Interagency Youth Working Group
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Community Involvement | 
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Young people’s sexuality, sexual behavior, and reproductive health are influenced by the expectations, norms, and practices of peers, parents, and other adults in the communities in which they live. Institutions and informal groups such as religious organizations, schools, and local authorities influence the roles and responsibilities of young people and their access to reproductive health and HIV/AIDS services. Involving members of the wider community, as well as young people themselves, in reproductive health and HIV/AIDS programs is essential in order to build an enabling environment for young people to improve their well-being and health. Involving communities also increases the potential to reach youth who are not in school or who are otherwise more at risk (for example, orphans and vulnerable children).
Although the need for community involvement in youth programs seems clear, only a handful of studies have actually attempted to measure the added value of incorporating such participation into a youth reproductive health program. Program experience in community involvement for youth reproductive health and HIV prevention — though extensive — is not well documented. Thus, understanding the value of community involvement in youth reproductive health and HIV programs requires more research. Questions remain about the most effective ways to encourage, support, and sustain community members’ participation in such programs.
Community Involvement in Youth Reproductive Health and HIV Prevention
 (4 pages, 183 KB). Youth projects are increasingly involving community members in designing, shaping, and implementing projects. Research findings discussed in this document are promising, but more program experience and research are needed to understand the impact such efforts have. Resources include information on an ongoing interagency group working on this issue. (Family Health International/Interagency Youth Working Group, 2007)Community Involvement in Youth Reproductive Health and HIV Prevention: A Review and Analysis of the Literature
(46 pages, 213 KB). This literature review summarizes key terms and concepts from the literature, including issues on operations, evaluation, impact assessment results, challenges, and emerging themes.Participatory Learning and Action: A Powerful Approach with Youth An Annotated Guide to Technical Resources for Community Involvement in Youth Reproductive Health and HIV Prevention Programs
(26 pages, 640 KB). This online compilation of resources includes documents, manuals, and toolkits that provide advice, approaches, and tools for involving community members, including youth. (Family Health International/YouthNet, 2006)Engaging Communities in Youth Reproductive Health and HIV Projects: A Guide to Participatory Assessments Improving the Reproductive Health of Married and Unmarried Youth in India
(85 pages, 777 KB). This report of a 10-year project in India describes six intervention projects with local partner organizations. All focused in some way on community involvement and one specifically tested the role of community involvement on behavior outcomes of youth. Community mobilization and involvement was important in improving knowledge and use of services by young women. (International Center for Research on Women, 2006)Youth Reproductive Health in Nepal: Is Participation the Answer?
(77 pages, 1.2 MB) This is the most rigorous study to date of a project that measured the impact of community participation in a youth program. The intervention sites had significantly more support in contextual factors that affect youth, and showed more potential for sustainability, but only marginally more positive results on standard youth indicators. (EngenderHealth and International Center for Research on Women, 2004)
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