Empowering and Building the Capacity of Young People

Youth empowerment for sustainable development

Towards a Solution

UNFPA, in partnership with National Center of Public Health and Analyses in the Ministry of Health of Bulgaria and youth organizations, launched various initiatives that support youth capacity development and empowerment in the areas of sexual and reproductive health and rights, gender equality and peacebuilding in Eastern Europe and Central Asia and beyond. The overarching goal was to inspire and support adolescents and young people to become leaders through innovative approaches and cooperation.  

The Peer Education, Training and Research Institute (PETRI), based in Bulgaria’s capital city, Sofia, serves as a facilitator for exchanging knowledge, sharing resources, encouraging the advocacy efforts of young people and providing solutions with the help of a network of partners. It builds and maintains a regional network of organizations and individuals who implement and design programmes for successful improvement of youth knowledge, attitude and skills. PETRI-Sofia links beneficiary needs in knowledge, capacities, programme development and implementation to the expertise and know-how existing in the region, including the expertise of young people.  

PETRI-Sofia uses peer-to-peer education through alternative methods of education, such as theatre-based techniques, role games and simulations. The target audience for its training programmes include trainers, students and youth aged 18 to 30. It has ‘fellows’ from an international network of young volunteers in 57 countries in four regions (Asia-Pacific, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, East Africa, Middle East and North Africa) and also partners with government institutions.  

More than 500 young people were trained by PETRI-Sofia in Bulgaria on topics relating to sexual and reproductive health and rights, advocacy, project development and management, leadership, fundraising and resource mobilization, among others.  

PETRI-Sofia shared its experience with a counterpart in Amman, Jordan where a similar Regional Knowledge Hub for Youth Development was set up with support from the National Centre for Culture and Arts of the King Hussein Foundation.  

Emerging youth leaders and innovative thinkers from 21 countries took part in the PETRI international fellowship programme that provided an opportunity and space for young activists to develop their skills and knowledge, to meet their peers from different countries, exchange and share ideas and experiences, network, plan future activities and work in a multicultural environment.  

The PETRI-Sofia Training on Advocating for Youth Voices and Priorities in Eastern Europe and Central Asia Region mobilized young people to raise their voices and advocate for their priorities related to the post-2015 agenda. In 2016, PETRI-Sofia organized training aimed at building the capacity of youth leaders from the region as “Trainers of Trainers” in peer education to plan and lead training sessions for their peers and to use theatre techniques related to sexual and reproductive health and rights and HIV prevention.  

In 2017, with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a “Youth Leadership for the Development and Implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)” project was launched, to develop the capacity of young people to contribute to the achievement of the SDGs.  

As a regional resource centre and knowledge hub for youth, PETRI-Sofia is a good example of an effective facilitator for exchanging knowledge and experiences and sharing resources and in building the capacity of young people for leadership, among other skills. The training of young people, including training of trainers, increased the number of highly skilled youth in the region to, among other things, plan and implement a wide spectrum of youth sexual and reproductive health and HIV prevention related activities. Critical to its success is the commitment of national institutions that guarantee its sustainability and the support of international development agencies and a network of youth-led partners.