According to professionals who have managed, funded or observed outreach programs, several elements are instrumental in reaching youth. A common mistake is promising more than a project can deliver, whether through optimism, inexperience or the desire to please stakeholders. 1 Clearly stating process and behavioral objectives before the project begins is a prerequisite to measuring project success. What is feasible also depends on the cultural and political environment. 2 Target Audience Identification .
Young people are a diverse population and respond to different approaches and messages.
The same socioeconomic or cultural group may need different messages at different stages of their young adulthood. It is important, therefore, to identify the specific target group in regard to age, marital status, school status, gender and other factors relevant to planned activities. Not only does this process facilitate development of a feasible workplan and appropriate strategy, it avoids the trap of reaching an accessible group, such as in-school youth, at the expense of more needy young people. Targeting younger, pre-sexually active teens was a successful strategy for a Peruvian family planning association's youth center, and has the great advantage of teaching responsible behaviors before unsafe and unhealthy habits become entrenched. 5 Needs Assessment .