Written by Nomujuni Neale Natukwatsa, INSPIRE Youth Advisory Board Co-Chair
What happens when young people, researchers, health practitioners and community stakeholders from different countries, institutions and lived experiences come together in one room not simply to talk about young people, but to co-create with them?
That was the spirit of the Youth Co-creation for Health Workshop held at the Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública Sergio Arouca at Fiocruz Manguinhos ahead of AIDS 2026.
The workshop brought together participants representing a diverse range of organisations and institutions, including CEDAPS, Baylor-Botswana, University of Washington, Wake Forest University, Rio Youth Force, Decola Cria/GOYN Rio de Janeiro, Fiocruz, RNAJVHA, ACS, SZNDIR, UNICEF, INT EVOLUX and UNC, among others. The diversity extended beyond institutional affiliations. With at least 70% of participants speaking Portuguese, the workshop created a valuable bridge between the local youth community in Rio and the international AIDS 2026 community.
This diversity was important. It meant that conversations about youth participation were not happening from a single perspective. Young people, researchers, community organisations, academic institutions and global health partners brought different experiences and ways of understanding the challenges facing young people in health.
Group photo during the Rio Youth Co-creation Workshop.
From participation to partnership
The workshop was built around the Youth Co-creation for Health: Practical Guide, developed by SESH in partnership with UNICEF and TDR. The guide approaches youth co-creation as an iterative process in which young people and researchers work together while deliberately recognising and addressing power imbalances.
The afternoon began with introductions to the practical guide, reflections celebrating Rio’s youth, an exploration of Fiocruz’s role in the local youth community, and a discussion on inclusion. The discussion included the question of what it takes to ensure that young people dealing with systematic stigma are not left behind. And a panel brought together perspectives from WHO, CEDAPS, Decola Cria, RNAJVHA, and Fiocruz, creating space for dialogue between local and international experiences.
But the heart of the workshop was the co-creation activity.
Participants worked in small groups of six to eight, bringing young people and adults together to explore two practical questions. The first question asked how we might imagine a future where young people facing systemic stigma — including those living with HIV, disabilities, and other conditions — are not discriminated against or excluded from work. The second question challenged participants to think creatively about how the Youth Co-creation Practical Guide could be disseminated in different settings with young people taking the lead.
Participants were encouraged to pay attention to power imbalances, create space for young people’s contributions, generate ideas together, and identify their strongest proposals before sharing them with the wider group. This was co-creation in practice. Not a presentation about youth participation, but a room where people had to listen, negotiate, create, and make decisions together.
When the conversation continued beyond Fiocruz
One of the most memorable aspects of the workshop was that the conversation did not end when the formal programme ended. Later that evening, participants gathered for dinner, creating an informal space to continue exchanging experiences, challenge ideas, build friendships, and explore opportunities for future collaboration. For a workshop centered on relationships and shared power, this informal continuation mattered. It allowed people to connect beyond their institutional roles and discover the experiences and motivations behind the work.
The group enjoying a post-workshop dinner.
Why this matters for INSPIRE
The Rio workshop demonstrated an important principle; meaningful youth engagement is not about simply creating opportunities for young people to participate. It is about creating processes where young people can influence the questions, contribute their knowledge and lived experiences, shape solutions, and help determine what success looks like.
It also demonstrated the value of bringing different communities together. Local youth organisations and community networks. Researchers and universities. Global health institutions and international partners. Young people and adults. Different perspectives, brought into the same space, can challenge assumptions and create possibilities that may not emerge when people work in isolation.
This workshop offered a practical example of what youth co-creation can look like when diversity is treated as an asset rather than a complication.
The lesson from Rio is simple. Young people should not simply be invited to the table. They should help shape what is on it.
And the co-creation continues.