Svenn Grant, 29 UNFPA Youth Ambassador
Youth Coalition for Sexual and Reproductive Rights
Trinidad
Research always informs our work as advocates. Any time someone does a piece of research, it gives us a means to justify our position for access to sex and reproductive health services for young people. We ensure young people are stakeholders and are represented in any kind of final document or statement that is made. We not only want to be served. We have to be a part of the creation of the policy, the implementation of the policy and the evaluation of the policy.
I look at things through an advocacy lens. There is still a role for young people to play in making things happen and being vigilant with the respect to their rights and achieving full recognition of their human rights and sexual and reproductive health rights in particular. African young people are very interested in advocacy and lobbying and start to work together. To have young people thinking about research and advocacy as well, that can be a plus.
I think the content of research that comes here can open people’s eyes. There is research on vulnerable groups and sex workers. They may not be here, but this paper says they have been touched in some way, that some program works and needs to be scaled up. And their stories are here and that makes them really valuable. We need to create a legacy.
Interview by Brian W. Simpson, editor of Johns Hopkins Public Health magazine.
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