Side by Side: Building and Sustaining a Culture of Youth Participation at Reprolatina

Offered by the International Women's Health Coalition (IWHC), Side by Side is a case study of youth participation fostered by Reprolatina, a sexual and reproductive health and rights non-governmental organisation (NGO) based in Southeastern Brazil. The resource draws on interviews and observations conducted over several weeks to recount Reprolatina's experience translating a commitment to youth participation into a daily process of youth-adult partnership - in the staff's own words. It focuses on those aspects of Reprolatina's experience that do not require substantial resources in an effort to serve as a practical tool for organisations, policymakers, educators, activists, professionals, donors, and international agencies who wish to engage young people as protagonists as well as beneficiaries in their institutions, programmes, advocacy, and movements.

Specifically, following a time line tracing the development of Reprolatina's adolescent programme, Part I examines 8 core elements of Reprolatina's institutional philosophy that are designed to foster adult-youth partnerships and build youth leadership within the organisation. Each core element is followed by suggested strategies for implementation, based on Reprolatina's experience and informed by recommendations from a 2004 Dialogue with Young Leaders co-organised by IWHC and the Youth Coalition. Part II takes a closer look at the process, identifying Reprolatina's day-to-day strategies for maintaining a productive working environment that is participatory and supportive of young staff members' personal and professional growth. Part II also describes how two youth staff initiatives - the establishment of a peer education group in a local vocational training centre for teens and the development of an adolescent-friendly website on sexual and reproductive health and rights - have developed the youth staff's capacities while helping the organisation reach more young people. References to additional resources on youth health and rights and youth participation are listed at the end of the publication.

Click here to download the English or multilingual editions (4 languages - English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish - in one document) in PDF format. Hard copies are also available from IWHC (see ordering information below).

Click here to access the French version online.

Click here to access the Portuguese version online.

Click here to access the Spanish version online.