The Problem
Youths (aged 14-24 years) in Nigeria have an increased risk of new HIV infection but do not receive necessary HIV prevention services. In Nigeria, essential services to reduce HIV and STIs, such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), HIV self-testing, sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing, and linkage to youth-friendly clinical services are not widely used and accessible. We can change this!
The Solution
It is time to put (YOU)th, front and center as they lead solutions to lasting HIV self-testing. Since 2018, The 4 Youth by Youth team has partnered with youths, communities, clinics, and policymakers to ensure that these tools are co-designed and delivered by the youth. We actively engage youth:
in deciding what and how to create lasting tools over time
in learning more about how the opportunities and activities provided by such services have prevented or reduced risks for HIV and other STIs
in leveraging youth assets and working with them to enhance their professional development, research, and community engagement skills over time.
To ensure the continual use of these services, we are looking for young people to work in partnerships with certified community-based organizations in Nigeria to share their ideas, experiences, and perspective on how community-based organizations can sustain or make HIV self-testing (HIVST) and youth-friendly preventive services last, for at-risk adolescents and young adults.
Our Process
4YBY use a four-pronged approach to actively engage youth as leaders and build on the strengths and capacity of youths in Nigeria. First, we launch a nationwide open crowdsourcing contest where we solicit ideas for a lasting HIV self-testing and other prevention services over a period of 7 weeks.
Next, we carry out a designathon inviting youth teams to create prototypes of their strategies for youth friendly HIVST services. The designathon involves the youth teams developing their ideas with the support of experts in the field of HIV research and implementation.
Finally, during our 4-week Bootcamp to build capacity for research and entrepreneurship, a select group of teams work with industry experts and mentors to refine and finalize their proposed strategies for sustaining HIVST and other prevention services for young Nigerians. The finalist teams will implement and test their solutions among youth within their communities.
Since 2018, we have engaged over 8,000 youths in Nigeria through four crowdsourcing contests, three designathons, two innovation boot camps, one pilot trial, and one clinical trial that followed over 1,500 youths for 24 months. In this process, we have demonstrated a huge potential of youth engagement in developing youth-friendly HIV self-testing services. If young people are provided with the platform, training, and support to share and implement their solutions on ways to create lasting preventive services for HIV and STIs in their communities, the use of these services among our youths can increase dramatically especially among those with high risk of new HIV infection.
The Challenge
We are calling on young people in partnerships with community-based organizations in Nigeria to use creative ideas to help us find the best way community-based organizations can make these HIV prevention services (HIV testing, STI testing, use of pre- exposure prophylaxis) last. Youths are brilliant, creative, and innovative. Community-based organizations are the same and can lead lasting change. With this contest, you can create something impactful with other young people and learn how to solve problems in your communities, using your creativity. This includes essays, storytelling, letters, or videos that include any creative idea you have.
Who Can Participate? You!
We invite people of age 14-24 years residing in Nigeria as well as certified community-based organizations serving young people or addressing youth health, to partner with then to inspire lasting change. We are also open to having teams of 4 people, with each team having one person, at most 24 years old and working with a community-based organization, to co-design an innovative strategy that will sustain (i.e make a lasting) HIV self-testing and other preventive services in their communities.
Judging
Applications will be reviewed by 4 Youth by Youth Team and affiliated partners, and up to 15 of the most promising teams of young innovators will be chosen to participate. Judging criteria will include the following:
a clear description of the creative idea used.
desirability of the creative idea to youth.
innovation of the creative idea; and
feasibility of using the creative tool to sustain HIV preventive services of the 4YBY. All entries are judged anonymously. No identifying information will be included on any essay, story, letter, audio/video, poem, or nonfiction piece submitted.
Cash Prize
Top-scoring entries after judging will have a chance to pitch their idea in a 48-hour designathon in April 2024. In addition, the top 3 finalists will receive an award of:
1st Place: N500,000
2nd Place: N300,000
3rd Place: N200,000
Timeline
Open call entries: February 1st, 2024, to March 10th, 2024
Announcement of successful entries: March 18th, 2024.
Designathon event: April 3rd-7th, 2024
Contest Rules
No work simultaneously submitted elsewhere, already published, or already accepted for publication is eligible for consideration (even if only excerpted or even if revised since original publication). We consider any appearance in print or online to be a publication, including newspapers, newsletters, magazines, anthologies, chapbooks, books, websites, blogs, social media, etc. This restriction applies regardless of the size of the print run or the extent of the circulation of previously published work. Failure to comply with these criteria for eligibility will immediately disqualify any entry, regardless of when it is discovered.
Method Of Submission
If interested, you can apply through the link below by March 10th, 2024, at 11:59 PM WAT.
For additional information about this contest or questions, please call or text 09090496884 or email sustain.4yby@gmail.com
Be sure to read our website's open contest page and FAQs BEFORE proceeding with the submission form! If something is not clear, please get in touch with us by email at sustain.4yby@gmail.com a or call +234 909 049 6884.
