THE youth are the backbone of any thriving society and when it comes to tackling the challenges of Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH), empowering young leaders is crucial. This sentiment is at the heart of the Young and Alive Initiative, an organisation that continues to make strides in promoting edu cation, advocacy and col laboration on SRH issues in Tanzania.
On the heels of their third annual Young and Alive Summit, held in Aru sha, the initiative reaffirmed its commitment to empow ering youth advocates to drive meaningful change in their communities.
Young and Alive Man aging Director, Otuck Wil liam says the summit serves as a platform for youth lead ers from diverse organisa tions to share experiences, discuss challenges and collaborate on solutions to im prove access to sexual and reproductive health services for their peers.
Since its inception, the Young and Alive Summit has become a cornerstone event for young profession als working in the SRH and family planning sectors.
The first summit was a modest gathering, but the event has rapidly grown, with over 200 participants attending the 2022 summit in Dar es Salaam and 2023’s forum in Dodoma.
The 2024 event in Arusha continued this upward trend, bringing together a dynamic group of youth leaders dedicated to making a difference. Mr William highlighted the significance of the sum mit in fostering youth-driv en dialogue around SRH. “The forum is key in driving forward sexual edu cation for the youth,” he said.
William emphasised that, beyond simply dis seminating information, the summit serves as a space where young people can share personal experiences and collaborate on solutions to the challenges they face in accessing sexual health resources.
He said through peer-to peer learning, participants gain invaluable insights into how SRH issues manifest in different communities and how they can be addressed at the grassroots level.
He elaborated that for many young people in Tan zania, navigating SRH issues can be daunting due to societal stigma, lack of access to quality services and inadequate education on critical topics like contra ception, safe sex and reproductive rights.
“By fostering open dialogue and creating a network of peer support, the Young and Alive Summit provides a much-needed space for young people to feel heard and empowered,” he said.
At the heart of the ini tiative’s work is the goal of creating informed and pas sionate advocates for sexual and reproductive health. Ms Sesilia Shirima, the CEO of the Young and Alive Initiative, emphasised the organisation’s commitment to equipping young profes sionals with the knowledge and skills needed to become effective advocates in their communities.
“We aim to provide the skills, knowledge and resources necessary for youth to become effective advo cates,” Shirima said. Since its founding in 2017, Ms Shirima says the Young and Alive Initiative has worked to ensure that youth have the tools they need to lead campaigns, inform their peers and con tribute to policy discussions surrounding SRH.
By focusing on leadership development, the ini tiative helps young people develop confidence and expertise in areas such as public speaking, community organising and strategic ad vocacy.
These youth leaders are then empowered to engage with local government rep resentatives, healthcare pro viders and other stakehold ers to advocate for better SRH services and policies that cater to young people’s needs. In the context of Tan zania, where SRH educa tion and services for youth are often underfunded and overlooked, the work being done by YAI is vital.
Youth leaders trained by the ini tiative are able to speak to their peers in a relatable way, helping them to better understand their rights and the resources available to them.
The Young and Alive Summit would not be pos sible without the support of key partners, including Ma rie Stopes Tanzania (MST).
A long-time collaborator, MST sponsored the event and used the platform to provide critical healthcare services to attendees, in cluding cervical cancer screenings and family planning services.
Dr Mashingo Lerise, the Adolescent and Youth SRH Facilitator at Marie Stopes Tanzania, shared the impact the summit had in terms of providing essential health services. “We identified one pa tient through our screening,” Dr Lerise noted, reflecting the importance of incor porating direct healthcare services into events like the Young and Alive Summit. He says by offering these screenings, MST not only contributed to the sum mit’s SRH education goals but also addressed immedi ate health needs in the youth community.
In addition to providing health services, Dr Lerise emphasised the importance of offering young people access to family planning information. “The summit is an op portunity to provide the necessary information and services to youth, ensuring they can make informed de cisions about their reproduc tive health,” he said.
MST’s partnership with YAI highlights the critical role that healthcare provid ers play in supporting edu cational initiatives, ensuring that the information shared at events like the summit is not only theoretical but also actionable. The summit also highlighted the work of organ isations like the MST’s Youth for Health Project, represented by Youth Coor dinator Tuponege Donald.
Ms Tuponege said the project focuses on support ing adolescent champions who advocate for SRH issues on behalf of their peers and highlighted how the summit plays a vital role in connecting youth leaders from various parts of Tanza nia, enabling them to share best practices and work to gether on issues that affect them all.
“The summit continues to promote knowledge shar ing, leadership development and economic opportunities for young people across Tanzania,” she said.
The Young and Alive Summit was not just about discussing SRH issues; it also incorporated leadership training, economic empowerment and personal development into its framework.
Participants were given opportunities to enhance their public speaking skills, learn about social entrepreneurship and develop practical solutions to community challenges. This holistic approach ensures that youth leaders are not just informed advocates but also well-rounded individuals capable of driving change in multiple areas.
Ms Sesilia Shirima, the CEO of the Young and Alive Initiative further said that by connecting youth with experts, healthcare providers and fellow advocates, the summit created a robust network of individuals who are ready to take on the challenge of improving sexual and reproductive health for young people across Tan
zania. She said this network also provides long-term support for young professionals, who can continue to lean on one another for guidance and encouragement in their respective advocacy efforts.
Looking forward, she said the Young and Alive Summit is poised to con tinue growing and evolving, saying as the world grapples with new challenges related to health, technology and access to information, youth-led initiatives like the one spearheaded by the Young and Alive Initiative will play a crucial role in shaping the future of sexual and reproductive health.
The ongoing commitment to empowering youth, fostering partnerships, and expanding the reach of SRH education will undoubtedly result in lasting change for generations to come.
By supporting young advo cates and ensuring they have the knowledge, resources and confidence to lead, the Young and Alive Initiative is shaping a healthier, more informed future for Tanza nia’s youth.
As Otuck William aptly summarised, “The future belongs to those who are prepared and the youth are not just the future, they are the change we need today.” The Young and Alive Summit is just one example of how young people can lead the way in tackling some of the world’s most pressing issues.
Through collaboration, education and empowerment, they are proving that the future is indeed young and alive.
