FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE: APPLYING THE USAID POSITIVE DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK ACROSS ELEVEN ACTIVITIES

May 2020 This report is made possible by the support of the American people through the Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents are the responsibility of Making Cents International through YouthPower: Evidence and Evaluation Task Order 1 (YouthPower Learning) AID Contract # AID- OAA-I-15-00034/AID-OAA-TO-15-00011. This report does not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.

Examples of the USAID Positive Youth Development Framework in Practice FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE: APPLYING THE USAID POSITIVE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK ACROSS ELEVEN ACTIVITIES Companion Report to A Review of YouthPower Activities

May 2020

By

Rachel Blum, Independent Consultant , Making Cents International Audrey More, Mathematica Policy Research Elena Moroz, Mathematica Policy Research Edith Felix, Mathematica Policy Research Josh Meuth Alldredge, Mathematica Policy Research Cassandra Jessee, Making Cents International/International Center for Research on Women

USAID’s YouthPower Learning generates and disseminates knowledge about the implementation and impact of positive youth development (PYD) and cross-sectoral approaches in international youth development. We are leading research, evaluations, and events designed to build the evidence base and inform the global community about how to transition young people successfully into productive, healthy adults. PYD is defined by USAID as:

Positive Youth Development (PYD) engages youth along with their families, communities, and/or governments so that youth are empowered to reach their full potential. PYD approaches build skills, assets, and competencies; foster healthy relationships; strengthen the environment; and transform systems.

Visit us at YouthPower.org to learn more and follow us on Facebook and Twitter for updates.

For public inquiries and additional information, please email [email protected] or by mail to Making Cents International, attn. YouthPower Learning, 1350 Connecticut Ave NW, Suite 410, Washington, DC 20036.

Examples of the USAID Positive Youth Development Framework in Practice ACRONYMS

AY Advancing Youth Activity

AYAC Advancing Youth Advisory Council

CEAC Curriculum and Evaluation Advisory Committee

CFYR Community, Family, and Youth Resilience Program

CYEC County Youth Employment Compacts

DINAF Directorate for Children, Adolescents, and Family

EF Empleando Futuros

FGD Focus Group Discussion

GBV Gender-based Violence

K-YES Kenya Youth Employment and Skills Program

LGBTI Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex

NGO Non-governmental Organization

OVC Orphans and Vulnerable Children

PPF Programa Para o Futuro

PYD Positive Youth Development

SGBV Sexual- and Gender-based Violence

SRH Sexual and Reproductive Health

TVET Technical and Vocational Education and Training

TVET-SAY Technical and Vocational Education and Training Strengthening for At-Risk Youth

VSLA Village Savings and Loan Association

WASH Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene

WFD Workforce Development

YCAM Youth Community Asset Mapping

YSET Youth Services Eligibility Tool

Examples of the USAID Positive Youth Development Framework in Practice TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ...... 1 SKILL BUILDING ...... 2 ACCESS TO AGE-APPROPRIATE AND YOUTH-FRIENDLY SERVICES ...... 3 AND CONTRIBUTION ...... 4 HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS AND BONDING ...... 10 BELONGING AND MEMBERSHIP ...... 13 SAFE SPACES ...... 14 POSITIVE NORMS, PERCEPTIONS, EXPECTATIONS ...... 15 CONCLUSIONS ...... 16

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1. Summary of the 11 YouthPower Activities Examined in this Report ...... 1 Table 2. Project Perspectives on the Most Important Skills Attained by Youth ...... 2 Table 3. Examples of Youth Engagement within YouthPower ...... 5 Table 4. Select Task Order Interventions Related to Healthy Relationships and Bonding ...... 10 Table 5. Select Task Order Interventions Related to Positive Norms, Perceptions, and Expectations ...... 15

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1. Services Supported by USAID YouthPower Activities ...... 4 Figure 2. Perceived Benefits of Youth Engagement, According to Online Survey Respondents ...... 9

Examples of the USAID Positive Youth Development Framework in Practice

INTRODUCTION

This document offers examples of how USAID YouthPower activities have applied positive youth development (PYD) approaches in implementation. It serves as a companion report to A Review of USAID YouthPower Activities (USAID 2020), which was generated over the five-year USAID YouthPower project. Both the review and this companion report cover eleven YouthPower activities across ten countries. While the majority of activities (6 of the 11) were considered primarily “workforce development” activities, interventions spanned across more than 16 different sectors including education, economic growth, violence prevention, health, and civic participation. Table 1 summarizes the activities covered by this companion report, and the sectors represented by these activities.

Table 1. Summary of the 11 YouthPower Activities Examined in this Report Location (Activity Name) Primary Sector Cross-Sectoral Applications Nicaragua (Technical Vocational Education and Workforce development Violence prevention Training Strengthening for At- (for youth in at-risk communities) Risk Youth, TVET-SAY)

Honduras (Empleando Workforce development Violence prevention Futuros) (for youth in at-risk communities) El Salvador (Bridges to Workforce development Violence prevention Employment) (for youth in at-risk communities) Indonesia (Mitra Kunci) Workforce development Strong inclusion lens Workforce Workforce Development Kenya (Kenya Youth Civic engagement, local Employment and Skills Program, Workforce development governance, agriculture, financial K-YES) services Tanzania (Feed the Future Tanzania Advancing Youth Workforce development Civic engagement, agriculture Activity, AY) Eastern Caribbean Violence prevention for at-risk (Community, Family, and Youth Includes workforce development youth Resilience Program, CFYR)

Violence Honduras Violence prevention for at-risk

Prevention n/a (Proponte Más) youth

Youth-led interventions address Jordan (USAID YouthPower Youth-community engagement/ entrepreneurship, environment,

Civic Jordan Activity) civic engagement health, GBV, and countering violent extremism, among others Engagement Burundi (Mwigeme Kerebuka Education, health, and financial Integrated OVC programming Urabishoboye) services Mozambique (Programa Para o Futuro, PPF- MZ (Phase 2); Education and workforce OVC YouthPower Action Integrated OVC programming development, health, civic Integrated Mozambique: OVC Programming engagement Programming for Adolescents [Phase 1])

Examples of the USAID Positive Youth Development Framework in Practice 1

SKILL BUILDING

As a cornerstone to their PYD approaches, all YouthPower activities built youth assets by providing training to youth in soft skills. YouthPower activities also built youth agency by allowing youth opportunities to exercise those skills through employment and community development opportunities. Table 12 highlights the skills that implementers reported as the most important skill sets gained by youth participants. Across the eleven activities, the most important skills for youth were: communications, self-efficacy, and employability.

Table 2. Project Perspectives on the Most Important Skills Attained by Youth YouthPower Task Order Most important skills learned by youth

Burundi Communication, planning, and problem-solving skills. (Mwigeme Kerebuka Urabishoboye) Eastern and Southern Caribbean Communication skills, social and emotional competence, self-efficacy, workforce (Community, Family, and Youth development, life and employability skills. Resilience Program [CFYR])

El Salvador Self-control, critical thinking, and social skills. (USAID Bridges to Employment)

Honduras Soft and life skills, technical skills, emotional intelligence, interpersonal (Empleando Futuros) communication, teamwork, positive self-concept, social skills, labor competencies.

Honduras Communications and consequences of decision making, resiliency based on a (Proponte Más) family system, and organization and source identification support.

Jordan Critical thinking, searching for data and opportunities, community engagement (USAID YouthPower Jordan skills, agency, and transformational learning. Activity) Kenya Youth Employment and Technical and soft skills. Skills Program (K-YES)

Indonesia Leadership, entrepreneurship, communication skills, self-management skills. (USAID Mitra Kunci Initiative)

Mozambique Self-control, communication skills, positive self-concept, higher order thinking (Programa Para o Futuro) skills.

Nicaragua Values and virtues for employment, critical thinking skills, problem solving skills, (Proyecto Aprendo y Emprendo employment values, self-knowledge, teamwork, soft skills, and technology skills. [TVET-SAY])

Tanzania (Feed the Future Leadership (including problem solving, conflict mediation, community Advancing Youth) mobilization, and negotiation skills), financial literacy, and healthy life skills (including sexual and reproductive health).

According to key informants, these soft skills were seen as directly supporting a variety of cross-sectoral outcomes: Violence Prevention: Under the Community, Family, and Youth Resilience (CFYR) activity in the Caribbean, the team has offered counseling to families of at-risk youth ages 10 to 29 who were at primary or secondary risk levels for violence, giving them skills in communications, goal-setting, conflict mitigation, among others. Youth also gained opportunities to participate in community service projects, reintegrate back into schools, and/or seek employment opportunities. As of the date of this report, 43

Examples of the USAID Positive Youth Development Framework in Practice 2

percent of participants are no longer at secondary risk level, with youth reporting increases in self- efficacy. Healthy Behaviors: The activity in Burundi focused on building leadership, entrepreneurship, and health and life skills among girls and women ages 10 – 18. The activity couples case management services and HIV testing with capacity-building workshops to teach youth how to self-manage, including enrollment in a village savings and loans program. Among the 10,000 girls served by the orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) programming, 90 percent received HIV testing. Employment: Across all the workforce development activities, soft skills was identified as a common skill set needed by multiple industries and occupations. Implementers noted, “…In terms of life skills, [we] worked on mindset for [youth] to have positive attitude towards their future, employment, and society. [We believe] that strengthening the mindset of youth through counseling, life skills training, and workshops focused on personal planning and strategic visioning help give youth strong skills – [these are] elements for them to generate agency by strengthening their ability and allowing them to transfer their abilities to help/contribute to the community.” The activity also considers their work with local organizations one of the greatest successes of the activity. and Participation: In Tanzania, at least 30 youth participants from rural areas have won seats in elected positions, and several have attributed their success to the confidence and leadership skills they attained from the Feed the Future Advancing Youth (AY) activity. In addition, more than 300 youth participate in decision-making bodies in local government and the private sector. : Programa Para o Futuro in Mozambique (PPF-MZ) targeted OVCs and worked to provide those youth with financial literacy, higher order thinking skills, resiliency, positive self- concept, and self-control. The activity added a remedial literacy component to the activity, and increased awareness around reproductive health. One implementer noted, “Our project-based approach that used all seven PYD features gave and choice.” Over time, teachers in the formal education program component also noted that PPF-MZ youth were less shy and more engaged, many re-engaging in school after having dropped out. In turn, participants’ soft skills scores increased significantly from baseline to endline in: 1) goals and aspirations, 2) problem solving, 3) self-efficacy, 4) cooperation/communication, and 5) self-awareness.

ACCESS TO AGE-APPROPRIATE AND YOUTH-FRIENDLY SERVICES

Next to skills development, improving access to and the quality of service delivery was a core focus of all YouthPower activities. The YouthPower activities provided a wide variety of services to youth and communities ranging from internships to health care and even sports. The most frequently offered services included internships/apprenticeships, mentoring, referrals to services, and capacity-building and technical support.

Health care, scholarships, and sports were only offered by three activities and were thus the services offered the least. Programa Para o Futuro in Mozambique worked closely with OVC to ensure they received proper health care for malnutrition and received social services that they were qualified to receive. The activity in Burundi, which targeted vulnerable OVC girls and households, used a case management approach and established a referral network to offer HIV and family planning services, in-kind educational support, mobilization of savings groups, and psycho-social support through parent/caregiver discussion groups. In cases where cross-sectoral services were not directly offered by the USAID activity, most activities elected to establish a referral network, as discussed on pages Error! Bookmark not defined.-Error! Bookmark not defined.. Figure 8 highlights the range of services offered by YouthPower activities based on the results of the online survey.

Examples of the USAID Positive Youth Development Framework in Practice 3

Figure 1. Services Supported by USAID YouthPower Activities

Number of Activities*

* Based on number of activities (n) responding to the online survey, where n = 10

The most common channel for service delivery was through national or local community-based organizations, funded through sub-awards; however, most activities exhibited multiple service delivery channels, including: • Youth facilitators/trainers and youth and adult community mobilizers who were trained to mobilize and train other youth (Jordan, Mozambique, Burundi, Tanzania, and Kenya). • Public technical and vocational education and training (TVET) providers, who delivered skills training and job intermediation services (Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Indonesia, and Kenya). • Private sector entities, such as employers and industry associations, provided training across most workforce development activities, while financial institutions in Kenya offered youth-friendly loan products.

A common barrier to youth accessing services was transportation, which was cited in over half of the reports. For example, in Jordan, a mid-term assessment found that “funding for transportation and offering participation incentives to their peers (each at 61 percent) as the greatest obstacles to greater youth agency over implementation.”

YOUTH ENGAGEMENT AND CONTRIBUTION

The eleven task orders covered by this review engaged youth in a variety of ways that extended beyond the individual to communities, families, and private and public institutions. Youth engagement ranged from consulting and informing youth, to empowering youth to participate in decision-making, supporting youth as peer mentors and facilitators, and preparing youth to ultimately lead and initiate actions. Table 3 summarizes the different levels of youth engagement observed across the activities.

Examples of the USAID Positive Youth Development Framework in Practice 4

Table 3. Examples of Youth Engagement within YouthPower Country Youth are Consulted Youth are Participants Youth are Leading (Activity) Burundi - . Support for vulnerable girls to reintegrate into . Youth-led community activities (Mwigeme schools. . Near-peer mentoring Kerebuka . Girls participate in the economy via savings groups Urabishoboye) and economic strengthening interventions. Eastern and - . Youth dialogues engaged youth participants to . Civic, recreational, and cultural activities Southern discuss solutions to community safety concerns. promoting positive youth-involvement. Caribbean . Youth participate in the creation of community . Training to build youth capacity to mobilize (CFYR) action plans. other youth to plan initiatives to combat the . Youth engage in the economy by gaining new violence in their respective communities. employment opportunities following workforce . Regional youth leaders participated in the development (WFD) training. Steering Committee for the Caribbean Learning . Youth participate on National Advisory Boards. for Youth Network and Chance Sessions (LYNCS). El Salvador . Consultations with youth to identify . Increased youth engagement in the economy . Youth alumni network (Puentes) needs and priorities to be addressed through internships and employment. in the new municipal policies. . Youth listening sessions (FGDs) to understand discrimination in the workplace. Kenya . Monthly and quarterly mentoring . Youth participate in work planning and action . Community-based youth peer trainers. (K-YES) and feedback sessions with village planning at county youth employment compact savings and loan association (VSLA) meetings. groups facilitated by community . Youth engage in the economy through savings trainers. groups, internships, and employment. . Youth involved in project monitoring. Honduras . Implementers adjusted their training . Increased youth engagement in the economy . Youth designed and led activity launch events. (Empleando module based on feedback that it through internships and employment. Futuros) received from youth. Honduras . Project held focus group discussions . Interventions have led to increased engagement by - (Proponte Más) with youth to better understand the highly at-risk youth in healthy and productive impact of its family counseling activities within the community (e.g., returning to model. school, seeking employment). Jordan . Use of SMS services to inform youth . The activity created a youth network web-based . Youth facilitators train other youth on (USAID in new communities and as activity portal that facilitates communication between Transformative Learning, including Youth YouthPower progresses. youth, as well as with policy makers and service Community Asset Mapping (YCAM). Jordan Activity) . Youth Learning Sessions providers. . Youth coaches . Use of social media to engage youth in peer . Innovation Fund for youth to implement to dialogues. intervention in community. . Entrepreneurship opportunities . Youth Advisory Council

Examples of the USAID Positive Youth Development Framework in Practice 5

Country Youth are Consulted Youth are Participants Youth are Leading (Activity) . Voluntary Ambassador Network: uses youth peers to deliver messages. . Youth ‘Creative Designs Team’/ youth-led communications. Nicaragua - . Increased youth engagement in the economy . Youth Advisory Council delivers talks in (TVET-SAY) through internships and employment. communities about issues important to them (WASH, early pregnancy, violence prevention). Indonesia - . Increased youth engagement in the economy . Youth Opportunity Fund: provides opportunity (Mitra Kunci) through internships and employment. for youth to form consortia with government . Universities initiating student entrepreneurship and and private sector companies that would then community service programs. develop proposal for funding considerations. . The activity engaged youth through a nation-wide . Youth-Driven Activities: small-scale projects to youth network, which also attracted buy-in from strengthen identity and self-esteem). the government. . Youth facilitators lead sessions at youth camps. Tanzania Youth experts (including YALI . Increased youth engagement in the economy . Advancing Youth Advisory Councils (AYAC) (Advancing members) involved in adaptation of through savings mobilization, internships, and established in all districts, made up youth Youth) leadership curriculum. employment. leaders each at district level, that act as a team . Youth interns hired as field enumerators for the of community service leaders, encourage youth Labor Market Assessment. involvement in decision-making bodies, and . The activity also engaged four youth volunteers to promote youth-adult dialogues to jointly support the life-cycle assessment conducted at the develop community solutions, and advise the beginning of the activity. activity. Mozambique - . Increased youth engagement in the economy . Youth graduates may serve as Junior Facilitators (Phase 1 & 2) through savings mobilization, internships, and to mentor other youth. employment. . Youth-led clubs for graduates to allow youth to . Youth involved in community child protection share their knowledge throughout communities committees. . Youth-led health fairs . Peer education to replicate activities with peers in . Youth-led community mapping community. . Community dialogue about youth engagement and other PYD features. Global Consultations with youth (Young . Atlas Corps Fellows part of research team for sub- . Young Women Transform Prize (YouthPower American Business Trust and Youth awards. . Young American Business Trust Learning) Build) to review the PYD measurement . A 100-person Youth Advisory Board developed the . Youth Ambassadors act as champions on the Toolkit. structure and outreach strategies for the ground to connect young people in their YouthLead movement. country or continent. Previous cohorts of ambassadors mentor the subsequent cohorts.

Examples of the USAID Positive Youth Development Framework in Practice 6

All eleven activities consulted youth on the implementation of activities. Most commonly, the activities requested feedback from youth on their experiences with the implementation of activities to then determine what improvements should be made to activity components and/or materials. Activities obtained feedback from youth through informal conversations with youth throughout implementation and/or through more formal meetings or data collection activities, such as focus group discussions.

At least six activities trained youth as peer mobilizers or facilitators who, in turn, mobilized and/or trained other youth. For example: • The YouthPower activity in Jordan has trained youth on transformational learning topics related to positive youth development and entrepreneurship. After the training, a smaller proportion of youth provided similar training workshops to youth in their communities. This model allows implementers to move from individual capacity building and skill development to peer and community level contributions. Similarly, in Tanzania, the Advancing Youth activity provided youth with “cascade” training workshops through youth community mobilizers who formed a group of at least 15 youth to participate in community development activities. • In Kenya, K-YES used peer trainers from the community to facilitate youth training sessions. • Graduates of PPF-MZ in Mozambique served as junior facilitators who helped staff on the team and senior facilitators implement activities. Over the life of the activity, youth formed more than 1,900 study groups with their peers and more than 5,800 youth participated in these study groups over “Youth facilitators were more time. Youth participating in PPF-MZ youth clubs also participated successful in increasing youth in an average of four events or activities per quarter during the agency than lecturers [because activity. they are able to connect with • Indonesia is unique in that it places an important emphasis on their peers].” working with disabled youth. Mitra Kunci has trained youth with disabilities to serve as inclusive youth facilitators who lead youth camp sessions on PYD, skill development, gender equality, and (Implementing partner) social inclusion.

YouthPower task order activities enabled youth to educate the community and/or develop solutions to community problems. In Nicaragua, TVET-SAY trained more than 650 young people in community engagement skills. These participants then went into their communities to give talks on a variety of topics including early pregnancy and violence prevention. The activity placed an emphasis on “mindset” and teaching youth to have a positive attitude towards their future, employment, and society in general through counseling, life skills training, personal planning workshops, and strategic visioning. While the process of training youth and engaging them in the activity was slow, more than 10,000 youth benefitted from the TVET- SAY activity and 58 percent reported improved self-efficacy over time.

Youth were also engaged as active participants in local decision-making bodies. The most prominent example was the engagement of youth bunge forums in Kenya. Youth’s engagement further evolved through K-YES’s establishment of County Youth Employment Compacts (CYECs), which were local public-private collaboration mechanisms set up to align youth skills training and workforce development with county economic growth strategies. In Tanzania, youth participated in Youth Advisory Councils (AYAC) in all districts and at the regional level to promote youth issues. While the original intention was that the AYAC would have only an advisory role to the activity, the committees have proven to be more dynamic bodies. For instance, local government authorities approached district AYACs to request that youth train other community members to share the skills they have learned.

Youth-adult dialogues also opened the door to youth engagement in their communities. In Tanzania, for example, youth-adult dialogues have provided a structured opportunity for youth and adults to discuss challenges and issues in their communities and jointly explore solutions. Youth-adult dialogues help participants identify opportunities within institutions for youth to contribute. For example, Tanzanian youth

Examples of the USAID Positive Youth Development Framework in Practice 7

policy mandates that a percentage of seats on local government committees are set aside for youth. Youth have not tended to take advantage of these opportunities because they have not felt welcome. Youth-adult dialogues help break the ice and allow youth to demonstrate that they are capable contributors and leaders. Similarly, CFYR in the Caribbean conducted dialogues with youth to discuss solutions and community safety concerns and then asked youth to develop advocacy approaches to reduce violence in their communities. The activity also enrolled more than 2,750 youth in engaged in supplementary school and afterschool programs, providing positive alternatives and contributing towards increased self-efficacy to be carried into the community.

Nine of the activities linked youth to internships and or employment opportunities. Youth participated in internships with the private sector as an extension of their training. Activities with workforce development components also offered labor bridging support to youth in order to help them find employment after training completion. The types of labor bridging support provided included career counseling, job-readiness sessions or events, and entrepreneurship support in the form of training and or funding. Some activities also relied on social media platforms such as Facebook to inform youth about employment opportunities and or to follow-up with them during the job search process. The Kenya K-YES activity promoted an informal labor market information system where youth themselves shared information on job placement, internship, and apprenticeship opportunities.

Surprisingly, only four of eleven activities designated funds for youth to design and lead projects. In Jordan, youth who were trained to conduct community asset mappings ultimately designed community engagement initiatives and implemented them with financing from the Youth Innovation Fund. The mapping process teaches youth to build relationships with their peers and work together as a team to gather information. It helps youth gain trust in their abilities and have a voice with their peers in the community. Project staff provided guidance and mentoring to youth who design a series of initiatives to be implemented by youth in the community. Over the life of the activity, an estimated 360 youth will become youth facilitators, and 60 Innovation Fund grants, designed and led by youth, will provide a tangible avenue for positive youth engagement. In Indonesia, Mitra Kunci implemented a slightly different funding model: it provided funding for a youth opportunity fund that allows youth to form consortia with government and private sector companies that would then develop proposal for funding considerations.

In total, YouthPower activities have established and supported more than 22,000 youth networks, committees, and or clubs. For example, in Nicaragua, TVET-SAY’s youth graduates can participate in a youth advisory council through which they can help recruit and mentor youth and also participate in community social projects. TVET-SAY, YouthPower Jordan, and PPF-MZ in Mozambique, all support youth clubs that provide youth with opportunities to continue developing their skills and engaging with one another. One activity implementer noted “how can [we] continuously engage youth with each other and the activities of the program beyond the involvement of the staff? [We] responded to this by creating learning clubs. We need to have these mechanisms embedded in the PYD approach to make it a sustainable mechanism.”

Survey results from participating task order teams saw direct benefits of youth engagement in terms of youth attaining skills and agency. When USAID and implementing partner staff were asked whether they felt that targeted youth could affect change in their communities as a result of participating in their activity, 93 percent agreed or strongly agreed that youth could affect change. Similarly, 94 percent agreed or strongly agreed that engaging youth contributed to youth’s acquisition of skills (Figure 8).

Examples of the USAID Positive Youth Development Framework in Practice 8

Figure 2. Perceived Benefits of Youth Engagement, According to Online Survey Respondents

A key benefit of youth engagement is the transforming effect that in can have in their belief that they can impact their community. One activity implementer explained that “using the PYD approach lets youth gain back their trust in their intellectual capabilities and further understanding and being aware of their agency, allows them to have a voice with peers in their community.” Implementers also explained the benefit of working with local partners that already have experience engaging youth and or working in target communities contributes to the sustainability of activities because these youth will go on to work in the government, or in the private sector.

Implementers also identified several challenges in working to engage youth, including:

Adequately preparing and trusting youth to lead: Several respondents noted the need to invest more time and resources in youth engagement activities; helping youth understand what positive youth development means; and the time required to adequately learn and practice new skills verses the urgency of getting a job. One implementer noted that, “Youth want and need a job now yet, they require training in order to be ready to enter the job market and be successful – it can be hard to help them balance the challenge.” YouthPower Learning learned much from their grants process: in the first tranche of funding most awards went to international organizations, but by the end of the task order, youth and youth-led organizations were receiving funds to implement projects. This evolution happened through an iterative learning process: the YouthPower Learning team found they had to revise the application process and strip down the reporting requirements so as to minimize the burdens placed on youth grantees. Field visits proved invaluable for understanding the constraints that youth grantees faced and heling them to troubleshoot. Ultimately, in the later tranche of funding, “It’s a challenge at first to sell adults on the the activity hired a consultant to regularly support the idea [of youth-led activities], and get adults to youth grantees to successfully meet their objectives. buy into the idea. For example, the lecturers in the university: their identity is based on The time and effort needed to prepare adults: In them being the authority, and telling young Indonesia, it took time for local implementing partners to people what to do, so they find it difficult to internalize the PYD approach. For example, Mitra Kunci step back in that role. But when they do step was working with higher education institutions to launch back, they’re surprised that results are a new youth peer support program that would be co- better…. Young people bring in a level of facilitated by youth. While initially it was a challenge for energy that is not found in adults.” older academics and university staff to let youth lead Mitra Kunci implementing partner sessions (see text box at right), after a period of time the

Examples of the USAID Positive Youth Development Framework in Practice 9

model proved effective and the adults saw the benefits of engaging youth. Similarly, in Jordan, where traditional norms do not value the contributions of youth, it took time for communities to understand the concepts of PYD and the value of youth engagement.

Scaling youth engagement efforts: Considering the Hart’s Ladder for youth engagement, implementers noted that it becomes harder to reach more youth in meaningful ways. Some implementers indicated that more elite youth—those with higher education levels and higher assets—were more likely to be engaged in more meaningful ways than more marginalized youth. In cases where the research team saw youth as active leaders driving the agenda, it appeared that most of these interventions tended to reach youth in the low-100s. We saw larger numbers of youth leadership in efforts that used youth peer facilitators, and also in the mobilization of youth savings groups.

To deepen the understanding of youth engagement, YouthPower Learning developed a “Youth Engagement Measurement Guide,” issued grants to document lessons through videos on youth engagement, and its Youth Engagement Community of Practice produced a handout on “Six Tips for Increasing Meaningful Youth Engagement in Programs” among other learning products.1

HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS AND BONDING

Extensive research suggests that healthy relationships and bonding are critical to youth development (Fisher and Lerner 2005; Carter et al. 2005; Schofield 2002; Resnick et al. 1997). Ideally, youth have at least one caring and consistent adult in their lives. Youth form healthy relationships and bonding when they are linked with positive adult role models, mentors, coaches, teachers, health care providers and community leaders. Healthy peer relationships are also particularly important to youth. This kind of social and emotional support plays an important role in helping youth going through transitional periods, cope with traumatic events, and develop into productive adults.

All eleven YouthPower task orders reported that they promoted healthy relationships and bonding for youth as individuals. In addition, six promoted youth peer relationships, nine promoted family and community level bonding, and four task orders implemented interventions at the systems level. At the individual or youth level, activities provided support in the form of life coaches, youth mentors and role models, youth facilitators, youth clubs, business mentorships, e-mentoring, and youth networks. Community level interventions included family counseling, support networks, parent support groups, and VSLA and community dialogues. Table 14 provides a summary of some of the most relevant interventions to help build healthy relationships among youth, parents, businesses, and community members.

Table 4. Select Task Order Interventions Related to Healthy Relationships and Bonding Socio- Country (Activity) Examples of interventions that created healthy ecological relationships and bonding level BURUNDI (MWIGEME KEREBUKA • Mentoring clubs for adolescent girls Peer URABISHOBOYE) CARIBBEAN (COMMUNITY, FAMILY, • Assigned life coach to assist them with the behavior change Individual AND YOUTH RESILIENCE process Peer PROGRAM [CFYR]) • Positive role models HONDURAS (EMPLEANDO • Youth mentorship by community members Community FUTUROS) HONDURAS (PROPONTE MÁS) • Family counseling focused on strengthening family, empowering Family parents to take decisive actions that favor wellbeing and Community

1 Refer to: https://www.youthpower.org/youth-engagement-cop.

Examples of the USAID Positive Youth Development Framework in Practice 10

Socio- Country (Activity) Examples of interventions that created healthy ecological relationships and bonding level protection of youth Systems • Family support networks that allows families to engage in activities that build cohesion within the family and community • Building capacity of local NGOs in the family counseling • Support the Curriculum and Evaluation Advisory Committee (CEAC) to promote, validate, and monitor the various family counselling certification programs • Provide training and transfer of technical knowledge of community-based family counseling to the National Directorate for Children, Adolescents and Family (DINAF) and municipal councils JORDAN (USAID YOUTHPOWER • Youth facilitators training other youth Individual JORDAN ACTIVITY) • Learning clubs KENYA (KENYA YOUTH • Business mentorship to ensure that youth are well nurtured, Individual EMPLOYMENT AND SKILLS mentored, and coached to achieve sustainability in their Peers PROGRAM [K-YES]) enterprises Community • Youth mentorship networks MOZAMBIQUE (PROGRAMA PARA • E-mentoring for youth Individual O FUTURO) • Parent support groups, inter-generational dialogues Family

NICARAGUA (PROYECTO • Youth participate in group counseling Individual APRENDO Y EMPRENDO [TVET- • Youth Advisory Council serve as mentors for beneficiaries SAY]) TANZANIA (FEED THE FUTURE • Match youth with mentors and leaders Individual ADVANCING YOUTH) • Youth-adult dialogues between community leaders and youth Community who were trained in leadership

Family interventions were especially important for the violence prevention activities in Latin America and the Caribbean. In the Community, Youth, and Resilience activity in the Eastern and Southern Caribbean, staff worked to strengthen youth, family, and community bonds to reduce the risk of youth falling into violence and crime. The activity assigned youth with life coaches to assist them with behavior change and also provided positive role models who could build relationship with youth. The CFYR Family Matters intervention is at the core of building healthy relationships. Implementers targeted youth between the ages of 10 and 17 who were most at-risk of delinquent behavior using a Youth Services Eligibility Tool (YSET) to identify targeted beneficiaries. Youth who were at the highest risk for delinquency were put into a 12-month family counseling program where trained therapists took participants through a seven-phase series of steps including home visits designed to change risky behaviors, counseling to strengthen family bonds, and support to build protective factors in the home such as family cohesion, communication, youth self-esteem and emotional self-regulation. Six months into the activity, studies showed a 43 percent reduction in secondary risk levels among youth and parents reported that their children had better anger management skills, were helping around the house, and that parent-child communication had improved. The study further showed a 10 percent drop in family anti-social behavior and a 10 percent drop in peer delinquency.2 By strengthening family-child relationships and reducing at-risk behavior and delinquency, CFYR us hoping to break the cycle of violence and crime in its target countries.

Similarly, Proponte Más applied a similar family counseling model to strengthen relationships between youth at risk of violence and their family members. For example, parents began to go to the schools and interact with their child, which made the youth feel more valued by the parents. These interventions helped increase the level of respect youth felt they receive from adults in their lives. An impact evaluation conducted by the activity showed that there was a strong and statistically significant positive relationship between family

2 CFYR briefer on Family Matters.

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counseling and family functioning (such as family communication and family satisfaction), which, in turn improved youth’s risk reduction and protective factors. 3

In Mozambique, YouthPower Action PPF-MZ found that home environments strongly influenced the behavior and attitudes of young people, and parents and caregivers were instrumental in shaping the nature of the home environment. Project-supported activistas formed parents and caregivers into groups and led them in debate and discussion of key parenting topics: 1) communication between parents and children, 2) gender equity, 3) child abuse, 4) drugs and alcohol, 5) economic strengthening, 6) stigma, discrimination, and bullying, 7) the importance of education and parental involvement in education, 8) sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and communication with children about SRH, 9) adolescent development and parenting adolescents. PPF-MZ then facilitated intergenerational dialogue by bringing youth from the activity to the parenting support groups, where they performed skits used to start discussions with parents and caregivers. Qualitative research with a sample of parents/caregivers who participated in at least two sessions found that they reported improved communication with youth, a decrease in hard parenting practices and the emergence of stronger relationships with youth. Parents and caregivers also reported having a better understanding of the activity and becoming more involved with their children’s education.

The Empleando Futuros (EF) activity in Honduras relied on community mentors to support groups of at-risk youth participating in workforce development. The activity found “Youth see [mentors] as individuals that that mentors living in the same communities as youth they can confide in. They care for their beneficiaries were seen as being more credible and mentees and go above and beyond for trustworthy because they were known to the community. them.” These mentors—many of whom had criminal records—have (YouthPower implementer) been able to leverage the respect and authority needed to instill discipline within their mentee groups. In FY2019, EF Honduras started training mentors in cognitive behavior therapy technique to better support the socio- emotional development of youth.

In Mozambique, PPF-MZ found that a combination of supportive adult and peer role models was powerful for participants, who gained confidence from the positive relationships they built with facilitators and other youth in the activity. The senior facilitators were adults with expertise in one of the activity’s three key technical areas: information technology, social work, and employability. They were paired with youth who had graduated from PPF-MZ and who served as junior facilitators and peer role models. Junior facilitators also supported Youth Clubs for participants who graduated from the training but wanted to continue to build skills, work on community service activities, and engage in leadership activities. This team of six facilitators accompanied each cohort of youth through the four-and-a-half-month project-based learning curriculum, providing a consistent caring and supportive presence in their lives and fostering those healthy relationships.

PPF-MZ also helped participants build positive professional relationships. The activity used e-mentoring to introduce participants to a professional role model, who helped facilitate the process of building their professional networks. E-mentoring provided a practical exercise in strengthening participants’ literacy and professional communication skills, since much interaction took place in writing. PPF-MZ provided a structure and schedule for mentoring topics, covering various aspects of career development. This structure, and ongoing attention from PPF-MZ staff to ensure e-mentors adhered to child protection standards, created a safe environment for youth to build skills and confidence that prepare them to perform effectively in the workplace.

Intergenerational dialogues were applied across several activities and appeared to build healthier relationships between youth and adults. In Nicaragua, the activity established a Youth Advisory Council that included parents and adults as spaces where inter-generational dialogue could occur. As one key informant described:

3 USAID (2019). An Evaluation of Proponte Más: A Honduran Secondary Prevention Program, Technical Report, p. 8.

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One of the main intergenerational tensions [stemmed from] the idea that youth were not reliable, that youth would not be interested in issues that are salient in their communities, that youth are not responsible, that you can’t rely on them, that they’re in their world of internet and telephone. So that was one of the first main myths of adults. On the other hand, youth were saying that adults weren’t interested in the concerns of youth, that they’re in their own world, and they don’t see youth as important. So, having this conversation was fundamental…. This [intergenerational dialogue] has helped to break barriers.

BELONGING AND MEMBERSHIP

Fostering belonging and feelings of membership involves “Belonging and membership came through creating opportunities for youth social interaction, building a being a part of the [youth] clubs. [Our sense of community, fostering a culture of inclusion and activity] did a lot of work around bullying since cross-cultural awareness, and addressing stigma and it was really a big issue in [this country]… All discrimination. It means that youth feel included regardless of of these things [youth clubs, groups] helped one’s gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation or disabilities. [youth develop a sense of belonging]…in our project, safe spaces included the youth clubs.” YouthPower task orders all focused on creating environments (YouthPower implementer) that fostered a sense of belonging and membership at all levels of the PYD socio-ecological model. Six of the activities included peer level interventions and nine of the task order activities included family level interventions.

Under the Mitra Kunci task order in Indonesia, project staff worked at the individual, family, community, and systems levels to help create strong bonds among beneficiaries. With a focus on youth with disabilities, staff trained youth to be inclusive facilitators and co-facilitate workshops in partnership with Mitra Kunci staff, youth with disabilities and non-disabled youth. These workshops served as an opportunity for youth to be part of a group working to change the stigma and relationships around people with disabilities and their participation in the workforce. The activity also established youth camps to serve youth with disabilities, creating a sense of community among this population of youth.

At the community level, Mitra Kunci staff raised awareness about best practices around inclusive WFD and taught communities how to support youth with disabilities. They engaged with businesses to utilize more inclusive hiring and employment practices so as to employ more youth with disability. The activity also worked with Indonesian led researchers to conduct a Gender and Social Inclusion assessment and action plans. These activities help open the doors for disabled youth to feel a part of the workforce and gave them new opportunities that previously did not exist. Over the course of the activity, Mitra Kunci enrolled more than 13,300 youth in WFD programs and 212 youth were placed in new or better employment. The systems work under the activity included a labor market assessment that provided staff with information on disability inclusion.

In the Nicaragua TVET-SAY activity, interventions focused “In terms of life skills, [we] worked on mindset for mainly on the community and systems levels. Vocational [youth] to have positive attitude towards their future, training centers were sensitized about the needs of disabled employment, and society. [The activity] strengthened the youth and created a safe community for deaf-mute youth to mindset of youth through counseling, life skills training, learn the skills they needed to find employment. The [and] workshops focused on personal planning and activity conducted organizational assessments and strategic vising. [We wanted to give them the] elements discovered that there were not specific processes to attend to generate agency by strengthening their abilities and allowing them to transfer their abilities to contribute to to disabled youth. TVET-SAY staff developed alliances with the community – to be part of the community. the local universities and the deaf-mute association to (YouthPower implementer)

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conduct a pilot to train university faculty and sensitize them to the needs of the hearing impaired. TVET-SAY helped graduate five youth through this process. Project staff noted, “these five students started a social project after they graduated to continue to educate youth on sign language and sensitize others on the needs of the hearing impaired both inside and outside the university.”

The Bridges to Employment activity in El Salvador located training opportunities in the places where youth live, work, and or study. The Empleando Futuros activity in Honduras offers some training courses where youth live and its local implementing partners have experience serving former gang members, LGBTI youth, and disabled youth.

SAFE SPACES

According to YouthPower.org, “Youth need safe public spaces where they can come together, engage in activities related to their diverse needs and interests, participate in decision making processes and freely express themselves.” Safe space interventions encourage positive peer group interactions and decrease unsafe peer confrontation. Examples of safe space interventions include: the promotion of caring language and behavior, anti-bullying, places free from violence or sexual harassment and sexual- and gender-based violence (SGBV), communication strategies for parents, training of adults and youth workers in safe space approaches, as well as setting standards and providing support for juvenile offenders.

While implementers across eight of the eleven task orders agreed that they had fostered safe spaces through their activities, the reports offered little information on how they determined that these places were in fact “safe,” and for whom they were considered safe. In some cases, safe spaces were associated with training of youth and or adults in gender-based violence.

The six workforce development task orders focused on expanding access to education and training spaces for youth, focusing largely on the quality of services within those spaces. Kenya’s “My ID, My Life” initiative created safe places for youth to register and obtain an identification card, and made these spaces accessible to youth with disability. The Jordan YouthPower activity established youth clubs to provide safe spaces for youth to interact, and worked with the Ministry of Education to host these youth clubs in learning centers.

As described above, both Proponte Más in Honduras and CFYR in the Caribbean focused on safe spaces within the home, offering counseling for youth and caregivers alike. The family counseling helped the family unit develop rules and expectations with clear consequences and worked to improve communications between the youth and family members. An impact evaluation conducted by the activity showed that family counseling helped create a positive environment (safe space) in the home. 4

Three task orders included safe space interventions at the community level. Under the Mitra Kunci activity in Indonesia, safe spaces centered on transforming district libraries into multi-purpose community centers where staff could offer job-related services and information to youth. Youth can now come to these community centers to learn soft skills, vocational skills and look for internships. YouthPower Jordan supported youth clubs to foster youth peer engagement; program staff are working with the Ministry of Labor to embed these youth clubs in the Ministry to ensure sustainability of the clubs for the future.

Two task order included national-level interventions that promoted safe spaces. The Honduras Proponte Más activity strengthened the Ministry of Health’s ability to provide counseling to victims and perpetrators of gender-based violence.

4 USAID (2019). An Evaluation of Proponte Más: A Honduran Secondary Prevention Program, Technical Report, p. 8.

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POSITIVE NORMS, PERCEPTIONS, EXPECTATIONS

Under a PYD framework, youth who have clear and consistent positive norms, standards, and expectations about relationships, personal health, and different types of engagement are better “[We] worked on strengthening training equipped to increase their levels of responsibility and centers by generating a better space, safe independence, and can grow and take on new roles in life. space for youth development. Developed support processes including counseling, job While all eleven task orders reported that they worked to help insertion support, scholarships for school and develop positive norms, perceptions, and expectations for youth, transport. Trained staff to ensure they know the data does not offer much detail on how this was achieved. how to manage a variety of situations and Table 15 offers examples of how task orders built positive norms how to contribute to ensuring a safe space and expectations for youth in their countries. The most common for youth during training.” examples of interventions that promoted positive youth norms were found in the workforce development activities, where (YouthPower implementer) youth were trained to understand what was expected of them in the workplace.

Table 5. Select Task Order Interventions Related to Positive Norms, Perceptions, and Expectations Country (Activity Title) Select examples of positive norms, perceptions, expectations Socio- interventions ecological level El Salvador (USAID Bridges to • Skills training for youth to learn workplace behavior and Individual Employment) understand employer expectations • Nationwide public communications campaign to improve Salvadoran’s perception of youth Honduras (Empleando Futuros) • Life/employment skills training for youth to learn workplace Individual behavior and understand employer expectations Honduras (Proponte Más) • Through family counseling, youth and caregivers established Individual agreements that provided rules or guidance around family and Family household expectations, norms for parental communication, as Systems well as consequences of youth’s actions. • Parents were encouraged to visit schools with their children and speak with teachers about school performance and expectations. • Shaping public perceptions of youth among actors (prosecutors, judges) in the juvenile justice system (systems) Kenya (K-YES) • Work readiness clinics that include helping youth understand Individual the work expectations of the environment (individual) Systems • Training on financial knowledge, skills, attitudes, and financially responsible behavior (individual) Mozambique (AGYW) • Facilitators worked with participants early on to establish Individual positive norms for interaction through a code of conduct. Nicaragua (TVET-SAY) • Life/employment skills training for youth to learn workplace Individual behavior and understand employer expectations Tanzania (AY) • Change perceptions of private sector industry perceptions of Individual youth as “unbankable” or “too risky”

Six of the activities went beyond shifting norms and perceptions at the individual level to include interventions at the family, community or systems levels. Working at all levels of the system helps to establish networks and building blocks that build towards sustainability and continued support of youth. In Mozambique, staff from the Programa Para o Futuro helped youth form parent groups drawing from the youth curriculum. The Parent groups allowed youth and parents to have intergenerational dialogues and discuss norms and expectations. One parent from the activity noted, “I never understood my role as a parent. I didn’t understand that my role was to love and support my adolescent—I thought it was

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to police her.” These types of changes in youth-parent relationships shows the power that PPF-MZ had in establishing positive norms among activity beneficiaries. One interviewee noted that, “the integration of family, youth, and health care was the most prominent aspect of the program.” They further noted that it was the integration of these services crossed a number of the PYD features beyond setting positive norms. It also supported belonging and membership.

In Mozambique, PPF-MZ worked closely with youth facilitators to establish positive norms for interaction through a code of conduct. They led youth in learning how to give and receive feedback and how to treat each other with respect. This safe space helped participants feel secure in tackling difficult challenges and fostered a sense of belonging within the group, which are foundational psychological needs for youth.

In the Proponte Más activity in Honduras, the family counseling model served as an example of how to build positive norms and expectations within families. The counselling model assessed a combination of risk factors and tried to use those factors to change family dynamics and create more positive protective factors in the home—factors such as how youth identify, how youth see themselves and in relationships to family and peers, self-efficacy, goal setting, and perseverance. For youth at a primary risk level, staff assigned family promoters to work with the family to continue to keep risk low for the youth. They linked families to other services such as after school mentoring, sports, and activities that productively engaged the child. For youth at secondary risk levels, staff worked with families to get them into counseling programs. Program staff noted that if they were to start over, they would have built the family counseling program in the first year of the activity so that they would have had the opportunity to intervene more directly with families and youth earlier in the timeline. Then, they “would have taken part of the group and asked them to train local NGOs so that the NGOs could begin implementing the model in the second year of the program while Proponte Más staff watched the model grow and expand.” Implementers believe that the family counseling model contributed to the 82 percent reduction in youth exhibiting risk factors in the target populations.

Several activities launched public campaigns to improve the perception of vulnerable youth and or highlight the importance of technical vocational education for youth. For example, in Nicaragua, TVET-SAY implemented a communications campaign showcasing positive role models for vulnerable youth and raising awareness of technical vocational training opportunities for developing key life skills. TVET-SAY disseminated communications content through social media platforms, such as Facebook, WhatsApp, and Twitter. In El Salvador, Bridges to Employment launched a nationwide public communications campaign to improve Salvadorans’ perceptions of youth. The campaign focused on improving the perceptions that employers and the general public have of youth from specific marginalized populations, including returned youth migrants, youth living in municipalities with high rates of violence, youth with disabilities, young parents, and youth who identify as LGBTI. The campaign encouraged the public to take a broader view of what these youth can offer and used the following tagline: “if you only look at one part, you’re not seeing anything.” Additionally, the campaign focused on giving vulnerable youth the confidence to see themselves in a positive way and motivated them to actively pursue training and employment opportunities.

CONCLUSIONS

USAID has made great inroads into broadening our understanding around PYD in low- and middle-income countries. YouthPower has unequivocally brought attention to the positive role of youth in finding development solutions. It has improved the way in which youth are able to attain skills, and has enhanced the quality and availability of youth-friendly service delivery. There still is much to learn, particularly related to the role that youth peer networks can play in scaling out youth supports and services, the role of families in improving youth outcomes, and the ways in which services can be more inclusive of different youth cohorts. Such considerations offer fodder for the next iteration of USAID’s youth learning agenda.

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