the ICFP for meaningful youth engagement, cross-generational learning and networking, capacity building, and highlighting youth work and voices from across the globe.
The Subcommittee also seeks to leverage ICFP 2022 as an opportunity to share this message outside the family planning community to reach broad populations, including people of faith, to help dispel myths that family planning goes against faith-based values, and instead, is consistent with beliefs that support protecting mothers and children.
Members, Partners & Supporters
Current membership includes IYAFP executive leadership, 120 Under 40 Family Planning Champions, FP2020, USAID, PSI, Packard, BMGF, and many respected iNGOs active in the broader SRH landscape.
Previous youth-subcommittee members included a roster of leaders within the family planning community, session facilitators, youth delegates, donors and partners and other technical experts.
Get In Touch
If you are interested in knowing more about the ICFP Youth Subcommittee, please get in touch.
Contact:
youth@theicfp.org
Youth Community Overview
There are over 1.8 billion young people in the world today, of which 90 percent live in developing countries and face enormous challenges to having a healthy and productive life. All facets of a young person’s life are directly and indirectly affected by the inaccessibility of high-quality family planning and comprehensive reproductive health services and commodities. From being denied autonomy and fundamental rights, to their abilities to pursue education, employment, and health and wellbeing, young people are continuously amongst the most marginalized.
A myriad of environmental, cultural, structural and systemic issues are at the root of the lack of access and quality of health services available to youth, each of which hinges on the fact that youth are not adequately represented in decision-making bodies in family planning, sexual and reproductive health programs and services, commodities, and forms of delivery do not reflect their intersectional needs, rights, and the information and resources they require to make informed decisions about their health.
Furthermore, youth leadership is not promoted widely within the family planning field, and this results in youth often receiving healthcare, training, and information that is not only stigma ridden, but also not comprehensive, of low and inconsistent quality, and delivered using outdated modes of communication. To address these problems and ensure a future where universal access to voluntary high-quality family planning and reproductive health care and services and information is available for all, youth MUST be engaged and included in AYSRH program and solution design and development processes, advocacy efforts, decision-making, and leadership.
Upcoming Events
WEBINAR
SRHR for Universal Health Coverage:
What Youth Want
Hosted by: YIELD Hub
Thursday, 19 January 2023
4:00 PM CET
This webinar will demonstrate the need for improved youth partnership within the adolescent and youth SRHR (Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights) ecosystem to create lasting change; exploring why youth partnership is critical to the achievement of UHC goals.
Speakers:
- Dr. Shakira Choonara: SRHR Thematic Lead, UN Women
- Lucy Fagan: Policy Officer, Major Group for Children and Youth
- Maziko Matemvu: Vice-Chair, Adolescents and Youth Constituency PMNCH
- Richard Dzikunu: Action Learning Groups Lead, YIELD Hub
- David Imbago: Manager, YIELD Hub (moderator)
The event will include English, Spanish, and French interpretation and will be recorded.
Related ICFP2022 Resources:
- FP + UHC: Innovate. Collaborate. Accelerate. | ICFP2022 Plenary
- Youth Leaders Make Bold Moves: Young People Innovate, Collaborate & Accelerate | ICFP2022 Plenary
- Youth-Led AYSRHR Global Roadmap for Action
Youth Pre-Conference
12-13 November 2022 | 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Royal Cliff Grand Hotel
Royal Summit Chamber A & B, Jomtein 1-9
Pattaya City, Thailand
When you register for the ICFP, please select the ICFP Youth Pre-Conference (12-13 November 2022) when asked about pre-conferences hosted by one of the ISC subcommittees.
The ICFP Youth Pre-conference is a 2-day gathering right before the main ICFP Conference, 12-13 November 2022.
Founded in 2013, ICFP Youth Pre-conference provides the opportunity for young people to meaningfully engage in and lead conversations. The Youth Pre-Conference is a space for youth to convene, network, and gain the resources necessary to continue their programmatic work, advocacy and research in their respective communities.
This year, the ICFP Youth Pre-conference is up to the challenge and will bring young people from around the world with diverse backgrounds to advance the sexual and reproductive health, rights, and justice agenda forward. Concepts around human rights, inclusivity, justice, identity diversity and gender equity will be at the heart of this convening, and specific attention will be given to promoting creativity and innovation throughout so that all ideas are given lift.
ICFP2022 Youth Trailblazer and FPNN Anchor Receives BBC’s “100 Women” Honor
It is with great pleasure we share that Asonele Kotu, public relations specialist from South Africa and founder of the reproductive health platform FemConnect, has just been named as one of BBC's 100 Women 2022, which highlights inspiring and influential women from...
Youth & #NotWithoutFP Forum
