National youth alliance for young people towards a healthy future

The National Youth Alliance is a partnership of NGOs working on issues of young people. CHETNA has been it’s secretariet since 2006. It works towards creating an enabling environment in which young people can voice their health concerns, especially regarding Reproductive and Sexual Health and development issues, to ensure effectiveness in programmes and policies. This forum recommends mechanism, that can be evolved to make the existing structures and systems more accountable so that young people are actively involved in the planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the programmes. (yuvamaitri.org)

Some of the major contributions of the Alliance since 2004 are as follows:

In 2004, the Alliance organised  a State and National level consultation on the International Youth Day. Various programmes and policies were reviewed and critical suggestions on youth related programmes were forwarded.

Between 2006-2008, collective efforts for formulation of the youth policy were undertaken, contribution to XI Five Year Plan were proposed. An Interactive Dialogue on voices of Young People was organised by the Alliance. Creating a sense of responsibility among Youth and Adolescents and sensitizing them on Population and Health issues  was initiated. Reviewing and monitoring of the act of banning sex education in formal schools was undertaken. National dialogue on sexuality education in the formal system, Satellite session at  4th APCRSH, Hyderabad, Empowerment of Adolescent Girls Scheme were activities undertaken by the Alliance during this period.

In 2010, the Alliance contributed in the process of National Youth Policy. A National Youth Consultation in collaboration with Gains and Gaps ICPD +15: A Civil Society Review was organised. As an outcome of this consultation, an advocacy brief was developed and widely disseminated among the important stakeholders. The recommendations were shared with Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth and Development (RGNIYD) who has been assigned to draft the National Youth Policy.

Contributions in the 12th Five year plan: The Planning Commission of India came forward to strengthen the engagement of Civil Society in the planning process of the 12th Five year plan. NGOs under the network Wada Na Todo took responsibility of organising various consultations on different issues. Swaasthya, CHETNA and Smile Foundation jointly organised a consultation to bring in the voices of the adolescents. The report of the consultation was submitted to Planning Commission along with the main report.