Talking about
life skills,more comprehensivelyA Civil Society Dialogue For Reproductive
Health Education
life skills,
Health Education
Welcome to ‘Talking about life skills, more comprehensively’, a unique civil society dialogue for reproductive health education
We are pleased to welcome you to join our community and be part of the conversation to shape the future of life skills education!
The dialogue is an opportunity for stakeholders to come together to strengthen the movement for life skills in diverse settings from Africa to South Asia.
Our vision is to achieve better acceptance and integration of life skills, while creating a dedicated, open, and accessible space for views to be heard and knowledge to be shared. The organisers and contributors have worked hard to reflect the priorities and experience of the global community in shaping the agenda for the dialogue.
The dialogue is free to join and features dedicated thematic sessions, opportunities to learn from and share with civil society, as well as providing space for connecting and networking
On this page, you can learn more about the dialogue and hear from our partners about what’s coming up next.
Programme
Please click on the sessions that you would like to attend, and complete the registration per session. All sessions will be available with both English and French live translation.
Why host a dialogue on life skills?
The movement for reproductive health education did not have a policy dialogue space at the global level. With the 2021 dialogue, we created the space. You can read about our 2021 dialogue here
The way we talk to and educate young people about life skills is a contested issue, relying on bold activism and leadership from civil society to create respectful, healthy norms.
Building on from the success of the 2021 dialogue and amidst a growing movement for life skills, this 2024 dialogue aims to amplify support across sectors, emphasising the ongoing importance of prioritising and elevating civil society.
A place to be heard
Activists and civil society organisations are uniquely placed to respond to the needs of their communities. We want to build stronger, more equal relationships between grassroots civil society and decision-makers by putting youth and underrepresented voices at the centre of learning and agenda-setting at the dialogue.
Changing civil society space
Over the past four years since the last dialogue, the life skills movement has encountered challenges, including the rise of the anti-gender movement, intensified global opposition, the seismic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and the impact of the climate crises.
This juncture calls for collective reflection, retooling, and a commitment to making the next few years a period of significant progress and expansion for reproductive choice. Acknowledging that the implementation of current guidance is not universal, the life skills movement must strengthen its adaptability to diverse contexts.
Through this dialogue we will focus on…
Visibility
Achieving greater visibility of grassroots activists, centering them as experts in their own right
Strategising
Identifying key strategies and areas for collaboration, enhancing stakeholder co-ordination and fostering a global movement
Movement Building
Refreshing and establishing new networks, nurturing relationships, and collaborating across movements for social change
Learning
Creating a platform and offering space to learn from local stakeholders, enabling critical reflections and identifying lessons learnt
What's coming up: Messages from the consortium partners
AmplifyChange
AmplifyChange is a multi-donor challenge fund to support civil society advocacy for SRHR. We believe that a strong, diverse and collaborative civil society can form movements to bring about change. AmplifyChange supports hundreds of civil society organisations (CSOs) across Africa, South Asia, and the Middle East.
Young and Alive Initiative
A Tanzania-based, youth-led organisation with the vision of a Tanzanian society that respects and protects the rights of young people to have access to youth-friendly sexual reproductive health information and services as one of the key elements to achieve sustainable development goals.
Inclusive and Affirming Ministries
IAM (based in South Africa) works towards the full recognition, celebration and participation of LGBTIQ+ people in faith communities across Africa by working with faith partnerships and civil society partnerships.
Le Réseau Africain pour l’Education et la Santé (RAES)
Created in 2004, RAES is a Senegalese NGO that works with the populations of French-speaking Africa to better address the major social issues of the continent.
Blind Youth Association
Blind Youth Association is an organisation established by the Blind and Partially Sighted Youth of Nepal. They are currently working in the area of policy advocacy, education and health of persons with disabilities in general and BPS youth in particular.
Stay tuned and check back on this page regularly to hear updates from the dialogue…
Talking about life skills, more comprehensively is a civil society reproductive health dialogue co-organised by AmplifyChange, Young and Alive Initiative, Inclusive and Affirming Ministries, Réseau Africain pour l’Education et la Santé (RAES), and Blind Youth Association. We owe a debt of gratitude to so many organisations across the globe for bringing this conversation together.
