Training young people from the global south and the United States on sexual and reproductive health issues and policies, advocacy and mobilization skills, new media skills, and public speaking/storytelling skills. Providing technical and financial support to youth leaders in their efforts to influence policies, mobilize peers, and use new media. Monitoring and facilitating opportunities for youth engagement on decision-making bodies, at conferences, and across other venues at the national, regional, and international levels. Disseminating a monthly newsletter to Advocates’ International Youth Activist Network that provides leaders with information on sexual and reproductive health and rights issues, tools and resources, relevant news developments, and opportunities to take action.

Providing organizational and programmatic capacity building through technical assistance and training on program design, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation, organizational development, and program strategies such as peer education, youth clubs, school-based sexuality education, youth-friendly services, community mobilization, advocacy, girls’ empowerment, gender equality, LGBTQ youth safe spaces and friendly services, youth leadership, youth-adult partnerships, parent-child communication, and behavior change communication. Providing seed funding opportunities for partner organizations in support of youth sexual and reproductive health and rights programming.

Responding to information requests received from around the world with information and resources on youth sexual and reproductive health and rights. Developing and disseminating fact sheets and other materials to support youth leaders and youth-serving organizations in program implementation and advocacy efforts.

Serving on technical working groups, editorial boards, advisory boards, coalitions, and working groups to promote the 3Rs; advance young people’s sexual and reproductive health and rights; promote best practices for youth sexual and reproductive health programming; facilitate youth-adult partnerships and meaningful youth engagement; and connect diverse constituencies that impact young people’s well being. Presenting at conferences, briefings, and other events that inform the global sexual and reproductive health community. Linking youth leaders to opportunities to engage with stakeholders and influence policy-dialogues at the national, regional, and international levels.

Advocates’ International Youth Activist Network (iYAN) consists of youth activists and adult allies from the global south who are working to improve youth reproductive and sexual health and rights programs and policies locally and globally. Members of the iYAN connect to share information about their work and receive a monthly newsletter. The newsletter features news related to global youth sexual and reproductive health and rights; information about scholarships and networking opportunities; ongoing advocacy campaigns; and materials and toolkits on a wide range of issues, such as sexuality education, contraceptive access and sexual and reproductive health services, maternal mortality, abortion, harmful traditional practices, STIs, including HIV/AIDS, gender equality, gender-based violence, stigma and discrimination, among others.

IYLC is comprised of undergraduate college students attending DC metro area universities who come together to advocate for U.S. foreign policies and United Nations agreements and declarations that recognize and support the health and rights of young people around the globe. For more information contact Khadija@advocatesforyouth.org

Advocates’ partnership initiative with youth-led and youth-serving organizations in sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean, and Asia seeks to empower existing, local organizations to implement and/or advocate for sexual and reproductive health programs, services, and/or policies that support young people’s sexual and reproductive health and rights.

AMAZE (www.amaze.org and YouTube.com/amazeorg) is a partnership between Advocates, Answer and Youth Tech Health that harnesses the power of animation and social media to provide very young adolescents with age-appropriate, comprehensive, and affirming sexuality education through short animated videos, in addition to resources for parents and educators. Grounded in gender equality and human rights, AMAZE videos address puberty, healthy relationships, personal safety, including consent, sexual assault, and bullying, pregnancy and reproduction, sexually transmitted infections, including HIV, sexual orientation and gender identity, and much more. Advocates spearheads AMAZE globally and partners with organizations to support regional initiatives in Latin America and the Caribbean (https://amaze.org/es/) and East and Southern Africa (https://amaze.org/za/), as well as collaborations in-country with local organizations, such as in South Korea and Japan. For information about AMAZE internationally, contact: nicole@advocatesforyouth.org and check out the toolkit below on how to partner with AMAZE.

Advocates works with youth-led organizations and those serving youth in low- and middle-income countries. Staff provides training, technical assistance and resources on sexuality education, youth-adult partnerships, gender equity, contraceptive access, HIV prevention, treatment and care and LGBTQ health and rights. For more information contact Nicole@advocatesforyouth.org

Advocates staff provides technical assistance, training and resources to state and local organizations regarding youth sexual health policies and communications. Staff provides model policies, provides policy review and assists with advocacy strategy to improve policy at the federal, state and local level. In addition, communications staff can assist with talking points, public speaking training and training regarding media outreach. Staff is also available to assist organizations wishing to raise the visibility of young people and their experiences and needs through social or traditional media. For more information about policy assistance contact Diana@advocatesforyouth.org For more information about communications assistance contact Emily@advocatesforyouth.org

Advocates works in partnership with organizations in Burkina Faso and Ghana to increase access to sexuality education and linkages to sexual and reproductive health services for in-school and out-of-school youth in rural areas. Advocates provides tailored technical assistance, training and resources to build organizational capacity and support program design and implementation, including community mobilization, peer education, youth clubs, school-based sexuality education, behavior change communication, gender equality and girls’ empowerment, and elimination of harmful traditional practices.

Advocates supports advocacy and programming in the form of capacity building and seed grant funding for and by LGBTQ+ youth in the Caribbean, sub-Saharan Africa, and Asia. In partnership with local LGBTQ+ youth-led and youth-serving organizations, Advocates is working to build local capacity in management of programming and advocacy initiatives for LGBTQ+ youth as well as youth-led advocacy efforts to advance LGBTQ+ sexual and reproductive health and rights and redress homophobia and transphobia.

Advocates works in partnership with UNESCO, UNFPA, and Ministries of Education to provide technical support and training to curriculum developers, teachers, and other stakeholders in Southern and East Africa on development, integration, review, and delivery of sexuality education curricula, informed by the UNESCO’s International Technical Guidance on Sexuality Education and existing needs and country frameworks. Specifically, Advocates for Youth is supporting efforts in Botswana, Burundi, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe