Growing Up Global: An Advocacy Kit on Youth Issues

Produced by Population Reference Bureau (PRB) and Advocates for Youth and funded by the Summit Foundation, this advocacy kit aims to provide the information and tools advocates need to speak compellingly to policymakers about many of the challenges young people face worldwide.

Based on data and conclusions from the National Academies Press book Growing Up Global: The Changing Transition to Adulthood in Developing Countries, the kit provides data about economic, social, developmental, and health trends for youth - as well as proven policy steps for addressing those trends. The material can be used by advocates to inform and enhance their existing advocacy strategy on youth reproductive and sexual health; to educate and influence decision-makers and funders; as hand-outs for leaders during lobby visits, meetings and conferences; and other advocacy activities.

Highlights of the kit include:

• Four fact sheets on global trends and challenges for youth. These single-page documents feature key worldwide and regional data on critical issues and offer policy recommendations and calls for action.
• An executive summary of Growing Up Global, a 720-page book from the National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine that features research on the transition to adulthood for young people ages 10-24.
• Tips for advocates seeking the support of opinion leaders and policymakers, along with recommendations for non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that want to involve young people in their advocacy efforts.
• The World's Youth 2006 Data Sheet, a wall chart produced by PRB of health and well-being indicators for every country.
• Youth in a Global World, an eight-page policy brief that summarises the findings of both Growing Up Global and The World's Youth 2006 Data Sheet.

To request hard copies of this kit for advocacy purposes, contact prborders@prb.org