Critical International Case Study Research with Peer Educators to Explore Comprehensive Sexuality Education in Realising Youth Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights
With Dr Vicky Johnson (University of Brighton)
Monday 22 April 2013
4.00pm to 6.30pm
Room M101, Mayfield House, Falmer
Critical research, situated within a participatory paradigm was conducted to examine how comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) contributes to realising youth sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHRs) in Nepal, Kenya, Benin and Nicaragua. Key research questions focused on: how change happens from the perspective of young women and men? And how strategies, including education, services and advocacy were successful (or not), and for whom in varying contexts? The case study research was rights-based (Beazley and Ennew 2006), and therefore included an ethical protocol and research with a range of stakeholders. During a two week period in each location, young peer educators identified key issues, conducted qualitative participatory research using photos with peers and community members to develop and tell critical stories of change, and after supported analysis presented their findings and recommendations to local decision-makers. This youth-led research, analysed alongside additional interviews carried out by the research lead and a local facilitator, was undertaken for Panos London and commissioned by International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF). This paper will focus on the Nepal case, with reference to cross-case analysis.
Globally, this research is informing models of youth programming, building on IPPF’s ‘triangle approach’, including youth friendly services, advocacy and education, with youth participation, gender and partnership as cross cutting. Inductive theorising has suggested a complementary socio-ecological model placing young people at the centre, with attention to safe participatory spaces and increased understanding of local socio-cultural and political/ policy contexts. Application of socio-ecological theories re-enforces recent findings arising from re-visits to children’s services, youth and community programmes in Nepal and the UK in which a ‘Change-scape’ framework was developed to link children’s participation to significant features of context (Johnson 2011).