Educational Quality Improvement Program (EQUIP) Seminar Series 2009

Lessons Learned from Conducting

Youth Assessments

Introduction to Youth Assessments

Cornelia Janke

Why is it helpful to do a youth assessment?

• Youth ‘story’ is often hidden

• Youth story best told through a targeted though ‘layered’ inquiry

What are the general characteristics of a youth assessment?

Typically consist of:

• preliminary document review

• in-country field inquiry

• detailed assessment report and recommendations

• program design, redesign (if requested)

• process can take 3-6 weeks

What are the general characteristics of a youth assessment?

Usually involve local and international specialists who understand youth from lenses like:

• youth development • education and training• labor demand• policy• organizational capacity

development• assessment• conflict (in some cases)

What are the general characteristics of a youth assessment?

Stakeholders usually include:

• youth from a range of subgroups

• USAID mission representatives • local gov’t representatives • local and int’l NGO

representatives • private sector—local and

international• international donors• local civil society (advocacy)

groups

Involving Youth: Gathering data/information

from and with youth

Alejandra BonifazSomalia and Democratic Republic of the Congo

Inductive approaches (focus groups)

WITH youth: As team members

Assessment design

Data/info gathering

Scheduling logistics

Analysis / conclusions

Requirements

Careful selection of young team members

Training:

orientation, data collection methodologies, modeling,

practicing, feedback, support

Involvement from the

beginning stages

Why bother?

Contextualized tools Up-to-date information Less threatening environment

(youth-to-youth) Access to hard-to-reach youth

groups Well positioned to add value to

the analysis

Local capacity building

Payoffs… Better tools &

more accurate (“real”) information

Better targeting

Better follow-up

More relevant analysis

Effectively targeting at-risk sub-populations within the

youth cohort

Lynn CarterKenya

Assessing Muslim Youth & Violent Extremism (VE) Risk in Northeast Kenya

• Applied EDC EQUIP x-sectoral youth assessment framework and MSI youth & extremism module

• Examined push, pull & protective factors for VE: – drew on findings in USAID’s Guide to the

Drivers of Violent Extremism

• Basic parameters:– $2 million for 2 years– 31,000 youth in Garissa district

between 15 & 24 years of age

Importance of Targeting

• Key Question: Which youth are most at risk of being drawn to VE groups? – If the program objective is developmental, then target neediest

– If the program objective is counter-extremism, the neediest might not be the most at-risk

– Targeting could be geographic, age group, clan/tribe, SES

• At risk group in Garissa:– Town youth

– Youth with more education

– Males

• Target Program response as well

Including Missions in project design workshop

Ramon Balestino Eastern Caribbean and Kenya

Garissa Youth Project – G-Youth USAID / Kenya Project Design

Workshop Workshop Objective: To provide general guidance to the initial G-Youth project design. Workshop Agenda: 12:30 – 12:45 pm Introduction to Workshop & Methodology12:45 – 1:45 pm Fieldwork Debrief: Preliminary Findings &

Discussion1:45 – 2:00 pm Break2:00 – 2:20 pm Project Design Workshop: Presentation of

Models2:20 – 2:30 pm Clarifying Questions2:30 – 3:10 pm Exercise: Break-out Groups (4 people)3:15 – 3:55 pm Report-out: Group Recommendations3:55 – 4:00 pm Next steps & Conclusion

G-Youth Project Parameters & Design ModelsUSAID Timeline

Nov. 1, 2008 – April 30, 2010 (18 months)

Funds (US $) $2 million total – estimated program expenses $1 million

Ideal Timeline

Nov. 1, 2008 – Oct. 30, 2010 (24 months)

Proposed Coverage Area

Central Garissa (urban) – Waberi Township

# of Targeted Youth

1,600 Proposed Target Group

16-24 y/o H.S. grads; 3rd & 4th form students; H.S dropouts

Age Range 14-29 Proposed Project Objective

Increase social, civic and livelihood opportunities for target youth

Model 1* Model 2* Model 3* Model 4 Model 5 Model 6*

1. Enhanced NEP-Technical Training Institute (NEPTTI)

1. H.S. grads; 3rd & 4th Form students

1. A. NEP Institute; B. NGOs; C. High schools; D.

MOYA

1. Marketing: vocational careers & NEPTTI; Linking

grads to internships/jobs;

Bursary; Org. capacity building

1. Sustainability; Viable career

track; Skills for jobs

1. Limited enrollment

capacity; Limited labor market

(Garissa); Limited target pop.

150-250 youth

High Impact

2. Established NGO Managed Youth Resource Center

2. H.S grads; 3rd & 4th Form students, H.S dropouts; Primary

dropouts

2. A. NGO; B. NEP Technical; C. MOYA

2. Career counseling; soft skills & ICT training; Youth

services; recreation; Org. capacity;

Marketing youth services; Host special

programs

2. One stop shop for services; Youth

space; Sustainable

2. Mixed target group;

Management; Start up; Establishment;

Sustainability

500-1000 youth

Moderate Impact

3. Increased and improved NGO

programs for youth

3. H.S. grads; H.S dropouts; Primary

dropouts

3. A. NGO; B. High schools; C. NEP

Technical; D. MOYA

3. Marketing; Internships;

Volunteering; Training; Career Counseling;

Org. capacity building

3. Local reputation; Knowledge of local

environment (politics, youth, development

needs)

3. Lack of capacity; Low funding base, Wide-

ranging Strategic focus, Lack of impartiality;

Sustainability

800-1000 youth

Moderate Impact

4. Increased access to career information in high schools

4. 3rd & 4th Form students

4. A. High schools; B. MOE; C. NEP

Institute; D. NGO; E.MOYA

4. Marketing; Career

Counseling; Transition to

tertiary education or labor force.

4. Preventative approach;

Receptive target group

4. Limited targeted population (H.S.

students); Limited activities;

Sustainability

1000-1500 youth

Moderate Impact

5. Strengthened & expanded youth

groups

5. Primary-secon-dary dropouts; H.S.

grads; Never attended school

5. A. MOYA; B. NGOs; C. High

schools

5. Marketing; micro- grants; Career

counseling; Soft skills; Planning; Org

capacity; Service learning

5. Groups exist and are registered by

MOYA; Number of youth served.

5. Diverse youth participants; un-

focused groups; Not reaching unaffiliated

youth; Giving preference to groups

1500-2000 youth

Low Impact

6. Increased use of radio for youth-oriented

learning & dialogue.

6. H.S. and post high school youth

6. A. Star FM; B. NGOs; C. MOYA; D. Private

Sector

6. Call-in & issue programs; life skills;

Career information; info about NGO &

government resources

6. Very high reach in all Somali language areas

6. Little impact in isolation from other program elements;

Determining reach and impact

10,000-15,000 youth

Low Impact

* Potential stand-alone models recommended by the rapid youth assessment team

Working with remote assessment teams

Paul SullyYemen and Somalia

Working with Remote Assessment Teams

Somaliland Team

Yemen Team

•Training•Field Work•Report Writing

Training • codify and train-

principles, criteria, problem-solving as well as specific skills and team building

• Devote more time on training

• truth check assumptions with team and test subjects

Field Work • use the telephone and skype early

• daily notes review and feedback with corrections and suggestions

• ask guiding questions

• test “findings” assumptions

Report Writing• Engage select team members in report writing

• interview field team members before and while writing

• Contract remote specialists to write “stand alone pieces”

• US-based content specialists, technical editor and copy editor

Identifying and building on the capacities of local youth-serving

organizations

Brenda BellRwanda

Who is working with youth around livelihoods and employment?

Youth moving in large numbers from rural areas …

… to urban centers, looking for work

Ways of identifying local youth-led and youth-serving NGOs:

Interviewed NGOs working in

1) employment-related areas: – Youth employment policy– Job placement for youth by industry

specific cooperatives or associations– Job creation for youth– Apprenticeship experience and issues– Vocational training components – Microfinance– Cooperatives

2) non-employment focus but with experience in: – Peace-building– Human rights promotion– Youth leadership development

• Recommendations from USAID Other donors and int’l NGOs Local NGOs

• Asking youth, through focus groups and interviews

• Looking for the ‘hidden’ youth – such as house girls

• Working through religious networks

Preliminary assessment of capacity

• Program implementation experiences

• Funding history

• Structure and Staffing

• Partnerships

• Flexibility and adaptability

Selected Findings

• Local NGOs not equipped to prepare youth for Rwanda’s changing labor market; they are under-resourced; lack capacity and infrastructure

• Many are interested in developing capacity

• Several are using creative means to create jobs or link youth to jobs.

• All have considerable outreach capacity, with good relationships and trust with targeted youth

Assessing employment sectors for out-of-school youth

David RosenBangladesh

Purpose

Identify a sector or sub-sector of the economy that has:• Good growth potential• Employment demand, or opportunities for self-

employment, for workers who may not have graduated from high school

• Good opportunities for wage growth for participants who receive specialized training and education

Methods

Identify and Interview:1. Key players in the value chain for at least one

sector to determine employment opportunities for school dropouts

2. Possible training and education providers

3. Groups of male and female school dropouts to determine their needs and interests in various employment and self employment opportunities

Activities

Three-person team consisting of: • Training and education program designer • Private-sector expert • Local labor market expert

• Interviewed representatives from nearly 40 organizations in two value chains

• Conducted three focus groups (two all-male, one all-female) with rural school drop-outs

Three Major Findings

1. Farming fresh water prawns has great industry growth potential, and potential for rural self-employment with significantly increased earnings.

2. Lack of qualified prawn hatchery workers and technicians is the weakest link in the sub-sector value chain. There are good opportunities for school drop-outs who receive training.

3. Youth want to improve income-generating activities at home, not move to urban areas for low-wage jobs.