Fondation Botnar is maintaining its commitment to championing meaningful participation for young people in health digitalisation to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by supporting Young Experts: Tech 4 Health (YET4H), a platform for young people to shape and guide this agenda through data and digital technology at the global level.
An organisation created to advise on Meaningful Youth Engagement to the Transform Health Coalition, which campaigns for and collaborates with individuals and communities to accelerate the meaningful and ethical adoption of digital technologies for improved health and wellbeing.
YET4H is youth-led and aims to create a global youth network that re-imagines healthcare in a digital age. Led by youth, for youth, YET4H believes in a world where young people are resourced and supported to interrogate the status quo in digital health, represent the diversity of youth, and shape more inclusive and equitable paradigms in the global digital health agenda. YET4H aims to achieve its vision of a global digital health ecosystem that meaningfully engages young people, catering to their unique needs and challenges, while recognising them as equal stakeholders and partners in achieving UHC.
Today’s global youth population is the largest in history. Approximately half of the world’s population is under 30. Yet, with only 1.9% of those aged below 30 having a voice as legislators, and less than 2% of global health funding allocated to their specific health issues, young people continue to be under-represented in both policy and programs.
Digital technology, together with AI, offers significant opportunities to tackle health system challenges, and should be recognised as a catalyst to achieving the UHC agenda.
As many young people have been the first generation to grow up with various forms of digital technology, they can offer a unique perspective and be at the forefront of this shift. Their voices and expertise should guide how these new tools are leveraged.
The Young Experts: Tech 4 Health initiative provides young people the opportunity to do just that, shaping how digital innovation can uphold equitable and quality primary health for all.
Objectives of the program:
YET4H has made significant strides towards their vision of a global digital health ecosystem where young people are involved, engaged and supported to fully participate. Over the past 2 years, YET4H has partnered with 13 youth-led organisations across 12 countries to deliver local projects related to digital health policy. Through the provision of resources, capacity building and mentorship, YET4H supported these emerging young leaders to raise public awareness and build political will to help build resilient digital health systems and health data governance policies. Through these collaborations, YET4H is building a global network of passionate young people and supporting them to utilise their own skills and talents to enable system change.
YET4H creates spaces for them to develop and leverage their expertise, build new skills, and participate in decision-making related to digital health. With support from Fondation Botnar, we embody this at every level, from our own membership to youth-led organisations, to individual youth advocates across the globe.
Fondation Botnar
St. Alban-Vorstadt 56
4052 Basel
Switzerland
info@fondationbotnar.org
+41 61 201 04 74
