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.

18/05/2026

🌟 Closing one chapter, building the next 🌟

On 31 March 2026, HCA’s Resilient City for Adolescents (Ghana, Sunyani) project officially concluded its main phase. We are proud of the progress made in strengthening adolescent participation, inclusive governance, and sustainable urban development in Sunyani!

💬 A standout milestone was seeing members of the Sunyani Adolescents Parliament (https://healthy-cities.org/young-elected-and-heard-ghanas-youth-take-the-lead-in-city-governance/) participate in the 2025 Bono Regional Annual Performance Review Meeting by the Ghana Health Service – clear recognition that youth voices matter in decision-making.

🚀 The journey continues: an extension grant until 31 August 2026 has been approved to help further embed project achievements into local systems, strengthen youth leadership, and secure long-term sustainability.

🤝 Thank you to all partners, stakeholders, and especially the young people whose vision and commitment made this possible!

Read more about the project: https://lnkd.in/gpXPizBp

Fondation Botnar | Global Media Foundation |

14/05/2026

Join the Healthy Cities for Adolescents programme at the World Urban Forum in Baku on 17-22 May!

Next week at the in Baku, Azerbaijan, Healthy Cities for Adolescents will host a networking event exploring how intermediary cities can become safer, healthier and more inclusive for adolescents and young people – come and join us!

📍 Youth Perspectives on Urban Liveability – an Intergenerational Dialogue on Intermediary Cities
🗓 21 May 2026
🕓 16:00 – 17:30 (Baku time)
📌 Multipurpose Room 2

Come and hear from youth leaders, city stakeholders, global organisations and practitioners as they co-create a shared vision of how intermediary cities can provide safety, resilience and sustainable development centred around young people’s wellbeing.

Joyati Das, HCA Global Partnerships and Advocacy Lead Ecorys and Susanna Hausmann-Muela, Cities Portfolio Lead Fondation Botnar will co-moderate our session and we are delighted to welcome our panellists:

🟢 Shamoy Hajare, Officer in Charge, Human Rights and Social Inclusion UN-HABITAT
🟢 Aline Rahbany, Cities4Children Global Alliance
🟢 Nathalie Roebbel, Urban Health Lead World Health Organization (WHO)
🟢 Shantiram Rai, President of the Youth Network for Positive Change, Nepal

Alongside our panel, youth leaders and city stakeholders from different regions will contribute directly from the audience as speakers to encourage interactive, solution-oriented conversations. As part of this intergenerational exchange, HCA project leads from Resilient City for Adolescents and Alza Tu Voz will contribute insights from adolescents in Ghana and Ecuador.

Join us at WUF13 and explore what more inclusive, adolescent-responsive cities can look like in practice!

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

11/05/2026

🌍 | 🇻🇳 Vietnam Spotlight

💡 What happens when adolescents are invited not just to use digital systems – but to help design them?

In Da Nang, Vietnam, young people are moving from passive users of technology to active co-creators of solutions that respond to real challenges in education, inclusion, and wellbeing.

Through hackathons, advisory platforms, and innovation spaces, adolescents have developed ideas ranging from tools supporting children with ADHD and autism to learning platforms and mental health solutions. More importantly, they are helping institutions rethink how problems are defined – and who gets a seat at the table.

🌍 This is not only a story about digital innovation. It is a story about participation, trust, and the power of youth-led change.

Read how Da Nang is building a more inclusive digital future –with adolescents at the centre: https://healthy-cities.org/coding-the-city-how-adolescents-are-rewriting-da-nangs-digital-playbook/

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

06/05/2026

Learning across cities, growing together | India Spotlight 🇮🇳

On 9-10 April, the SVHPS team visited the ACT Indore project to exchange lessons, ideas, and practical approaches for improving adolescent wellbeing in urban settings.

💬 A key highlight was the discussion with adolescents from both cities, who shared how they mobilise communities through street plays, house visits, learning circles, weekly meetings, and creative engagement activities.

Adolescents also shared their experiences with public space audits and transect walks, workshops, and convenings with communities and other stakeholders. Their experiences showed the power of youth leadership and peer-driven change.

🌍 Despite different city contexts, many common challenges emerged – from climate resilience to public spaces, civic participation, and inclusive governance. Both projects are ensuring adolescents are not just participants, but active decision-makers through governance structures.

The ACT Indore team learnt about the implementation of the Public Spaces Assessment Framework, which adopts data-led participatory planning approaches to public space development.

🏘️ During a community visit to the AaS Centre in Indore, the SVHPS team saw first-hand how adolescent fellows are building confidence, awareness, and stronger community connections.

📌 Partners also discussed what drives long-term sustainability:
✔️ working with government systems
✔️ using data and evidence
✔️ storytelling for engagement
✔️ strengthening local institutional capacity

✨ The visit reinforced an important lesson: while cities may differ, meaningful adolescent engagement creates solutions that travel across contexts.

🚀 Next stop: planning is now underway for ACT Indore’s visit to Bhubaneswar.

Fondation Botnar | Youth Ki Awaaz | WRI India

29/04/2026

🌍 | 🇪🇨 Ecuador Spotlight

In Quevedo, Ecuador, young people who once felt unheard turned ideas into action – revitalising a central public space, partnering with local government, and leading community change.

✨ One participant who was once afraid to speak now represents youth in meetings and media.

🍀 Read the impact story: https://healthy-cities.org/when-adolescents-begin-to-shape-the-city-a-story-from-quevedo-ecuador/

Fondation Botnar | LAB XXI |

27/04/2026

What happens when cities start listening to adolescents? 🍀

In February, the HCA's 2026 (https://glf2026.healthy-cities.org/) brought together adolescents, city partners and programme teams in Ghana to reflect on what it really takes to build cities that support young people.

Over the past weeks, we’ve been working through these discussions – and today we’re sharing a first set of key insights emerging from the Forum.

One thing is clear: young people are not just participants – they are already shaping their cities.

Across countries, adolescents are:
🔹 co-designing public spaces
🔹 influencing local policies
🔹 leading community initiatives
🔹 speaking directly with decision-makers

But here’s the tension 👇
While their voices are getting stronger, their influence is still not fully embedded in how cities operate.

So what actually makes the difference?
🟢 Safe, youth-friendly spaces create the foundation for engagement
🟢 Skills (public speaking, storytelling, advocacy) unlock confidence
🟢 Real platforms (youth councils, parliaments) turn voices into action
🟢 Partnerships with cities make change sustainable

And maybe the most important insight:
👉 Young people don’t want to be consulted
👉 They want to shape solutions

Read the full set of reflections and recommendations from the Forum on our website:https://healthy-cities.org/app/uploads/2026/04/GLF-Key-Reflections-v4.pdf

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

20/04/2026

🌍 | 🇬🇭 Ghana Spotlight

What does it take to move from engaging young people… to truly co-creating with them?

On 18 March in Ho, Ghana, the Young and Safe Ho Learning Forum brought together adolescents, partners and local stakeholders to reflect on three years of work – and, more importantly, to look ahead. 🌍

Across the day, one message became evident: young people are not just participants, but active contributors to designing solutions.

From youth-led platforms like the and the Festival, to initiating the city's first Youth Park and the launch of the Fafa mental wellness app 📱 – the project has shown what becomes possible when young people are trusted, supported and given space to lead.

The numbers tell part of the story:
✅ 138 young advocates trained
✅ 5,000+ reached through radio
✅ 6,000+ engaged through community events

But the bigger shift goes beyond data.

➡️ stronger confidence and participation
➡️ more open conversations on mental health
➡️ systems beginning to adapt – including integration into education structures

As the Young and Safe Project concludes, the momentum continues – through partnerships, through local institutions, and through the young people who are already leading the way.

What does a youth-friendly city look like to you? 💬

Fondation Botnar | Node Eight |

13/04/2026

🌍 | 🇪🇨 Ecuador Spotlight

How much can happen in just two months – when adolescents are truly given space to lead? Honestly, more than most programmes achieve in a year 🙂

In January-February alone, through :

🌿 Adolescents in Quevedo helped shape a Youth Ordinance, defining priorities like health, safe public spaces, entrepreneurship and civic participation

🎡 They brought Central Park back to life – organising games, gathering peers, and opening conversations on mental health and safe spaces

💻 50 adolescents built educational video games in just two days at a hackathon, turning local challenges into real solutions

🌍 They contributed to a global consultation on digital rights, feeding directly into UN-level advocacy processes

🎤 A youth-led communication campaign attracted new members into the Nucleus Group, growing the movement from within

🧠 Through a political advocacy workshop, adolescents analysed real community challenges and strengthened their ability to engage decision-makers

🌱 Together with the municipality, they launched an organic gardens initiative, combining sustainability, skills and community action

🎓 In Riobamba, adolescents continued robotics, electricity and English training, with some preparing for Cambridge exams

🎥 They learned participatory video methods to document and reflect on change in their own communities

🏞️ They co-designed how an Adolescents’ Park should be used, working side by side with local authorities and community leaders

🎨 They co-created a youth festival, shaping its activities, formats and role of young people in organising it

💛 And even small things matter – like a Valentine’s community stand with drawings, messages and conversations that built empathy and connection among peers

No abstract “youth engagement”.
Just adolescents designing solutions, creating spaces and building something that lasts.

And honestly – we’re still being surprised by how much they can do when given the chance! 🙌

LAB XXI | Fondation Botnar

09/04/2026

It’s been a couple of months since the HCA's 2026 – and we’re still reflecting on what it unlocked ✨ 💙

Not just new ideas, but a new way of seeing cities - where adolescents are shaping change, not just participating in it 🏙️

From Ghana to Colombia, Vietnam to Senegal, the Forum brought together experiences, challenges and solutions grounded in reality – and driven by young people themselves.

This video offers a glimpse into those five days.

🎥 Watch the highlights – and the momentum behind them.

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

07/04/2026

What does a healthy city really mean?

Not in policies.
Not in strategies.
But in the everyday lives of young people.

Across countries, adolescents are sharing their concerns and needs:

👉 health is not just about healthcare
👉 it’s about feeling safe
👉 it’s about healthy environment
👉 it’s about living in peace
👉 being heard
👉 having spaces to connect, move, and express yourself
👉 and access to basic needs that are often overlooked

From India to Ecuador, their voices point to one simple truth: healthy cities are built with young people – not just for them.

Today, on World Health Day, we are sharing what health looks like through their eyes.
Because listening is where change begins.

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

30/03/2026

🎉 Good news: the Co-creating Healthy Cities for Adolescents and Youth in Vietnam project has been extended!

📍 In Da Nang, the next phase will focus on scaling what works – and making it last.

The extension will prioritise sustainability and scale, including:

🔷 Expanding the Children’s Council model to reach more adolescents – especially from ethnic minority and marginalised groups
🔷 Establishing a Youth Innovation Hub to further develop solutions from Youth On! Hackathons
🔷 Documenting and sharing best practices to support replication and long-term impact

More updates soon as the next phase unfolds!

🔗 Project overview: https://healthy-cities.org/projects/co-creating-healthy-cities-for-adolescents-and-youth-in-vietnam/

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

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