Nairobi, Kenya – August 12 – 14, 2024 – MenEngage Africa recently hosted a Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) Learning and Exchange Symposium in Nairobi, Kenya. The symposium brought together regional practitioners, policymakers, community leaders, and young people to promote youth involvement in sharing knowledge and developing SRHR priorities in Africa.
Under the theme “Progress 2024: Promoting the Realisation of SRHR and Gender Equality Across Africa,” the symposium set itself apart by strongly emphasising young voices and leadership to enhance SRHR and GBV (Gender-Based Violence) advocacy and outcomes. The event proved invaluable for the READY Movement in engaging with young people and providing updates on the movement and its ongoing initiatives.
“The conversations about SRHR and gender equality inspired me. Hearing from other organisations about their advocacy and seeing how we can leverage those best practices to influence our work made the experience worthwhile,” – Priscilla Ama Addo, Communications and Advocate Graduate Trainee at Y+ Global.
At the Symposium, the READY Movement showcased its commitment to empowering youth to address gaps and challenges in the HIV response through a series of impactful events and discussions. The Symposium provided a platform for young delegates to critically review the movement’s progress and explore avenues for active engagement.
One of the highlights of the Symposium was the reflection on the READY Summit, a gathering that brought together diverse groups of young people to exchange stories and experiences prior to the kick-off of ICASA 2023. This event, held in December 2023 in Harare, marked a significant milestone for the READY Movement with the official launch of the READY to Evolve Strategy, an interim plan designed to guide the movement in the coming years.
During the Symposium, participants engaged in a thought-provoking discussion to review and assess the inclusivity of the READY to Evolve Strategy, particularly in addressing the priorities of young people. They emphasised the importance of making the strategy accessible in multiple languages and formats, including visual products, to ensure broader reach and participation across diverse communities. Additionally, there was a strong call for the inclusion of young people living with disabilities in the READY program.Furthermore, the Symposium featured updates on the successful READY Academy 2.0, which took place in Eswatini. Alums from the Academy shared their inspiring experiences with the seed grants that enabled young individuals to implement interventions within their communities. The Symposium also saw participants engaging in a dialogue centred on adopting a gender-transformative approach to challenge harmful gender norms faced by women. The aim was to empower women and girls to be independent and financially capable, enabling them to assert their rights.
“I was thrilled to be part of the discussions at the Symposium and to exchange ideas that can help us strengthen our programmes. The emphasis on broadening accessibility and inclusivity shows that, even in the READY movement, we can make active steps to ensure no one is left behind and every corner of our communities are served,” – A Young READY Leader.
The Symposium served as a catalyst for mobilising a new wave of change-makers. It highlighted the importance of intensifying engagements with communities, men, and boys to challenge gender norms and utilising necessary platforms to promote advocacy on youth priorities. Furthermore, a session focused on the significance of meaningful youth representation at the upcoming UN General Assembly Summit of the Future in September 2024, providing a critical space to advance the priorities of young people within the SRHR and HIV response.
During the event, Tumie from Frontline AIDS led an inspiring and productive discussion on resource mobilisation and partnership building, emphasising the importance of carefully selecting proposals aligned with organisations’ capacity and crafting concise elevator pitches to effectively communicate their work to potential donors and partners.
The Youth Consultation with the READY Movement Focal Points, which followed the Symposium on the 15th and 16th of August, aimed at strengthening the diverse inclusion of underrepresented and marginalised groups in the partnership. It focused on Action 6 of the Frontline AIDS Global Plan of Action, which aims to foster a new generation of leaders. Emphasis was placed on clearly defining roles for young people within the governance structures, ensuring their meaningful participation, and introducing mechanisms to empower youth leaders to actively shape key decisions.
“It was inspiring to hear directly from young people about how Frontline AIDS can improve how we work with youth and, more importantly, empower them as leaders. Establishing the proposed Youth Advisory Board is just one step of the many actions we can take at Frontline AIDS to ensure that we live up to our commitment to promoting and sustaining meaningful leadership of young people in our programs, governance, and the global HIV response beyond 2030.” – Tumie Komanyane, Programmes Lead at Frontline AIDS.
The participants proposed establishing a Youth Advisory Board to ensure ongoing youth inclusion in decision-making. They recommended reserving two seats on the global board of Frontline AIDS specifically for youth members, with the provision of support and mentoring to help them navigate complex decision-making environments.
The recommendations from the Youth Consultation, including establishing a Youth Advisory Board and reserving seats on the global board, will be presented at the Frontline AIDS Partnership Meeting scheduled for September 4-6, 2024, in Brighton.
“Congratulations to MenEngage Africa for another successful learning Symposium. To be able to sit down and discuss real issues—hard-hitting issues that are often sidelined when it comes to gender-equitable evidence-based programming – is not easy, but it’s part of the challenge, and it’s how we learn and grow. We are also grateful for the efforts of Frontline AIDS and READY for helping convene the Youth Consultation. We hope those recommendations will feed into meaningful outcomes that showcase the power of youth leadership in decision-making spaces.” – Maximina Jokonya, Executive Director at Y+ Global.