Youth Advocates Ghana (YAG) is nationally recognized youth-led non-political, Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) located in Nsawam in the Eastern Region of Ghana. Formed in 2011, it is registered with Registrar General’s Department (Registration No. CG 000722012) and with the Department of Social Welfare (Registration No. D.S.W/5450). YAG was formed out of the need to meet the challenges confronting children with respect to sexual abuse and its related consequences. It did so through awareness creation sessions and training programmes and counselling for affected children, their parents and communities. 

For the past 8 years, YAG has scaled up its programmes and activities to cover domains like education (scholarship for children), and health (sexual and reproductive health). It has also expanded the target scope from the children to the youth, noting the challenges that especially confront the adolescent and young girls. 

YAG also focuses on changing social norms and values that limit access to SRHR services and information through strengthening health services to offer young people the sexual and reproductive health care they need without judgment or bias, including access to long-acting contraceptive methods and safe abortion services. YAG also connects young advocates and policymakers to foster supportive policies that promote young people’s health and rights.

YAG has gained experience and credibility in these areas of programme implementation and have extended this to the international arena, currently accredited to International Youth Federation and serve as the Secretariat for the 2030 Youth Alliance and the host of the African Youth SDGs Summit, a continental platform promoting the active participation of the youth in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Agenda 2063 of the African Union. YAG also belongs to the Coalition of CSOs Platform on the SDGs Ghana and African Youth and Adolescent Network (AfriIYAN).

The goals of YAG are: 

• Enable the youth/young people to make informed decisions about their sexual and reproductive health and ensure that their human rights are respected, protected and fulfilled.
• Empower young people to participate and hold duty-bearers accountable to ensure equitable and sustainable services for children and youth.
• Provide educational and skill (enterprise-based) support for the development vulnerable children and youth. 
• Strengthen the organization’s capacity to effectively and efficiently plan and implement programmes and projects.

Our Vision 

A nation where children and youth influence decisions that affect their lives, enjoy their rights, and assume their responsibilities as full citizens

Our Mission 

YAG works to transform the lives of children and youth by improving access to information and enhance participation in sexual and reproductive health, education and livelihood programmes. 

Core Values

The Core Values which underpin YAG’s programming are:

Youth-Driven

We believe in the power and potential of young people. We believe that the concerns and challenges of young people can best be addressed by and through them.

Cooperation/Partnership

We believe that we are citizens of the global community and we can achieve much when we share ideas, exchange information and work together, hence our slogan “One Voice, One World”

Teamwork

Providing support to one another, working co-operatively, respecting one another’s views and making our work environment fun and enjoyable.

Evidence-Based

We seek to build our programmes and services on evidence-based approaches and emerging best practices that produce outcomes.