When the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs-led Knowledge SUCCESS project closed its doors this spring, one of its key initiatives faced an uncertain future.
The Next Generation Reproductive Health Community of Practice (NextGen RH CoP), a community dedicated to adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive health, suddenly needed a new organizational home to continue its vital work.
That’s where the International Youth Alliance for Family Planning (IYAFP) stepped in as the ideal successor. IYAFP was conceived at the International Conference on Family Planning in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in 2013 as an organization dedicated to advocating for young people’s comprehensive sexual and reproductive health, rights and justice. They have now taken over leadership of the community of practice.
“As a youth-led global organization, we deeply care about not only young people’s reproductive health, but also how we can together as a community of advocates, professionals, program implementers continue sharing knowledge about our current programming and good practices,” says IYAFP’s Executive Director Alan Jarandilla Nuñez.
The NextGen RH CoP emerged from a critical gap identified by reproductive health professionals in 2021. Despite the importance of youth voices in sexual and reproductive health programming, young people were largely absent from decision-making processes. Knowledge SUCCESS was approached to create a space to share adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive health technical guidance and best practices and connect professionals to each other around the world.
What makes this community of practice distinctive is its youth-centered approach. An advisory committee of 13 adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive health professionals from Africa and Asia used human-centered design principles to shape the initiative, said Brittany Goetsch, the CCP program officer who supported the NextGen RH CoP.
They identified four core objectives: advocacy, research and documentation, partnership and collaboration, and knowledge sharing. The community launched in April 2022 with a coordinating team that included youth co-chairs and Knowledge SUCCESS partners from FHI 360 and AMREF Health Africa. Crucially, the advisory committee has remained entirely youth-led, reflecting a commitment to authentic youth representation.
For members working in often isolated environments, the community provides crucial connection and support. The facilitated meetings encourage knowledge exchange and create space for sharing innovative practices in youth reproductive health programming. This approach addresses the historical gap where youth perspectives were marginalized in technical discussions about programs designed to serve them.
Before the end of the Knowledge SUCCESS project, which came after the dismantling of funder USAID, the NextGen RH CoP ‘s leadership had started thinking about the need for sustainability planning.
Goetsch says that the team was drafting a comprehensive transition plan that included current assets, materials, platforms, budget breakdowns, and time allocations. This foresight enabled a rapid response when the closure became official, she says.
Despite IYAFP’s limited resources as a small, youth-led organization, the decision to take on the community reflects their deep commitment to its mission. Jarandilla Nuñez acknowledges the resource constraints but emphasizes the community’s essential worth: “We really believe in the value that it brings to the community and the value that it brings to the work that we do as a youth-led organization.”
IYAFP plans to restart community meetings soon, initially scaling down activities while working to maintain existing momentum. The organization aims to continue facilitating knowledge exchange and may develop additional knowledge products in the future. The transition also presents an opportunity for geographic expansion, particularly into Latin America where IYAFP has strong regional connections.
The NextGen RH CoP ‘s successful transition demonstrates how youth-led initiatives can achieve sustainability through strategic planning and organizational alignment. By maintaining its core commitment to youth leadership while adapting to new realities, the community continues advancing access to young people’s reproductive health and rights.
“This transition ensures that a vital space for youth voices in reproductive health will continue fostering collaboration, learning, and innovation across the global health community,” Goetsch says.
