We love saying ‘youth partnership’ because it sounds wholesome and progressive. But then, adults set the agenda, youth are invited to “share reflections”, and everyone goes home with a group photo and a suspicious sense of accomplishment.
If you’re serious about shifting power, then make it count. Your organisation should ask, are we building youth partnership that changes decisions, or youth partnership that merely looks good in a report?
The problem is not that we lack good intentions
In AYSRHR, youth and adult collaboration is widely recognised as essential. But bringing people into the same room does not automatically produce equity, influence, or better outcomes. What usually happens is messier. It’s usually different expectations, different levels of confidence to challenge decisions, and very different consequences when things go wrong. “Partnership” becomes a word we repeat, while the actual practice simply defaults to the usual hierarchy.
So, why exactly do we need a theory of change for youth-adult partnerships in SRH?
Let’s explore the reasons in detail.
in summary…
A theory of change is not a diagram you create to satisfy a process. It’s a commitment to doing youth partnership properly: with clarity about goals, honesty about power, and a shared understanding of what meaningful collaboration requires. If we want youth partnership to be real, it has to be designed like it matters!
