Final Announcement:
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Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health Learning Forum Partnering with Youth in Communities for Sexual and Reproductive Health Education and Services |
A RHAGY- CIHP Joint Initiative
Hanoi, September 20-21, 2005
Why this initiative?
Vietnamese adolescents and youth aged 15-24 represent approximately 24.5% of the total population of Vietnam. Adolescents and young people are considered highly vulnerable to problems related to sexual and reproductive health (SRH), due to their limited knowledge and experience in SRH, and their low levels of utilization of SRH services, among other reasons.
Responding to these concerns, a wide range of approaches and strategies have been initiated to reach out to youth and to involve them in SRH activities. While young people’s active involvement in these initiatives is widely considered an important ingredient for success, little experience has been shared about the effectiveness and relevance of different approaches to partnering with youth in SRH programmes in Vietnam.
In order to share best practices and lessons learned in the area of Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health (ASRH), the Reproductive Health Affinity Group for Youth (RHAGY) will host a program learning series to share the experiences of Vietnamese and international ASRH programs in Vietnam. Established in 2004 as a sub-group of the Reproductive Health Affinity Group (RHAG), the RHAGY draws its membership from various organizations, including UN agencies, international and local NGOs, and relevant departments and institutions of the Ministry of Health. The RHAGY consists of a small number of reproductive health practitioners, implementers, donors, and researchers, who have a particular interest in adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive health and rights.
In the first forum, RHAGY, in partnership with the Consultation of Investment in Health Promotion (CIHP), seeks to exchange experiences about the effectiveness of different approaches and strategies in partnering with youth. A two-day forum on Partnering with Youth in Communities for Sexual and Reproductive Health Education and Services will be held on September 20th - 21st, 2005 in Hanoi.
About the first learning forum
What do we aim to do?
- Share best practices on partnering with youth in communities for the purpose of improving adolescent sexual and reproductive health.
Format
- Open discussion and frank exchange will be promoted among and between youth and stakeholders involved in ASRH programmes/activities.
- Structured presentations and discussion groups, exhibition of materials, informal dialogue
- A monograph documenting ASRH youth partnership activities, lesson learned, results from research and evaluations, and recommendations will be compiled and disseminated following the forum.
Theme
Partnering with Youth in Communities for Sexual and Reproductive Health Education and Services, addressing:
- Common understanding of Youth Partnership
- Field experiences of best practices and challenges, and
- Recommendations
The sub-themes are as follows:
- Defining Youth Partnership in current practices
- Building capacity for youth - a path to better participation (education, counseling, advocacy, leadership)
- Enabling environment/Advocacy for better youth participation in ASRH programmes and activities
- Sustainability of youth partnership in ASRH programs
Organizers
- The Reproductive Health Affinity Group for Youth (RHAGY)
- Consultation of Investment in Health Promotion (CIHP)
Date and venue
September 20-21, 2005, from 8:00 – 17:00 at the International Conference Center: 11 Le Hong Phong Street – Ba Dinh, Hanoi – Vietnam
Participants
The program learning series targets provincial, national and international stakeholders working in adolescent sexual and reproductive health programs in Vietnam.
Registration, logistics and financial aid
Should you be interested in participating in the forum, please fill out the attached registration form and send it to the address below no later than August 25th, 2005. The registration for the forum is free. However, to facilitate its organization, a registration form must be submitted to the organization committee before the deadline indicated above. Participants will be provided lunch during the forum. Participants from provinces are responsible for their travel, meals and lodging expenses.
Participants in need of financial support to attend the forum should seek funds through national and international program support opportunities first. A limited number of scholarships for attendance at the forum are available, thanks to the Ford Foundation. The scholarships cover travel, accommodation and per diem expenses. Participants who require scholarship support should submit their curriculum vitae and request for a scholarship along with the registration form. Responses to scholarship requests will be communicated by date.
Contact and information
All submission and query, please send to:
Ms. Phan Thi Uyen – Forum Secretary
Consultation of Investment in Health Promotion (CIHP)
108 A12 Alley 4/15 Phuong Mai street – Hanoi - Vietnam
Email: asrhforum2005@cihp.org
Tel: 04 5770261 Fax: 04 5770260
Submissions by both email and post are acceptable. For registration by post, please ensure that the correspondence is received by CIHP by the deadline.
Detailed information about the forum including registration form and financial request form are also available at our website in Vietnamese and English respectively:
http://cihp.org/Desktop.aspx/Tin-Tuc/Tin-Hoi-Thao/Dien_dan_Hoi_thao_SKTD-SSVTN_2005/
http://cihp.org/Desktop.aspx/News-Events/Workshops/ASRH_learning_forum_2005/
Main sponsors and distributors:
Organizational costs for the forum are covered by the Reproductive Health Projects (a partnership of Pathfinder International, EngenderHealth and Ipas). Scholarship funds are provided by the Ford Foundation. An advisory group comprised of RHAGY members including the World Health Organization (WHO), Save the Children UK (SC/UK), Save the Children US (SC/US), International Organization for Migration (IOM) and Pathfinder International have provided significant assistance in the design of the forum.
Tentative Agenda
Day 1
Plenary session and Opening
Session 1: Youth participation
Presentations of field experiences
Satellite sessions
Session 2: Capacity building for better participation.
Presentations of field experiences
Group presentations and plenary discussions
Day 2
Session 3: Enabling environment/Advocacy for better youth participation in ARH programmes and activities
Presentations of field experiences
Satellite sessions
Group presentations and plenary discussions
Session 4: Sustainability
Presentations of field experiences
Satellite sessions
Group presentations and plenary discussions
Summary of the two day forum, plan for follow up activities and Closing
Please click here to download the Registration form. | 