A transformative youth leadership development initiative has wrapped up in Belize, bringing together 97 young people from three of the country’s districts to equip them with the skills to drive community change around adolescent sexual and reproductive health. Hosted as part of a regional project focused on cutting adolescent pregnancy rates, the four-day “Let’s Be Leaders!” Youth Training Camp was a collaborative effort between the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and Belize’s Department of Youth Services, with sponsorship from local firm RF&G.
Participants hailing from Belize, Stann Creek, and Toledo districts took part in the residential program, which was split across three separate weekends to accommodate young people from different regions of the country. Unlike traditional lecture-based training, the camp centered on interactive, hands-on learning that combined formal leadership skill-building, critical discussions on youth health, and cultural exchange activities to create an inclusive, supportive environment for growth.
The initiative is embedded within the broader “Let’s Be Clear” public education campaign, which forms a core component of the “Leave No One Behind: Reduction of Adolescent Pregnancy” project. This multi-year effort receives financial backing from the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and the Government of Ireland through its development assistance program, Irish Aid, which has long prioritized youth sexual and reproductive health outcomes in the Caribbean.
Over the course of the program, young attendees worked through modules designed to boost their self-confidence, build peer networks across district boundaries, and strengthen their ability to make informed, intentional decisions about their own lives. A central focus of the training aligned directly with the “Let’s Be Clear” campaign’s core mission: expanding access to evidence-based, age-appropriate information about sexual and reproductive health, gender equality, and healthy relationship dynamics. By building young people’s leadership capacity, organizers hope to empower participants to become advocates for their own wellbeing and the health of their peers across their home communities, creating sustainable, youth-led change that addresses the root drivers of unintended adolescent pregnancy in Belize.