WE SPEAK, WE CHOOSE, WE RISE: WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOUNG PEOPLE GET A ROOM OF THEIR OWN

 

WE SPEAK, WE CHOOSE, WE RISE: YOUNG PEOPLE TAKE THE LEAD

Three days. One room. A generation of young people who refused to sit quietly and wait their turn.

That's the ARJC Youth Zone in a nutshell. Not a conference where adults talk about young people but  a space where young people from different countries and communities showed up as the main characters, speaking on their own terms about the future they're building. Out of days of honest dialogue on Care, Power and Justice, they produced a communiqué. Here are the highlights.

CARE IS NOT A PRIVILEGE. IT IS A RIGHT.

Access to care  in the form of accurate information, supportive communities and responsive health systems  should never be something people have to earn. Yet stigma, misinformation, restrictive policies and unequal access still stand in the way for so many girls and young people. For this reason, our ask is simple:  Young people in their diversities deserve care that is compassionate, confidential, affordable, rooted in bodily autonomy and that positions them as capable decision-makers about their own lives.

POWER GROWS IN SOLIDARITY. NOT ISOLATION.

Movements for gender justice are facing real backlash right now  but the response is not to go at it alone. Real strength comes from collective action, from treating diversity within movements as a source of power and from bridging generations instead of sidelining young organizers. We therefore demand that: Young people get meaningful seats at decision-making tables that honor our expertise and not token invitations.

JUSTICE MEANS DIGNITY. NOT CONTROL.

Envision a world in which laws and institutions prioritize care over punishment and rights rights over control. one where human rights, bodily autonomy and gender equality aren't up for negotiation. That is exactly what Justice means. It is tearing down the structural barriers that block healthcare, information and opportunity and building policy with young people, not just for them.

OUR CALL TO ACTION

The future of sexual and reproductive health and rights will not be determined by policies alone. If anything, it will be shaped by the collective actions we take today. While young people continue to lead conversations, organize communities and advocate for their rights, lasting change requires commitment from everyone. Governments, healthcare providers, civil society and communities all have a role to play in creating environments where every young person can make informed decisions about their bodies, access quality healthcare without fear or discrimination and live with dignity. 

This is a shared responsibility and it is time for each of us to move beyond good intentions and take meaningful action.

Governments must protect bodily autonomy and sexual and reproductive rights through laws and policies, invest in youth-responsive healthcare systems and meaningfully include young people in policymaking processes, not merely consult them after decisions have already been made.

Healthcare providers should offer compassionate, confidential and non-discriminatory care that respects the dignity and agency of every young person. Young people should be recognized as capable decision-makers rather than individuals whose choices need to be controlled or questioned.

Civil society organizations and social movements should continue investing in youth leadership, safeguard young advocates who face backlash for speaking out and create spaces where young people genuinely shape priorities and agendas instead of simply being invited to participate.

Young people should continue learning about their rights, challenging harmful stigma and misinformation, building networks of care and solidarity, organizing with courage and ensuring that no one has to navigate sexual and reproductive health challenges alone.

THE BOTTOM LINE

The future of sexual and reproductive health and rights is not something that will simply be handed to young people. It is something they are already building. Across communities, movements and everyday acts of courage, a generation is choosing dignity over stigma, rights over restriction and solidarity over silence. They are refusing to wait for permission to lead and are instead reshaping systems, challenging harmful norms and reimagining what justice can look like.

The conversations at the ARJC Youth Zone were a reminder that meaningful change begins when young people are trusted as experts in their own lives and equipped to lead. Their voices are not a footnote in the movement for reproductive justice, they are at its very heart.

We speak. We choose. We rise. And we are only getting started.

READ MORE

Read the full ARJC Youth Zone Communiqué here to explore the collective commitments, recommendations, and priorities that emerged from the convening.