The International Youth Foundation (IYF) recently published A Framework for Integrating Reproductive Health and Family Planning into Youth Development Programs, a report that seeks to help build the capacity of nongovernmental organizations to address critical health challenges facing today’s adolescents.  The report, which targets on-the-ground practitioners as well as policy makers, identifies several guiding principles such as ensuring that girls and young women gain access to resources, education, and health opportunities; maintaining age-appropriate health programs; and developing a multi-sector approach.  The framework for youth reproductive health integration was developed according to best practices in the field, and offers key elements for successful programs as well as an organizational self-assessment tool.  

 

Published as part of IYF’s “Planning for Life” initiative, the report serves to strengthen IYF’s ongoing work in the health field with members of its Global Network.  “Several factors contribute to poor reproductive health outcomes among youth around the world,” says Susan Brock, MPH, Director of Health Programs at IYF.  Among those challenges, she explains in the report, are limited knowledge on the risks of unprotected sex; lack of decision-making, negotiation, and communications skills; and limited access to reproductive health and family planning services.  “Youth urgently need access to such health-related resources in a manner that is integrated into other aspects of their lives,” Brock concludes.   

 

Click here to download a PDF file of this publication.  Click here for more information on IYF’s health education and awareness initiatives.