When antiretroviral treatment is life-saving and free, why is adherence so hard for adolescents living with HIV? In 2016, YLabs began working with adolescents living with HIV in Rwanda and South Africa to understand what prevents them from taking their treatment.

In public health, youth involvement in design is in its infancy. Too often, programs are designed by smart grown-ups around a whiteboard, with a scientific literature review of what's already been done. Youth might be consulted through focus groups, but sometimes not until after the program's been designed.