Updates and News
The Guide is launched – 30 March 2010!
On Tuesday 30 March 2010 the Youth Participation Guide was launched at the Girl Hub within DFID on Palace Street.
As a team, it was wonderful to finally reach this point and present to DFID staff (including the Minister Mike Foster) what we have all been working on for the last year and a half. And whilst Sammy (Ugandan Youth Participation officer) and Samrat (Nepali Youth Participation officer) were unable to join us in person – their film clips explaining how the project has worked (in each respective county) brought their contributions to the forefront.
The guide is now online, and we very much hope will remain a working and living document.
Thank you to all of you that have contributed, and we now look forward to hearing about its uptake and use!
The evidence is there.
Sarah
Project Manager
Policies relating to youth in Uganda & Nepal
For an example of national policies relating to youth in two contexts, please click here: Uganda & Nepal Youth Overviews 2009.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Focus Groups with young people: Review and uptake of the Guide
In December 2009 and January 2010 the YGP Team (led by our Youth Participation Officers) conducted small focus groups in Nepal, Uganda and the UK.
The aims being to:
- Raise awareness of the guide
- Elicit feedback on format and content from a youth perspective
- Generate ideas for next steps in maximising value of guide (uptake and use)
We hope that the reports will be useful for wider initiatives working with young people, as there are many useful reflections from across the three countries. Thank you to those that participated!
Sarah
Please click on the relevant country to access their draft report: Uganda-YGP FGD 2010, Nepal FGD report Dec 09 & YGP Jan 2010 FG Minutes – UK.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Advertisement – Evaluator Required
Project Background: The DFID/CSO Youth Guidance Project
Students Partnership Worldwide (SPW) is seeking to recruit an Evaluator to conduct a small evaluation on the process of producing the Donor Youth Participation Guide to date. This is an important aspect of the Youth Guidance Project which aims to develop, pilot and disseminate guidance and resources to Donor Agency country offices on how to meaningfully engage young people in their work alongside the implementation of core plans and strategies (for example, DFID’s Social Exclusion policy). The project is a collaboration between DFID and a range of civil society partners, also seeking to engage a number of other Donor Agencies (e.g., World Bank, UNICEF, UNFPA, etc.), with project management being led by SPW through the Project Manager. It represents a strategic opportunity to engage with and support major institutional donors in developing a more effective approach to working with and for young people in development.
The Evaluator’s role will be a full time position for 12 days mid December 2009. The Evaluator will need to have a significant amount of experience in writing evaluation reports and contacting and interviewing individuals. In addition, s/he will need to be committed to working with young people in the area of youth participation.
Job Description: Evaluator
The evaluator will be responsible for gathering feedback & exploring the answers to the following questions:
1. How effective was the institutional set up i.e. team hosted within SPW, steering committee, YPOs in allowing the voices of young people to be heard & to influence the project & the guide?
2. What could have been done differently to make (1) even better?
3. What are the lessons learned about trying to get time-bound product (the guide) produced through this fairly complex arrangement?
4. Did the work in the two pilot countries (the SLNs) add value to the process? In what ways? What could have been done differently to enhance work in the pilot countries?
5. How useful where the SLN meetings in a) identifying important lessons learned, b) engaging a wide range of donors on an issue, c) bringing youth voice and agency into the dialogue
6. Where the three major ‘sectors’ identified for the Guide’s focus appropriate?
7. Are donors (other than DFID) engaged with the guide? What was their role? How do they see the guide being utilized in their organizations when it’s finalized?
8. What has DFID learned during the process of this project? Should the project have been set up differently? What aspects of the process would they change if doing it again?
9. How did engaging young people throughout the process improve/benefit the end product i.e. what was their value added?
Based on the questions above, the evaluator will be responsible for writing an evaluation report (maximum 20 pages) on the process of producing the Guide in line with the Project matrix (log frame) and monitoring guidelines. This will include:
a. Designing & interviewing (via phone/email) a selection of members of the UK Project Committee, & UK Youth Participation officers (in discussion with the Project Manager). Based on earlier feedback, to include: meeting minutes & YPO expectation sheets. Anticipated to be 3 days work.
b. Designing & interviewing a selection of members from the Uganda and Nepal Sharing & Learning Networks & country based youth participation officers (and DFID & SPW staff as appropriate). Based on earlier feedback/expectations, to include: SLN 3 forms, SLN 4 review & YPO expectation sheets. Anticipated to be 4 days work.
c. Structuring & writing the evaluation report (in discussion with the Project Manager). Key areas, which relate to Part 3 of the Guide include: YPO learning’s & donor future recommendations for implementation. Expected to be 5 days work.
Personal Requirements
The Evaluator will need:
· Be an enthusiastic, pro-active advocate for Youth Participation & Youth led development
· Have a significant amount of practical experience in evaluations and writing youth focused development reports.
Time frame & location of job
· The Evaluator will start on 7 December 2009 and work until 20 December 2009 (covering a period of 12 days).
· The physical location of work for the evaluator will be discussed and agreed at the outset of the consultancy. It is assumed that the evaluator will visit SPW offices to be debriefed on all tasks, and combine a mixture of working from the SPW offices with working from their place of choosing.
Payment for Services
· The Evaluator will be employed as a consultant to SPW, and will receive payment for successful consulting services at the end of December for £1440 (for 12 days full time work £120/day).
Application process
Please email your CV (no more than 2 pages) with a one page cover letter, which explains your suitability for the job (to include the name, email address & telephone number of 2 references). Please email to the Project Manager, Sarah Huxley at: youthguidanceproject@spw.org
Closing date: 10am Tuesday 17th November 2008.
Interviews: Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed at SPW in Westminster, London on 20 November 2009. The successful candidate will start on Monday 7 December 2009.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )
Section One Draft
A big post today as we upload a working version of the first part of our document. This section is entitled ‘The Rationale For Working With And For Youth’ and can be accessed using the link below. Please take the time to read through our work and leave comments. Thank You!
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )ADVERTISEMENT – EDITOR REQUIRED
Project Background: The DFID/CSO Youth Guidance Project
Students Partnership Worldwide (SPW) is seeking to recruit an Editor (& linkage writer) to finalise the language, content and flow of the Donor Youth Participation Guide. This is a vital aspect of the Youth Guidance Project which aims to develop, pilot and disseminate guidance and resources to Donor Agency country offices on how to meaningfully engage young people in their work. The project is a collaboration between DFID and a range of civil society partners and a number of other Donor Agencies (e.g. World Bank, UNICEF, UNFPA, etc.), with project management being led by SPW through the Project Manager. It represents a strategic opportunity to engage with and support major institutional donors in developing a more effective approach to working with and for young people in development.
Job Description: Editor
The editor will be responsible for:
- The final edit of the entire DFID – CSO Youth Participation Guide, which will include reviewing the style and language of the Guide (in line with DFID requirements), and incorporating feedback and comments from partners after the review of the draft Guide (October & November 2009). Anticipated to be 12 days work. This will be done in close collaboration with the Project Manager. The tasks below are specific areas of focus, which are largely in addition to the normal remit of a standard editing job.
- Finalising the quality of Part 2 case studies in conjunction with the Project Manager: this may involve some additional research and writing for selected case studies. Anticipated to be 2 days work.
- Ensuring the connecting narrative and linking summary pages between the 3 Parts of the Guide flow, and are clear, concise & engaging. Anticipated to be 3 days work.
- Finalising the writing up of the introductory pages for the Guide with the Project Manager, to include: acknowledgments, glossary and contents page. Anticipated to be 2 days work.
- Writing and collating the references for each section. Expected to be 3 days work.
- Formatting, editing and completion of the appendices ready for the designer. Expected to be 2 days work.
- Sourcing relevant photos for each section – per discussion with the Project Manager (anticipated to take 1 day throughout the duration of the contract).
Personal Requirements
- The Editor will need to:
- Be an enthusiastic, pro-active advocate for Youth Participation & Youth led development
- Have a significant amount of practical experience in writing and editing youth focused development reports and tool kits.
Time frame & location of job
The Editor’s role will be a full time position from 30 November 09 until mid January 2010 (covering a period of 5 weeks – 25 days with a one week break over the Christmas holiday). The work is to be conducted from both SPW offices in Westminster, London & a place of the successful candidate’s choice. This will be agreed upon in discussion with the Project Manager.
Payment for Services
The Editor will be employed as a consultant to SPW, and will receive payment for successful consulting services at the end of January for the sum of £2500 (for 5 weeks full time work £100/day).
Application process
Please email your CV (no more than 2 pages) with a one page cover letter, which explains your suitability for the job (to include the name, email address & telephone number of 2 references). Please email to the Project Manager, Sarah Huxley at: youthguidanceproject@spw.org
Closing date: 10am Tuesday 13th October 2008.
Interviews: Shortlisted candidates will be interviewed at SPW on 16 October 2009. The successful candidate will start on 30th November 2009.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Young People & SRH & HIV/AIDS Efforts (SLN 2 Uganda)
The second Sharing and Learning Network (SLN) in Uganda on the topic of engaging young people with SRH and HIV/AIDS efforts with focus on peer education approaches was one of the exciting sessions organized by the DFID-CSO Youth Guidance Project team. This event was hosted at the UNFPA offices in Kampala on the 3rd of September 2009, during which a number of representatives from different institutions reflected upon and shared their expertise and experience on the topic at hand.
The second SLN discussed the efforts of engaging young people in Sexual Reproductive Health (SRH) interventions, looking at the peer education approach as a best practice in this area. The session began with a key note presentation from SPW Uganda on how they have implemented the Peer Education approach, outlining its successes, challenges and best practice during implementation. This served to open the session and to trigger lively discussion when the participants broke into subgroups to address 3 key areas:
- Do the Ugandan HIV/AIDS policies make specific reference to youth and SRH, and how it involves them in the fight against HIV/AIDS?
- What are some of the challenges encountered while using the peer education approach in implementing SRH Programmes among the youth? What have we learned so far about how to do this effectively?
- What initiatives (programmes) have government ministries, donors and CSOs been implementing on SRH through the peer education approach?
The groups discussed the above topics and presented back their findings during the plenary discussion. These discussions were then followed by a session in which common leanings and guiding principles were distilled from the group discussions.
I personally noted that there are a number of CSOs who have used the peer education approach through SRH programmes in different parts of Uganda. It further indicated that there is a need of developing a working group on SRH to continue sharing and learning from each other.
I also noted that while designing youth programmes on SRH we shouldn’t work in isolation but rather in an integrated way with other programmes and sectors, like economic empowerment and livelihood. I hope this will spark off a continuing discussion on the topic at hand and also act as a starting point to maintain this as a working group.
Sammy
Please click here for the SLN 2 report
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( 1 so far )DfID Young Reporters and Youth Consultation Vox Pops
Hello
As a follow up to yesterday’s post you can visit the DfID Young Reporters blog at the link below:
http://dfidyouthreporters.wordpress.com/
And watch some brief interviews with attendees at the DfID Youth Consultation event, including our government minister Ivan Lewis MP and our very own Youth Participation Officer Barbara Soetan, here:
Enjoy!
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )‘The Network’ and Progress so far
Hello everyone! As our project progresses there is a real sense of momentum around this work, especially now that our colleagues in Uganda and Nepal are on board and have commenced work piloting the guide. Thus I thought it an opportune time to write a couple of posts sharing some information and reflections on the process that has brought us to this point.
The DfID/Civil Society Organisation Youth Advocacy Network (or just ‘The Network for short!) is a collaboration between numerous NGOs working in International Development and Youth Participation and the Equity and Rights team of the UK Department for International Development. Partners including the British Youth Council, the Commonwealth Youth Exchange Council, Student Partnerships Worldwide, Y-Care (the Development arm of the YMCA) V (A UK organisation developing young volunteers) and many more too numerous to mention here have been active in meetings, working groups and now projects focussed on driving the youth participation agenda into the collective DfID conscious; making sure that young people in the UK and the developing world get more of a proportionate say in the processes and decisions that affect them.
Over the past year or so I have participated as a delegate and a facilitator in numerous meetings of the network and witnessed a part of a number of positive changes. As a result of the ongoing dialogue the network has sustained DfID has
* Funded the production of our ‘Youth Guidance Project’ for National governments and international donor agencies showcasing best practice in youth participation projects across three areas: Governance, Voice and Accountability, HIV/AIDs and Sexual Reproductive Health and Post Conflict Transitions, currently being piloted in Uganda and Nepal.
* Commissioned two pieces of research on Youth Employment and Youth in Conflict and Post Conflict Situations to inform DfID practice.
* Recruited and trained ‘Young Reporters’ to document various key events, including the inaugural DfID conference and the G20, interviewing luminaries such as Bob Geldof (Former Pop star, media mogul and development campaigner, Krishnan Guru Murphy (National Television journalist and presenter) and David Milliband ( British Foreign Secretary) along the way.
* Organised a youth specific 1 day consultation, inviting representatives from various youth boards and organisations, including Oxfam GB, Plan UK, Peacechild International, Engineers without Borders, the Department for Children, Schools and Families and the DfiD Platform 2 Youth Volunteering scheme. Participants discussed the themes of the new DfID White Paper laying out new directions in Development policy and the G20 event that took place in London this month and presented their own views and recommendations to DfID staff and ministers. (Look out for a more detailed post on this to follow!)
I feel privileged to have been a part of this work so far and look forward to seeing the developments that lie ahead as the network continuines to push youth issues higher on the agenda of key decision makers in DfID.
Please stay in touch with our particular project wherever you may be in the world via this blog and share your feedback, ideas and suggestions on youth participation with us!
Looking forward to hearing from you
Derek
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )Focus Groups, What actually happened?
At the end of February; Barbara, Derek and Hannah held their Focus groups at various locations in London.
Barbara’s focus group was held at the Commonwealth Youth Exchange Council and the topic was “Youth, Conflict, Peace Building and the Role of Donor Agencies.”
Barbara said; “The focus group discussion represented a consultative opportunity to engage with the Youth Guidance Project and its approach to working with and for young people in development, particularly in relation to “Post-Conflict Transitions and Youth Civic Participation”. The focus group looked at the importance of youth civic participation within pre-conflict countries for donor agencies; exploring issues of social exclusion and marginalisation as key barriers to young people becoming peacebuilders.”
“Was a very interactive session. Diverse ideas and opinions really came up and enriched my horizon” (Focus Group Participant)
Derek’s focus group was held at the British Youth Council and the focus was “Youth Participation: Governance, Voice and Accountability”
Derek said “The group was a nice mixture of people from different backgrounds and experiences which meant that a good rapport was built amongst participants. Through the duration of the discussions, the group remained engaged and gave equal contributions to the sessions.
I felt that for me the Roadmap analogy really was really useful in fully unpacking the role of donor agencies and the need to bridge the gap between them and youth participation. This was useful, as the stronger focus of the group discussions was on looking at preventative measures (pre-conflict) that donor agencies could work on.
Though I had a small group, I felt that I was really able to engage them in the project and manage expectations accordingly. The fact that participants were happy to contribute to the process and show an interest in joining the other focus groups later that week was also testament to the utility of creating a platform for such a unique dialogue to take place. “
Hannah’s focus group was held at Unicef Uk and focused on “Youth Participation in HIV and AIDS and Sexual and Reproductive Health.”
Hannah said ” For me, the focus group was all about encouraging the Young people attending to enter into an open dialogue about HIV and Sexual health and to gain an idea of what young people thought about projects that donor agencies were running and how engaged they were in sexual and reproductive health programmes.
I had concerns that often when you get young people together to talk about these issues there are some prejudices that people have been exposed to. To have real, meaningful Youth Participation in Sexual and Reproductive health projects is something which is vital to the health of the world’s population and I was so excited that the young people involved were able to explore the issues and ideas central to this.”
Below you can see pictures and videos from the focus groups.
Our learnings from the three sessions have influenced our work on the project in a number of ways. Firstly, we all felt it was important to have some real youth participation in the project, which is all about Youth participation! To be able to share some of our initial ideas and findings and gain some new perspectives on these was really helpful and I think we all appreciated the way in which all the young people involved were engaged and interested in what we were doing.
We’d like to say a massive Thank You to everyone involved.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )
« Previous Entries
