Rutgers Indonesia, through the Power to You(th) programme and Rutgers Lombok, conducted the Young Aspiring Advocates in East Lombok. This event was held from August 29-30, 2023.
This activity is an effort to strengthen the capacity of young people who have not previously been exposed to the Gender Transformative Approach (GTA) and Meaningful Inclusive Youth Participation (MIYP) issues.
This activity was attended by the committee members of the Village Children Forum (FAD), the committee members of the Integrated Community-Based Child Protection (PATBM) in Pare Mas Village, and Rutgers Lombok. The main objective of this event is to strengthen the understanding and capabilities of the youth engaged in the FAD and PATBM. Moreover, this activity also aims to train the young individuals to be aspiring young advocates who can share the fundamentals of GTA and MIYP to their peers in the village. Throughout the discussion, every participant is allowed to express their opinion as a part of the young people’s contribution to the local policy.
The main outcome of this initiative is increased understanding of the fundamental principles of the Gender-transformative Approach (GTA) and Meaningful and Inclusive Youth Participation (MIYP) for the young people. Participants will gain a deeper comprehension of why the focused issues like child marriage, teenage pregnancy, and gender-based violence and sexuality have a big negative impact for their future. In addition to enhancing their comprehension and knowledge, this event also fosters their commitment to actively advocate the principle of GTA and MIYP in their communities. With a better understanding of the GTA and MIYP, it is expected that the participants can positively contribute to their surroundings, recognise the significance of social transformation, and commit to be the agents of change in preventing child marriage, teenage pregnancy, and gender-based violence and sexuality. Hence, strengthening the capacity of young people is a significant step towards supporting a more inclusive and sustainable social transformation in East Lombok Regency.