The project "Youth Voices, Youth Choices" (2021-2023) is a 30-month international project implemented in Bulgaria by the Bulgarian Family Planning and Sexual Health Association (BFPA). Partner organizations from Albania, BiH, Kosovo and Northern Macedonia will implement similar initiatives in their countries. The project is implemented with the coordinative role of the International Planned Parenthood Federation with the support of the programme for socially responsible business of the company MSD.
The COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted the delivery of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services, including maternal health and family planning in almost all European countries. The project aims to create more accessible and youth-friendly SRH services and information provision, with special attention to the most vulnerable groups.
During the first year the project envisages conduction of research to better understand the impact of COVID-19 on access of young people to SRH services in particular and health services as a whole. The further project activities include compilation and exchange of good practices and empowerment of young people through a combination of online and offline educational tools, training and involvement in information campaigns. The main target group, young people aged 14-30, will be involved at all levels of the project implementation. Experts from different sectors (medical doctors, health care providers, psychologists, decision makers, field experts etc.) will consult young people and support the development of recommendations at national and regional level to improve health systems and services in the 5 countries, including in the field of telemedicine. National and regional initiatives to advocate for and increase access to SRH services and information for all those in need, with focus on crisis context, will also be supported.
Youth voices, youth choices
Latest news
| BFPA survey about positive birth-rate measures |
Sofia, December 5, 2022 The Bulgarian Association for Family Planning and Sexual Health (BFPA) presented the results of a nationally representative survey conducted by KANTAR. The study took place in August 2022, among a sample of 836 people from the adult population and analyzed the measures that would positively affect the birth rate. You can find the full research here |
| Final conference on ARIE project: PLHIV and fitness |
Sofia, November 11, 2022 On November 11, 2022, the final conference of the ARIE project was held in Sofia. The project is supported by the Erasmus+ Sport program, led by the long-standing Italian partner of BFPA ANLAIDS – Lombardia. The rest of the participating organizations are from Bulgaria, Greece, Lithuania, Romania and Slovenia. The activities are aimed at people living with HIV (PLHIV), the goal of the project is to develop and introduce a fitness program and an activity protocol for people living with HIV. In Bulgaria the project was coordinated by Boyan Mladenov from the BFPA team. Among the participants of the conference were health specialists, professors from medical universities, NGO partners, representatives of the target group. From the Bulgarian side the most outstanding was the presentation of Prof. Radka Argirova “HIV,Covid and Monkeypox - what more we have to know” |
| Presentation of the results of a regional study and recommendations for SRH services in the European Parliament - project "Youth Voices, Youth Choices" |
Brussels, October 26, 2022 In the last months of 2022 the partners of the YVYC project, together with experts and young people, developed recommendations for regional policy recommendations for improvement of health and social systems and SRHR services for young people after the Covid 19 pandemic. |
