The role of education in promoting young people’s sexual and reproductive health

This document outlines discussions from the Expert meeting for the Safe Passages to Adulthood programme, where researchers, practitioners and policy makers explored the potential of education to protect against HIV/AIDS, as well as the possible changes needed to enable the education system to respond more adequately. This programme, co-ordinated jointly by the University of Southampton, University of London and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical medicine, researches young people’s sexual and reproductive health in poorer country settings.

The good practice guide explores the challenges facing practitioners and policy-makers in resource-constrained countries who are trying to develop educational initiatives aimed at promoting the sexual and reproductive health of young people. The resource sets out good practice guidelines for work in school settings, out-of-school contexts and in higher education. These guidelines are illustrated by examples of innovative practice from across the world.

After review of the objectives, design, implementation and results from programmes that span three continents, conclusions on important factors in running successful programmes are outlined. These included sharing of ideas and responsibility, active involvement of young people in the programmes, starting from a clear values base, supporting adults in their work, planning for sustainability and acknowledging and incorporating the importance of context when designing and implementing educational programmes. [adapted from author]