Adolescent Empowerment Programme

  • P Project/Program

? Activity Status: Unknown

Key Information

The Adolescent Empowerment Programme (AEP) adopted a life-cycle approach, working with adolescents aged 11–18 in schools, Anganwadi centers, and communities to promote gender equality, agency, and access to rights. The program delivered structured, school-based sessions for younger adolescents to challenge harmful gender norms, build confidence and negotiation skills, and introduce concepts of sexuality and reproductive health. Older adolescent girls were engaged as peer educators to strengthen life skills and awareness of sexual and reproductive health rights, while community youth were trained as peer leaders to mobilize local action and support adolescents’ access to health and education services.

 

The program also strengthened the broader ecosystem surrounding adolescents by training frontline health workers on gender, rights, and non-discriminatory service provision, and by engaging parents, teachers, and community leaders to create safer and more supportive environments. Through community mobilization initiatives, arts-based outreach, media campaigns, and partnerships with government at district and state levels, the initiative promoted sustained norm change and institutional support for adolescents’ rights and wellbeing.

Lead Implementing Organization(s)

Location(s)

South Asia

India

Activity URL

https://inbreakthrough.org/adolescent-empowerment-programme-endline-survey-from-uttar-pradesh-proves-that-social-norm-change-is-possible/

Government Affiliation

Unknown

Years

2012 -

Partner(s)

Aman Network (DV), Change Alliance, Global Alliance for SBCC, SAVA Children, Beti Bachao Beti Padao, Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK), Girls Count, Community of Evaluators, Puntos, Thompson Reuters Foundation, UN Agencies, Twitter, Facebook, Instragram, Skoll Foundation, Youth Ki Awaaz, STC, Srijan Foundation, Azad Foundation, Ashoka University, 10to19 Dasra Adolescents Collaborative

Ministry Affiliation

N/A

Funder(s)

EdelGive Foundation, British Asian Trust, IKEA Foundation, Becton Dickinson, Human Dignity Foundation, Oak Foundation, Oracle

COVID-19 Response

Adapted

Geographic Scope

National

Meets gender-transformative education criteria from the TES  

Unknown

Areas of Work Back to Top

Education areas

Attainment
  • Primary completion
  • Secondary completion
Other skills
  • Life skills/sexuality education
  • Rights/empowerment education
  • Social and emotional learning
Quality
  • School quality
  • School-related gender-based violence

Cross-cutting areas

  • COVID-19 Response
  • Early/child marriage
  • Food/water security
  • Gender equality
  • Masculinities/boys
  • Other aspects of sexual and reproductive health
  • Social and gender norms and beliefs
  • Violence (at home, in relationships)
  • WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene)

Program participants

Target Audience(s)

Boys (both in school and out of school), Girls (both in school and out of school), Youth

Age

11 - 25

School Enrolment Status

Some in school

School Level

  • Upper primary
  • Lower secondary
  • Upper secondary

Other populations reached

  • Brothers
  • Fathers
  • Mothers
  • Other community members - female
  • Other community members - male
  • Other family members
  • Parent-teacher associations/school management committees
  • School administrators
  • Sisters
  • Teachers - female
  • Teachers - male

Participants include

  • Adolescent mothers (pregnant or parenting)
  • Internal migrants (from other areas of the same country)

Program Approaches Back to Top

Access to school
  • Alternative learning centers/mobile schools/home schools
Community engagement/advocacy/sensitization
  • Community-based monitoring (e.g. school report cards)
  • Community mobilization
  • Mothers' clubs
  • School management committees
  • Technical assistance/capacity building to civil society organizations or governments
Curriculum/learning
  • Gender-sensitive curricula
Health and childcare services
  • Adolescent-friendly health services
  • Referrals to health services
Life skills education
  • Gender, rights and power
  • Negotiation skills
  • Sexual and reproductive health (including puberty education)
  • Social and emotional learning (SEL) skills building
Menstrual hygiene management
  • Educating girls about menstruation
  • Raising awareness about menstruation (beyond just girls)
Other
  • Other activities to address/end violence (not captured above)
  • Other activities to end child marriage (not captured above)
Policy/legal environment
  • Advocating changes to existing laws/policies
  • Raising awareness about existing laws/policies
School-related gender-based violence
  • Safe channels/mechanisms for reporting violence
  • Training of school personnel (including teachers)
  • Violence prevention curriculum/activities for students
Social/gender norms change
  • Engaging parents/caregivers of students or school-age children/adolescents
  • Group activities with students or school-age children/adolescents
  • Media campaigns
  • Work with community leaders
  • Work with religious leaders
Teaching
  • In-service teacher training – gender-responsive pedagogy
Women's empowerment programs
  • Advocacy/action
  • Empowerment training

Show More

Program Goals Back to Top

Education goals

  • Improved social and emotional learning/skills and mindsets
  • Increased primary school completion
  • Increased progression to secondary school
  • Increased re-enrolment in school among out-of-school children
  • Increased secondary school completion
  • Increased years of schooling
  • Reduced absenteeism

Cross-cutting goals

  • Improved understanding of sexual harassment, coercion, and consent
  • Increased agency and empowerment
  • Increased knowledge of rights
  • More equal power in relationships
  • More equitable gender attitudes and norms
  • Reduced child marriage
  • Reduced school-related gender-based violence (SRGBV)
  • Reduced STI/HIV/AIDS

Additional Information Back to Top

Primary Contact

Jocelyn Jose
Breakthrough
Head- Institutional Partnerships
jocelyn@breakthrough.tv