In 2020 Dance4Life increased the total number of young people who have participated in the Dance4Life programme to 2.312.804, despite all the uncertainties, changes and challenges. On this webpage we will elucidate this challenging year.
Dance4Life’s ultimate mission is creating a world in which young people are able to make healthy sexual choices and develop healthy relationships. When a worldwide lockdown became reality, we faced a huge challenge to keep working on our mission.
The pandemic had a huge impact on the work of Dance4Life. One year later, we can definitely say that we adapted and learned a lot.
Download The Dance4Life Annual Report 2020 here
Online sexuality education
We had put most of our physical international programmes on hold. But together with our partners and bold trainers, we used our creativity and flexibility to adapt our delivery and keep our programmes running using online technologies. By providing sexuality education through online modules, and using social media tools such as WhatsApp and WeChat, we succeeded in continuing to support young people.
Within our activities in the Netherlands – our home market for raising both awareness of and funds for sexual health and rights – we also found safe ways to engage and co-create with young people. Together with them we created four campaigns to explore topics of sexual harassment, wishes and boundaries, taboos and stigmas and the fun parts of sexuality.
Merger for more impact
We are heading towards our goal of reaching 5 million young people by 2030. To have a bigger impact we decided to intensify our partnership with our long-time partner Rutgers by merging with them. Combining the strengths of both organisations brings us opportunities to make a greater impact together. Jointly we will keep searching for innovative ways to step up our game for the sexual health and rights of young people.”
-In 2020 we reached a total of 40.207 young people in 13 countries...
...comprising 32.256 young people who undertook the Journey4Life...
...7.951 students in the Netherlands through Schools4Life
Highlights & Lessons
Since 2004 we have reached 2.312.804 young people!
Since 2004 2.312.804 young people have participated in the Dance4Life programme. Our goal is to get these numbers up; by 2030 we want to reach 5 million young people.
Our response to COVID-19
Together with our network of partners we responded quickly to the pandemic. We developed online versions of our curriculum The Journey4Life to ensure that young people were still reached during times of COVID-19. At the same time we moved most of our daily work online, including our yearly international gathering with Dance4Life partners. We showecased that more and more can be done online, and that a critical reflection on national and international travel is needed.
Dutch Schools4Life Programme
Due to a funding gap, it is not possible to continue the Dutch programme Schools4Life in 2021. This programme was largely funded by trusts and foundations. Mostly due to the outbreak of COVID-19 they have shifted their focus which unfortunately means that sexual health is no longer the top priority of a large amount of funding policies. This is a great loss for our work and for young people in the Netherlands. Despite this setback, we continue to look for opportunities to organize interactive activities for young people in the long term. Together we will continue to fight for the importance of sexual health of young people in the Netherlands.
Campaigns for youngsters in the Netherlands
Shifting to online youth campaigns to reach Dutch youngsters showed great results. Campaigns such as the ‘Shameless’ Instagram series, ‘Sextalk’ podcast for parents and ‘Sex(y) talk’ sexuality education sessions where piloted in a short amount of time, with a high engagement rate and PR pick up. The end of year campaign You Make Me Move’ with ambassadors Marije Zuurveld and Kenzo Alvares contributed to over a million reached youngsters who have interacted with topics a wishes and boundaries on sexuality and relationships in their own way.
Merger with Rutgers
Rutgers and Dance4Life merged on 1st January 2021 whilst retaining their own brands. Both Supervisory Boards have agreed to this. We have been working together for years to improve the sexual health and rights of young people worldwide. Combining the strengths of both organisations offers opportunities to make greater impact together.
Thanks for your support in 2020
Dance4Life wants to thank her partners, Friends and other stakeholders for making our work possible in 2020! Dance4Life premium partners:
Together with you we reach more young people!
By investing in Dance4Life you can transform the lives of young people around the world. Every form of support will result in more young people getting a fair shot at a bright future. This is your chance to become part of the movement. Support is possible trough a corporate or institutional partnership, an alliance or by individuals. All with the aim to improve sexual and reproductive health and rights of young people