When the Knowledge SUCCESS project, led by Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs, ended, the Next Generation Reproductive Health Community of Practice (NextGen RH CoP), a product of Knowledge SUCCESS, needed a new home. This space has been vital to many working in adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive health (AYSRH), including young people.
This gap needed to be filled, and IYAFP stepped into that responsibility. Our vision is to have a world where every young person has their sexual reproductive health rights and justice realised. Taking over the NextGen RH CoP was key in seeing this vision play out. As a youth-led organization, we care about how we can continue, together, as advocates, professionals, and program implementers, to share knowledge, exchange good practices, and support one another in our work.
The NextGen RH CoP was born in 2021 out of the need to include young people in decision-making spaces about their health. The advisiory commitee of the NextGen RH CoP was made up of a group of 13 young leaders from Africa and Asia, who co-designed the community using human-centered principles, and from day one, four pillars have been the focus of the community: advocacy, evidence and documentation, partnerships, and knowledge exchange. Since then, the CoP has become a space where youth leadership thrives.
Looking ahead, we’ll be bringing community meetings back, planning to start small, rebuild momentum, and keep evolving with the needs of our members. We’re also excited to grow geographically, ready to continuously engage youth networks, shaping a stronger, more connected future for youth sexual and reproductive health.