On Tuesday, August 16, the Campaign hosted its second dialogue series webinar titled “When young people lead, communities are stronger”. This event highlighted the work of community health workers who champion youth health services in celebration of International Youth Day on August 12. The moderator Alice Kampengele, who is the chair of Amref Youth International, led a fruitful discussion on the value of young voices and emphasized the importance of peer-to-peer and youth-led initiatives when it comes to community health work. Main takeaways from the event include:

• Agency is important: The panelists identified agency as a tool to improve both the provision of and access to healthcare that is specific to the needs of young people Leadership builds capacity: Because they often bear solutions and may even fill service gaps, youth leadership builds community capacity. As Ms. Mary Kongola, a Community Health Coordinator with PHM Tanzania, stated: “Being able to speak to other generations allows us to better solve the problems in our communities”.

• Engagement is empowering: Young voices deserve a spotlight and active involvement in their healthcare to make a real impact. Some ideas and solutions may not come to fruition without centering youth input.

• Dialogue should be ever-present: Community health needs change over time and affect community members in different ways. Consistent, transparent dialogue between community health workers and their patients ensures that services can adapt to meet these needs at all times.