tag:youact.org,2010-01-11:/atomFeeds.xmlYouAct News and Events2011-12-14T10:40:32ZYouActhttp://www.youact.orginfo@youact.orgEuropean Youth Demand Change campaign 372011-14-12T00:00:00Z2011-14-12T10:40:32ZWith support from the Internat...With support from the International Year of Youth Strategy Partnership, YouAct today launched the European Youth Demand Change campaign, calling on European decision makers to put Youth Rights at the Heart of Development.
We are calling on MEPs to COMMIT and Put Youth at the Heart of Development by:
-Declaring that youth Sexual and Reproductive Rights are Human Rights and are a crucial first step in development;
-Acknowledging that young people with diverse sexual orientations and gender identities are entitled to all human rights;
-Increasing access to youth friendly SRH services, maternal health services, a full range of contraceptives, stigma free safe abortion services and comprehensive sexuality education that is non-discriminatory, accessible and in formal and non-formal settings;
-Ensuring universal access to prevention, treatment, care and support services for young people including harm reduction education, information & services, access to: condoms, voluntary counselling & testing;
-Involving youth, supporting youth participation and promoting Human Rights-based approaches in the development of programs that affect their lives;
-Increasing government accountability to delivering their financial and political commitments to young people;
-Investing in youth-led and youth-serving organizations and initiatives and increasing support for youth-led organizations and their involvement in the decision making processes;
-Protecting and increasing financial commitments toward policies and programs that affect young people.
A group of European young people and partner organisations have developed specific calls to action for European MEPs to COMMIT to Youth Rights, and young people can participate by sending the calls to action to MEPs via the YouAct website.
The specific calls to action for MEPs include:
-Prioritizing program investments that contribute to achieving gender equality and the empowerment of women and adolescent girls as central to all future EU development policy, through the 2010 EU Gender Action Plan and recognise that the achievement of gender equality is only possible through securing women's human rights, including their sexual and reproductive rights;
-Renewing the EC's commitments to health, development, gender equality, and poverty eradication through implementation of the ICPD’s Program of Action and the Millennium Development Goals, particularly in regards to guaranteeing the SRHR of women and adolescent girls by supporting universal access to a comprehensive package of health services, information, and education;
-Ensuring that the European Parliament resolution on the Agenda for Change recognises and addresses how civil society, NGOs and in particular young people (with an emphasis on young women) in Europe and in the Global South can be actively engaged and participate in EU processes,
-Increasing finance by 5% towards Development Cooperation in particular the Investing in People Health budget line for 2013 and ensuring the Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights of young people are central to the Multi-Annual Financial Framework 2014-20 and budgetary amendments in subsequent annual budgetary procedures;
-Examination of the future Development Cooperation Instrument (DCI) ensuring that the new DCI regulation supports and upholds the ICPD agenda and the health and rights of young people, in particular young women and adolescent girls;
-Ensuring that the Health and Rights of young people are central to any future review of the European Consensus on Development;
-Ensuring that the Agenda for Change and the Mutli-Annual Financial Framework 2014-2020 recognises that economic growth for a country does not necessarily result in increased access to health services for young people, gender equality or increase in youth employment, education and training and that 75% of the world's poorest, made up of a majority of young people, live in middle income countries;
-Speaking out against stigma and discrimination and Human Rights violations against young people, and against movements within the EU and globally that call for policy that are detrimental to the health, human rights and well-being of young people globally.
For more information please see the European Youth Demand Change campaign page (link below)
YouAct Changemakers Workshop 2011362011-25-10T00:00:00Z2011-14-12T03:30:20ZYouAct Changemakers Workshop
...YouAct Changemakers Workshop
On the 14th of October 2011, 23 young people from across Europe gathered together in Warsaw Poland to take part in the YouAct Changemakers workshop.
The workshop followed the EuroNGOs conference Future Perspectives on Development Cooperation - Putting SRHR on the Right Track and was supported by UNFPA and EuroNGOs. Through organizing the Changemakers workshop, YouAct aimed to bring youth participants working with youth-led and youth-serving SRHR organizaitons together with young people from other movements to share, collaborate and build partnership.
The young people participating in the workshop came from 15 different European countries and represented a diverse range of youth organisations and movements including those that focus on womens equality, climate change, development, sex workers rights, medical students, young decision makers and HIV and AIDS . Twelve of the Changemakers attendees also participated in the EuroNGOs Conference and shared the youth perspectives on the issues being discussed.
Changemakers organizers structured the workshop around increasing knowledge of SRHR and identifying gaps, progress and priorities towards 2014 /2015 and beyond, improving European youth led advocacy towards key milestones in the coming years and improving partnership working with other youth movements in the region. Prior to the workshop an online consultation was held with participants to identify areas that participants and organisations felt they would like to focus on and how they felt the Changemakers workshop could increase their knowledge and provide new opportunities for partnership working with other youth movements.
Guest speakers included Neil Datta from the European Parliamentary Forum on Population and Development, Caroline Teti from DSW Kenya, and Vanessa Brocato from Planned Parenthood Federation of America. Changemakers participants also heard presentations from the Coordinator of Astra Youth about the recent anti-choice bill proposed in the Polish parliament and the subsequent response of SRHR activists , as well as presentations from a young person living with HIV and from a young sex worker from Macedonia.
Activities included a walk through the history of SRHR linking the national and regional to the international, an analysis of the Political, Economic, Socio-Cultural and Technological context of our work, a session on mapping our networks and priorities, presentations and exercises for effectively identifying and dealing with opposition, organizational speed-dating, reflections on the International Year of Youth and a World Cafe on hot topics in SRHR.
The final day of the workshop saw participants come together to map opportunities for partnership in the coming years and agree on key objectives for bringing European youth movements closer together in the run up to 2014/15 and beyond to ensure young people's SRHRights are central to future development frameworks.
For more information please contact YouAct Coordinator Mari-Claire Price - mariclaire@youact.org
Please also visit http://www.eurongos.org/Default.aspx?ID=26055
www.youact.org YouAct Herald June 2011352011-06-06T00:00:00Z2011-14-12T03:29:34ZFor news on what YouActers hav...For news on what YouActers have been up to in the past few months, check out the YouAct Herald below!44th CPD 2011342011-03-05T00:00:00Z2011-14-12T05:42:23ZFor those that follow us on Tw...For those that follow us on Twitter (@YouAct_Europe), you will know that YouAct recently took part in the 44th Commission on Population and Development in New York (April 11th-15th).
YouAct worked with the International Year of Youth (IYY) Strategy partners on various activities including a Youth Caucus, the development of youth oral statements and a youth video.
For those of you that missed the live updates on Twitter, here's a recap of the IYY partner activities:
- Advocacy in Practise training workshop with the International Women's Health Coalition, IYY partners and RESURJ.
-Youth Caucus hosted with Youth Coalition, Advocates for Youth, CHOICE for Youth and Sexuality and GYCA,
- Development of the Youth Oral Statements on: Young Women's Health, Comprehensive Sexuality Education and Meaningful Youth Participation (see below), by participants of the Youth Caucus,
- Oral Statements delivered by members of Youth Coalition, GYCA and Advocates for Youth,
- Video produced by IYY partners, YouAct and RESURJ asking young people participating in the 44th CPD- What would you say to policymakers, given the opportunity? (see below),
- a YouAct and European Parliamentary Forum hosted meeting between young people and European parliamentarians,
- 2 Watchdogs produced by Youth Coalition www.youthcoalition.org
- #CPD44 and #IYY updates on Twitter,
- Blogs from:
Advocates for Youth www.amplifyyourvoice.org
IPPF WHR http://www.ippfwhr.org/en/bitacora
- Launch of the RESURJ ten point action agenda http://resurj.org/
To keep up to date with the activities of the IYY Strategy Partners, follow #IYY on Twitter! Durex Network publishes the Face of Global Sex 2010332010-01-11T00:00:00Z2011-14-12T09:16:02Z'They won't know unless you te...'They won't know unless you tell them', the fifth Durex Network Face of Global Sex report, was published in November 2010. It focuses on the experience of sex education among young people aged 15-20 in 15 European countries and how it impacted on their sexual health in terms of knowledge, attitudes and practices.
YouAct were happy to contribute to the publication and congratulate the Durex Network on a great research report that highlights the experiences of young people in Europe.
YouAct, Y-PEER and partners launch International Year of Youth Statement 322010-01-12T00:00:00Z2011-14-12T03:59:08ZDecember 1st 2010- World AIDS ...December 1st 2010- World AIDS Day- sees the launch of the International Year of Youth Joint Statement by YouAct,Y-PEER and other partner organisations.
The launch of the statement is part of the Y-PEER Network's "10 days of Activism", during which young people will be taking part in awareness raising training on youth sexual and reproductive health and rights, simultaneously in Y-PEER member countries.
For more information on "10 days of Activism" or for translated versions of the International Year of Youth Joint Statement, please see the link below.
World AIDS Campaign SRHR and HIV Linkages Factsheet published 312010-25-08T00:00:00Z2011-14-12T03:57:29ZYouAct recently partnered with...YouAct recently partnered with the World AIDS Campaign and Youth Action Nepal, on a youth friendly Factsheet;
Making the Links: Young People, HIV and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights
You can download the Factsheet below. Youth Coalition MDG Factsheet series published302010-25-08T00:00:00Z2011-14-12T05:42:20ZYouAct recently assisted in th...YouAct recently assisted in the development of a new Factsheet series from Youth Coalition.
From the Youth Coalition Website:
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), agreed upon by governments of the world in 2000, have set the priorities for international development for the past decade. In the 10 years since the MDG targets were set, analysis indicates that there is still progress to be made on key issues relating to young people’s sexual and reproductive health and rights.
The Youth Coalition addresses some of these issues in three factsheets which highlight the linkages between young people's SRR and MDGs relating to HIV, Maternal Health and Comprehensive Sexuality Education. The factsheets critically analyze the MDGs from a youth perspective and are a useful tool in supporting advocacy efforts in the lead-up to the ten year review of the Millennium Development Goals.
New International AIDS conference 2010 YOUTH WEBSITE 292010-16-06T00:00:00Z2011-14-12T04:42:14ZPlease check out the new 2010 ...Please check out the new 2010 International AIDS conference youth website! Here you can learn more about youth activities and participation at the 2010 International AIDS conference in Vienna!15 @ 15 Advocating for SRR at the 54th Commission on the Status of Women 282010-06-03T00:00:00Z2011-14-12T03:56:43ZYouAct have joined young peopl...YouAct have joined young people from across the world gathered together in New York to attend the 54th Commission on the Status of Women which also marks the 15 year review of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. These documents noted governments' commitments to increase young people's access to counselling, sexual and reproductive health information and services, and to promote their rights to privacy, confidentiality, respect and informed consent in this regard.
On Friday, during the lunch break for government delegates, the coalition of young people made a statement for the support of their rights. Fifteen young men and women, wearing T-shirts donated by YouAct stating their advocacy messages, took a strong stand for achieving the goals that were set in Beijing fifteen years ago. 'We demand access to comprehensive sexuality information, services and supplies for all young people. We need it today - and today needed to be yesterday.'
The young people from more than 20 countries and every continent collectively demand their sexual and reproductive rights:
All young people must have access to comprehensive sexuality education and sexual and reproductive health services, including contraception and emergency contraception, in order to avoid unintended pregnancies.
Accessible, affordable and safe abortions should be made part of the minimum packages of sexual and reproductive health services.
All young people should have access to psycho-social health services for prevention of gender-based violence and violence against women.
The cohort of young people believe that decision makers attending the 54th session of the Commission on the Status of Women need to listen to the needs and demands of young people and promote their human rights including sexual and reproductive rights to ensure the health and wellbeing of women, young people and all people worldwide.
Follow YouAct's Twitter updates from the CSW54 at the link below. New YouAct Website Launched272010-11-01T00:00:00Z2011-14-12T04:37:26ZYouAct have launched their new...YouAct have launched their new website in 2010, aimed at sharing their work with other youth activists, Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights organisations and the general public. The website features information on YouAct projects, history and members and offers the user an interactive and fun way of finding out more about the organisation and youth sexual and reproductive rights issues. YouAct would like to thank the website designer Leon Harris at the Big Web Company..YouAct becomes an Independent Organisation262010-11-01T00:00:00Z2011-14-12T04:37:52ZYouAct, European Youth Network...YouAct, European Youth Network on Sexual and Reproductive Rights announce their independence following registration as a ltd not for profit company in the UK.
Over the past 5 years YouAct has existed under the World Population Foundation (WPF) and has become a well known informal youth group working on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in Europe and internationally.
YouAct's mission is to achieve a world in which young people's and all people's sexual and reproductive rights are realised and that meaningful youth participation becomes integrated into national, regional and international policy and decision making. The work of the organisation is underpinned by YouAct's principle values and outlined in the recently published European Youth Charter on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights.
YouAct's independence is a natural progression after 5 years of continued successes under WPF in projects, publications, trainings and campaigns, and it is seen as a way of further strengthening the network and gaining more independence as a youth-led organisation.
The organisation welcomes continued work with current and former partners and wishes to extend an introduction to other potential partners in Europe and internationally.
IPPF publication 'Stand and Deliver' focusing on Sex, Health and Young People in the 21st century published252010-11-01T00:00:00Z2011-14-12T04:38:18ZYouAct recently contributed to...YouAct recently contributed to the IPFF publication Stand and Deliver. 'Stand and deliver' highlights facts we have known for decades: girls and young women bear a disproportionate burden of sexual and reproductive ill health and mortality, including maternal mortality, unsafe abortion and HIV.' IPPF website
You can view Stand and Deliver on our Publications page.
YouAct Charter published242010-11-01T00:00:00Z2011-14-12T04:44:33Z2009 saw the publishing of: SE...2009 saw the publishing of: SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH AND RIGHTS OF YOUNG PEOPLE A Rights-Based Perspective. The Charter was the outcome of a Study Session organised by YouAct in cooperation with the Council of Europe – Directorate of Youth and Sport, and was held in Strasbourg, on 6th - 12th July 2008. During this study session, young people throughout the Council of Europe met, with the overall aim to agree on common objectives and develop effective advocacy strategies to promote young people's Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights.
Throughout the study session, the participants addressed, explored and analysed a great number of issues related to young people's SRHR, such as Human Rights and rights-based
approach, international agreements and statements, current SRHR state of affairs in different European countries and policy and advocacy making on EU level. Also more specific SRHR topics, such as comprehensive sexuality education, abortion, access to youth friendly services, gender equality and LGBTIQ, were discussed.
Active and meaningful youth participation on all levels in programmes, policy process and projects was highlighted as important in order to meet the needs and interest of today's large population of young people. As the choices that today's young people make concerning their sexual and reproductive lives will affect not just their own future but the future of the wider communities it is crucial that young people are included and listened to.
You can view the Charter on our Publications page.