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Day 2 -- African Youth Development Forum
Anyone who thinks they have all the answers is the hugest chunk of the problem. No one has all the answers, but everyone has some answers that could be explored.
Youth is a period of constant transition: puberty, sexual initiation, leaving school, marriage, pregnancy etc… At every different stage we need to have a program that is designed to meet our needs. Youth reproductive strategies demand a multi-sectorial integrated approach.
Social change and young people’s reproductive health; pubic hair! -- can be controlled with a shaving stick, but when it come to sexual behavior, believes and practices you’ve got to listen first. The complexities of an individual feelings and response to sexual growth especially when they are young cannot have a one size fits all solution, oh except CONDOMS!—one size fits all, but even that the number of condoms you use in an intercourse depends on how far/ long, YOU want to go. So, my point is, put healthy choices on the table and let young people choose. Abstinence is healthy and so is condom use!
In Ethiopia, there is no gap in terms of policy, they have a youth policy, a reproductive health policy, a women’s policy, and an HIV/ AIDS policy but there is a gap in terms implementation and mobilizing resources. Like it is all over the world, there is no way to make a difference with a policy without resources.
There was a panelist at the youth forum who consistently answered every question by saying, “read the African Youth Charter!” In the beginning, I thought I really should read the African Youth Charter thoroughly, so I did. I still think everybody should read the African Youth Charter; it is a brilliantly written comprehensive document. The charter provides a framework that duly prioritizes youth development and empowerment. Change is possible when there are good policies to fall back on, yet policies do not become change until we Act. The MDG’s have been around for 20 years: Goal 6, Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases. We have five years left to halt and begin to reverse the spread.
Why focus on adolescents and young adults? “Young People matter today and tomorrow”
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