Identify Potential Priority Partners

Part 2 > Essential Element 2 > Identify Potential Priority Partners

Health is just one of the many issues that cause young people to need support. Evidence shows that programs that are able to address the different needs of young people—particularly health, education and economic strengthening—are most effective. However, you do not need to do this on your own! One of the most important outcomes of conducting an urban assessment is identifying the organizations and groups that are also working with young people, and developing strategic partnerships with them to enhance your program and provide coordinated support and resources for young people in your city.

Worksheet #2 gives you the opportunity to practice doing an urban assessment for your audience and is followed by an example that has been completed using fictional data from Zanbe. You can use this example to help you in completing your own Worksheet.

Reminder!

Partnerships across sectors

Partner with health care providers. It is vitally important that your SBCC program links youth to health care providers and service delivery sites that offer comprehensive SRH information and services. Find the providers in the community where you are working and make sure you set up strong referral systems with them so that your SBCC messaging links youth directly to those services.
Partner with education institutions. Educational institutions, such as schools and universities, as well as informal education programs like training centers or organizations serving out-of-school youth, are great partners for implementing SBCC programs. Schools provide access to young people and often have teachers and faculty that can be trained to help deliver your program.
Partner with religious leaders. While some religious institutions might not agree with adolescent SRH programs, religious leaders can also be a reliable and trusted entry way into the community. They can also be key to community mobilization. Talk to your local religious leaders individually or as a group, and see if you can work together on common priorities like family planning goal-setting, defining a healthy relationship, or even referring adolescents to health clinics for SRH information and check-ups.
Partner with the corporate sector. If you are implementing an SMS platform to share information and interact with urban adolescents, ask a mobile phone company to partner with you, provide some resources (e.g., airtime) and lend additional technical support.
Partner for mentoring and employment opportunities. Economic opportunities may be limited for urban adolescents, whether or not they have completed school. Consider including activities that will provide skills for future employment or partnering with businesses or microfinance organizations that can provide loans, internships or jobs for youth.