Transcript About Advocates for Youth - Interagency Gender Working

Involving Young Men for
Young Men’s Sake
Nicole Cheetham
Advocates for Youth
December 7, 200
About Advocates for Youth

NGO established in 1980
 Works domestically and internationally
 Mission: to promote policies and programs that
help young people make responsible decisions
about their sexual and reproductive health
 Target audiences include: youth activists,
youth-serving organizations, health
professionals, media and policy makers
The 3 R’s Philosophy
The Three R’s Philosophy of:
 Rights
– Young men and women have the right to
sexual and reproductive health information
and services
 Respect
– Young women and men deserve respect
 Responsibility
– Society has a responsibility to ensure these
rights and respect so that young men and
women can make responsible decisions
Why Focus on Youth Sexual &
Reproductive Health?

Worldwide, nearly half of all people are
under age 25
 Most people in the world become sexually
active during adolescence
 Most young people lack accurate
knowledge about reproduction and
sexuality and do not have access to
information & services
Young People are at Risk of
Unintended Parenthood and STI’s

14 million children are born to adolescent women
each year---10% of all births
 Pregnancy and childbirth complications are the
leading cause of death for women 15-19 in
developing countries.
 Globally one out of twenty adolescents gets an
STI each year.
 Youth 25 and under account for 50% of all new
HIV infections.
Why Focus on Young Men?


They have a right to have their own SRH needs addressed
Currently, many SRH services focus only on the needs of
women
 Excluding men puts all family planning responsibility on
women
 Many young men want to be involved in planning their
families
 Men often play a critical role in supporting women’s health
decisions
 Direct services to men provides indirect services to women
 Does not have to be either/or
What Influences Young
Men’s Gender Roles?
Health services
Government
Media
Family
YOUNG MEN
Religion
Community
Peers
Economics
Types of Programs

Community Participation
 Life Skills Education
 Peer education
 Mentorship
 Support groups
 Media campaigns
 Men-friendly health services
Community Participation for
YRSH in Burkina Faso

1999-2003
 3 Southern rural provinces
 Youth ages 15-24
 Goal: To improve youth’s sexual and
reproductive health through community
participation
Community Participation for
YRSH in Burkina Faso
C O M M U N I T I E S
(20 villages/sectors)
Leo Youth Pama Youth Bittou Youth
Association Association Association
Mwangaza Action
Advocates
for Youth
PIWH
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Community Participation for
YRSH in Burkina Faso
Key elements included:
 Involvement of both young men and women in
program development and implementation
 Holistic identification of young women and men’s
needs
 Separated by gender initially, then integrated
 Equal numbers of young men and women
systematically across program activities
California's Male Involvement
Program for Teen Pregnancy
Prevention

Begun in 1995
 $8 million dollars, 3-year initiative
 State-wide
 Young men ages 12-24
 Goal: to mobilize adolescent and young
adult males to play an active part in
preventing teen pregnancy and early
unintended fatherhood
California’s Male Involvement
Program for Teen Pregnancy
Prevention
Core strategies included:
 Community awareness campaigns
– Pregnancy prevention
– Responsible fatherhood

Youth leadership and prevention education services
– Life skills curriculum, RH and FP info, and other issues addressed including school
retention, gang involvement, employment, finances, and housing

Working with young men where they are
– Schools, juvenile detention centers, faith centers and migrant work camps

Institutionalization of male involvement
– School credit for participation, free transportation to sessions, change in hiring
procedures to staff youth

Youth-adult partnerships
– Mentorship component

Guidance and referral
Men As Partners Program

Established in 1996 by EngenderHealth
 Currently in 15 countries
 Goals include:
– To enhance men’s awareness and support for their
partners’ reproductive health choices
– To increase men’s access to comprehensive
reproductive health services
– To mobilize men to take an active stand for gender
equity and against gender-based violence
Men As Partners Program
Core elements of EngenderHealth’s South Africa program:
 Implementation of workshops aimed at changing accepted
knowledge, attitudes, and behavior about gender
 Mobilization of men to take action in their own
communities
 Partnerships with government clinics to improve men’s
utilization of HIV services
 Advocacy for increased governmental commitment to
promote positive male involvement
 Work with media to promote changes in social norms
Program Tips for
Male Involvement

Include young men in program development and
implementation
 Make it about them--focus on issues of importance to
them
 Set targets for participation
 Tailor programs to particular groups
– Age, geographic location, religion, sexual orientation,
etc..
 Reach young men where they are: workplace, sports
spaces, etc..
 Use participatory methods
 Identify adult and young men who exhibit gender equitable
relationships and work with them as mentors and role
models
Program Tips for
Male Involvement

While separating young men and women can be
important, it is not necessary all the time. Bringing them
together helps break down stereotypes, but a safe and
informed environment has to be created
 Address gender holistically, recognizing stereotypes on
both sides and the mutual responsibility to counter them
 Where possible, offer holistic services that address
adolescent boys’ varying needs
 Promote services for young men
 Promote positive views of young men rather than
referencing only the negative
Tips for Involving Young Men

Establish clear goals for participation
 Share the power to make decisions
 Get commitment from the highest levels of
the organization
 Be clear on roles and responsibilities
 Be selective
 Provide training
 Use humor
Tips for Involving Young Men
 Educate
everyone involved about
different communication styles
 Value participation
 Include room for growth
 Remember that young men have
other interests, responsibilities, and
commitments
In Conclusion

Young men are in many ways subjected
to a gender straight-jacket
 Involving young men in reproductive
health programs is doable.
 For their sake, as well as that of their
partners and families, it’s critical to
involve young men in reproductive health
programs.