Healthy Cities for Adolescents

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Healthy Cities for Adolescents

Healthy Cities for Adolescents (HCA) is Fondation Botnar’s unique initiative focused on adolescents in cities.

Healthy Cities for Adolescents (HCA) is a global programme supporting young people to thrive in urban environments. We bring together local governments, civil society, youth groups, and global partners to co-create healthier, safer, and more inclusive cities for adolescents. The programme is supported by the Fondation Botnar and managed by Ecorys. HCA operates in six countries — Colombia, Ecuador,

India, Ghana, Senegal and Vietnam — funding projects that intend to improve lives of adolescents in intermediary cities. Each project aims to create lasting solutions through partnerships with various stakeholders at the city level.

20/08/2026

💡 | What can cities learn from Da Nang’s Children’s Council? 🇻🇳

Many cities ask adolescents what they think. Far fewer create systems that ensure those ideas influence real decisions.

Da Nang’s Children’s Council in Vietnam shows that meaningful adolescent participation is not about a single consultation or event. It is about building a process that connects young people with decision-makers – and following through.

📌 Three lessons from Da Nang:

✅ Participation needs a structure, not just opportunities.
The Council operates from commune to city level, creating regular channels for adolescents to engage directly with decision-makers.

✅ Listening is only the first step.
Every recommendation is documented, discussed and followed up, helping build trust and accountability.

✅ Young people should shape solutions, not just identify problems.
From safer public spaces to mental health initiatives and digital safety campaigns, adolescents are helping influence real policies and programmes.

🎥 Watch the video from Da Nang in the our Learning Library: https://healthy-cities.org/library-item/summary-video-of-the-childrens-council-model/

🔷 Explore the impact story: https://healthy-cities.org/adolescents-voices-leaders-actions-how-da-nangs-childrens-council-is-changing-the-way-cities-listen/

UNICEF Viet Nam - Quỹ Nhi Đồng Liên Hợp Quốc | Fondation Botnar

17/08/2026

Every story of change starts with the person who experienced it.

In this short video, David Zomayi from Ghana 🇬🇭 reflects on what changed in his life due to the Young and Safe project through the Participatory Video + Most Significant Change ( ) approach.

PVMSC combines participatory video with storytelling to help adolescents identify the changes that matter most to them and explain why those changes are significant. Rather than relying only on traditional indicators, the approach puts young people's own experiences and perspectives at the centre of understanding impact.

🗣️David's story is one example of how listening to adolescents can deepen our understanding of what meaningful change really looks like.

🎥 Watch his story 👇

Young and Safe Ho | Fondation Botnar

12/08/2026

🌎This ’s themes highlight the power of cooperation and partnership building in ensuring young people can shape and participate meaningfully in sustainable urban futures.

🤝 At Healthy Cities for Adolescents, we align closely with this message and demonstrate how partnerships which are most effective in tackling the challenges shared by youth across our programme are those that recognise young people as equal partners.

🏢 Across our programme, adolescents are working alongside city governments, community leaders and practitioners to shape healthier, safer and more inclusive cities. They are creating student parliaments, co-designing public spaces, engaging directly with municipal and national decision-makers to influence planning, and bringing their solutions to global conversations.

🌐This year, our collaborations have expanded, developing international coalitions. HCA projects in Ghana and Ecuador are partnering with the World Health Organization (WHO) to contribute adolescent-led solutions to flagship initiatives advancing Sustainable Development Goals 3 and 11. During our in Accra, adolescents explored urban challenges and proposed ideas for adolescent-friendly cities of the future, directly with representatives from WHO, UNICEF, international NGOs and government leaders, demonstrating what meaningful youth participation looks like in practice.

💡The following stories capture HCA partnerships in action, showcasing how young people and institutions are listening, learning and creating solutions together.

Read more: https://healthy-cities.org/international-youth-day-2026-young-people-are-building-partnerships-that-shape-healthier-cities/

Fondation Botnar | Despacio | Node Eight | Vivo Mi Calle | LAB XXI | Sama yoon sama kaddu | Global Media Foundationn | WRI India | Youth Ki Awaaz | Fort Pour Le Futur | Young and Safe Ho

03/08/2026

🌍 | 🇻🇳 Vietnam Spotlight

In Da Nang, partners across the (HCA-II) programme came together to validate a new Situation Analysis that will help shape future investments and programming for young people in the city's rapidly changing urban context.

Commissioned by UNICEF and supported through HCA-II, the analysis provides the first comprehensive evidence base on the lives of adolescents and young people in the newly expanded Da Nang – examining health and wellbeing, education, employment, digital inclusion, participation and the broader ecosystem of organisations working with young people.

The workshop also highlighted the power of collaboration, bringing together local authorities, UNICEF, UN-Habitat, Live & Learn International, AIP Foundation, Fondation Botnar and other partners to strengthen coordination and identify opportunities for greater collective impact.

Beyond the workshop, Fondation Botnar representatives met with adolescents leading initiatives in environmental action, sustainable tourism, heritage conservation and civic participation – demonstrating that young people are not only shaping their communities today but also helping define healthier, greener and more inclusive cities for tomorrow.

Read the full story: https://healthy-cities.org/hca-partners-in-vietnam-validate-situation-analysis-to-shape-the-future-of-adolescent-programming/

27/07/2026

| Senegal Highlights 🇸🇳

A new chapter for adolescent leadership is taking shape in Senegal.

As part of the Fort Pour Le Futur project under the Healthy Cities for Adolescents programme, peer educators in Pikine, Thiès and Tivaouane have established their own associations – creating a lasting platform for youth-led action beyond individual project activities. 👏

These newly formed associations provide young people with a formal structure to coordinate initiatives, strengthen collaboration and increase their visibility within local communities.

More importantly, they help ensure that adolescents continue to play an active role in promoting health, education and wellbeing among their peers. 👦 🧒

For years, peer educators have been leading conversations, sharing knowledge and supporting young people across their communities. Today, they are taking the next step: building organisations that can sustain this work and amplify adolescent voices for years to come!

Réseau Jeunesse, Population et Développement du Sénégal (RESOPOPDEV) | Fondation Botnar

21/07/2026

🧒 👦 What do you want to be when you grow up?

For many young people in Sunyani, Ghana the answer begins with a simple desire: to be heard – and to help others be heard too.

Through the Adolescent Citizen Journalism Programme implemented by the HCA's Resilient Cities for Adolescents (RCA) project, young people are developing the skills and confidence to tell stories, ask questions, document issues that matter to their communities and amplify adolescent perspectives.

🎥 In this video, participants introduce themselves, share their aspirations and explain why they want to become citizen journalists. Some dream of becoming reporters. Others want to work in radio, television or digital media. But behind every ambition is something even more powerful: a belief that young people can help shape conversations and drive positive change.

Fondation Botnar | Despacio | Node Eight | Vivo Mi Calle | LAB XXI | Sama yoon sama kaddu | Global Media Foundation | WRI India | Youth Ki Awaaz z | Fort Pour Le Futur | Young and Safe Ho

16/07/2026

📚 | Resource Spotlight 🇨🇴

What does meaningful adolescent participation in decision-making actually look like?

This new learning paper explores how the Fort Pour Le Futur project in Senegal has strengthened adolescent participation in local decision-making and advocacy processes. It highlights practical approaches, measurable impact and key lessons that can help others create more inclusive governance systems where young people are not just heard, but influence decisions.

This resource is part of the 📚 HCA Learning Library – a growing collection of tools, guides, case studies and practical insights from across our country programmes and partners.

📖 Explore, learn and discover ideas that can help build healthier cities for adolescents everywhere: https://healthy-cities.org/library/

Fondation Botnar | Despacio | Node Eight | Vivo Mi Calle | LAB XXI | Sama yoon sama kaddu | Global Media Foundation | India | Youth Ki Awaaz | Young and Safe Ho

13/07/2026

| 🇸🇳 Senegal Highlights

In Senegal, the Sama yoon sama kaddu (My Path, My Pledge) project is showing that supporting adolescent mental wellbeing goes far beyond awareness campaigns. It means creating opportunities for young people to connect, express themselves and support one another.

Across Tambacounda and Kolda, Mental Health Clubs initiated by the project are helping adolescents build life skills, strengthen peer networks and challenge stigma around mental health.

As part of the project, adolescents have engaged in a range of activities, including:

🧠 Interactive sessions on emotional wellbeing, self-confidence and stress management
🎭 Forum theatre and youth-led performances that spark community conversations
⚽ Sports and inter-school activities that foster friendship and belonging
🌳 Safe community spaces designed and activated by young people themselves
📹 Digital storytelling and youth-created content amplifying adolescent voices

What makes this approach unique is that adolescents are not only participating – they facilitate discussions, support their peers and create spaces where others feel heard.

In the process, adolescents are gaining something equally important: the confidence to speak up, connect with others and shape the communities they want to live in.

Réseau Jeunesse, Population et Développement du Sénégal (RESOPOPDEV) | Fondation Botnar

08/07/2026

| 🇬🇭 Ghana Spotlight

In Sunyani, Ghana, a remarkable milestone has been reached. Inspired by his experience as a member of the Sunyani under the Resilient Cities for Adolescents (RCA) project, SAHESS Senior Prefect Edmond Osei Kwadwo championed the creation of the first-ever at Sacred Heart Senior High School – the only initiative of its kind in the Bono Region!

🎉 The newly established Students Parliament creates a platform for student leadership, democratic participation and meaningful engagement in school governance.

The inauguration brought together students, educators and community leaders to celebrate this important step towards strengthening youth voice and civic participation. Alongside the swearing-in of the Speaker and student MPs, participants engaged in discussions on sanitation, digital entrepreneurship and the responsible use of social media.

This is a powerful example of how meaningful youth participation empowers young people to drive change in their schools, communities and cities.

👏 Congratulations to the students, school leadership and partners who made this achievement possible!

Global Media Foundation | Fondation Botnar

02/07/2026

🌍 | 🇮🇳 India Spotlight

In Jaipur and Bhubaneswar, adolescents are helping redesign public spaces – not through symbolic participation, but through structured assessment, co-design and real-world testing.

🧭 Using the Public Spaces Assessment Framework (PSAF), adolescents worked with city authorities to identify barriers in public spaces, audit sites, propose improvements and evaluate how changes affected safety, accessibility and use.

📍 In 2025, this approach was tested across six tactical urbanism pilots covering more than 11,000 square metres and engaging over 3,450 adolescent users. Some temporary interventions have already become permanent city improvements.

👉 This story explores how adolescent-led evidence and participation can help cities make more informed, inclusive and responsive decisions about public space: https://healthy-cities.org/from-temporary-fixes-to-permanent-change-how-adolescents-are-reshaping-public-spaces-in-indian-cities/.

Fondation Botnar | WRI India

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