Introduction to Positive Youth Development: Engaging youth as partners in advancing our common development goals

1. Introduction to Positive Youth Development
Engaging youth as partners in advancing our common
development goals

2. Introductions and Objectives
• The Youth Imperative
• Positive Youth
Development (PYD)
• Features of PYD
• ID youth engagement
opportunities in
development programs
• Resources to support your
work
• Introductions: Name, Org.,
Place, What helped you
thrive as a youth?

3. Defining Youth
Early Adolescence: 10-14
Adolescence: 15-19
Emerging Adulthood: 20-24
Transition into Adulthood: 25-29

4. Why Focus on Programming
with Youth?
• Largest generation of youth ever
• What happens during adolescence can have
life-long consequences across multiple transitions
• Second most significant period of growth and
particularly important period of brain growth and
restructuring
• Important period for developing key soft and life
skills that impact success in work, education,
family and how one behaves in society
• Critical for achieving our Development Objectives, the
SDGs

5. Problem
or
Opportunity?

6. Challenges for Youth
EDUCATION: 225 million youth, or 20% of youth are not in education, employment or training
EMPLOYMENT: 5 million new employees every month
SECURITY/VIOLENCE: 43% of the homicides are youth 15 to 29
REPRESENTATION: 6% of the representatives are under 35

7. Knowledge of adolescent development helps us
understand…
• The needs and characteristics of young people at
different points of their lives
• The different aspects of development that affect
youth behaviors and capacities
• When within life cycle to target youth and how

8. Adolescent Brain Video​

9. Shifts in youth programming
Old
• Focus on single sector, problem
• Focus on the individual.
• Developmental needs and
competencies ignored.
New
• Focus on whole child
• Focus on the individual as well as the
environment.
• Focus on developmental needs and
challenges.
• Include promotion and prevention.
• Focus on assets and competencies
• Engage youth

10. What is Positive Youth Development?
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.
Source: YouthPower Learning

11. Key PYD Features
• Build skills, assets, competencies
• Healthy relationships and role models
• Youth engagement and contribution
• Safe spaces for constructive after school activities
• Access to integrated youth friendly services
• Belonging/membership
• Positive social norms, expectations and perceptions
Adapted from National Resource Council of
the National Academies of Science

12. Youth participation and contribution
• Voice in decision making
• Opportunity for leadership and growing responsibility
• Meaningful contributions valued by others creates self confidence and
competence
Increased voice and role in decision making.
Voice in youth programs, organized community service, youth led
activities, student government. Debate clubs.
Structures for participation in national political structures (National
Youth Council, political parties, ability to assemble/speak out,
youth accountability mechanisms
Structures to support youth volunteer activities Adapted from National Resource Council of
the National Academies of Science

13. Building Young Leaders in West Bank
Youth who participated in youth-led initiatives reported a competency growth of 3.9
points more than the average youth that participated in activities.
Youth Engagement Throughout the Project Lifecycle
• Youth-Led Rapid Assessment Process
• Youth input to program evaluation framework
• Youth M&E Fellows
• Baseline Assessment and Midline Assessment
conducted by youth enumerators
• Organizational Capacity Assessments – youth
input to design and assessments

14. Build skills, assets and competencies
• Academic, technical
• Soft and life skills
• Opportunity to build competence and passion
Encourage family support youth participation in skill building
Extracurricular activities available, developmentally
appropriate, intentional skill building
Policies, resources for youth skills programs, curriculum includes
life skills and after-school activities
Adapted from National Resource Council of
the National Academies of Science

15. Evidence on life/soft skills
“… rival IQ in predicting educational attainment, labor
market success, health, and criminality
… more malleable in adolescence than cognitive skills…
universally valued across culture, religion and society”
(James Heckman, Nobel Laureate economist)

16. Key Soft Skills for Youth Workforce Success
Source: USAID Workforce Connections Publication Implemented by ChildTrends

17. Key Soft Skills for Cross-Sectoral Youth Outcomes

18. Most Supported Skills
• Positive self-concept: Self-
confidence, self-efficacy, self-awareness
and beliefs, self-esteem, sense of well-being
and pride
• Self-control: Delay gratification,
control impulses, direct and focus
attention, manage emotions,
regulate behaviors
• Higher order thinking skills:
Problem solving, critical thinking,
decision making

19. Healthy relationships
• At least one caring and consistent adult
• Positive role models
• Healthy peer relationships
Parenting programs, teacher and youth worker selection and
training
Mentors, older youth tutors, apprenticeship sponsors, exposure
to speakers
Special programs for youth without family ties
Adapted from National Resource Council of
the National Academies of Science

20. Healthy Relationships
Developmental relationships
• Express care
• Challenge growth
• Provide support
• Share power (respect, give voice, listen)
• Expand possibilities

21. Safe spaces
• Physical safety
• Emotional safety
Youth mapping to identify safe and unsafe spaces
Physical and virtual safe spaces
Promoting safe peer group interaction (anti-bullying)
Parent and youth worker education on creating emotionally safe
environment
Policies and laws protect youth; support structure for youth exposed
to violence Adapted from National Resource Council of
the National Academies of Science

22. Accessing integrated youth friendly services
Integration among family, youth programs, school and
health services providers
Information on youth services
Youth friendly services
Developmentally appropriate
Training of service providers who interact with youth (health
service providers, teachers, police, judicial system)
Continuum of services
Programs for youth with special needs
Adapted from National Resource Council of
the National Academies of Science

23. Belonging
• Belief one is recognized and valued in community
• Social inclusion
• Support for cross-cultural competencies
Creating sense of community within youth programs, vocational
programs, youth activities
Opportunities to reach and include marginalized and
vulnerable youth
Anti-bullying programs; building tolerance and respect
Adapted from National Resource Council of
the National Academies of Science

24. Positive social norms, high
expectations and perceptions
• Clarity of rules and consequences; clear boundaries
• Rules respect and provide growing independence and
responsibility
• High expectations; positive perceptions
Parenting, youth worker and teacher education
Positive view of youth in media Adapted from National Resource Council of
the National Academies of Science

25. GREAT Project
Gender Roles, Equality, and Transformation
(Very young adolescents; older adolescents; newly married; new parents)
• Positive social norms: Research results =
improved gender-equitable attitudes;
equitable partner-decision making; household
role sharing; couple communication
• Healthy Relations/Mentors: Community
action groups; teachers; leaders; Research
results = Increased adult support/advice to
adolescents
• Build skills, assets; Youth engagement:
Participatory reflective dialogue in-school and
out-of school
• Access to services: village health worker
training and service linkage
• Multi-sectoral NGO/CSO/FBO & local govt.
involvement

26. YouthPower Action Mozambique
Placed a youth lens on existing OVC platform:
• Parenting and community leader groups on adolescent development
• Youth participation in Community Children’s Protection Committees,
community youth mapping, youth-led health fairs
• 10,781 youth heads of household integrated in VS&L groups
• Youth Score Card to assess how well youth are supported across 7
government services.
• Curriculum for adolescents in youth clubs and for parent/caregivers of
adolescents; supported youth study groups
• Modified the child status index for needs of adolescents
Achievements:
• Over 25,000 older OVC and
family members accessed
services; and
• Over 19,000 beneficiaries
participated in VS&L groups
with more than $250,000 in
savings.
Budget: $2.3 million

27. PYD in LMIC Meta Review
• 97 PYD programs in 57 countries
• 80% of PYD programs measured health outcomes. Less than 50%
democracy, eco growth, education, conflict outcomes
• Recommendations:
• Use evidence of effectiveness to improve content of programs
• Address structural and individual factors in multiple settings
• Create safe and youth friendly spaces
• Understand shifting gender norms and those of LGBTI
• Engage youth in design, implementation, and evaluation
• Teach generalizable skills to youth
• Use peer and adult mentoring
• Articulate a theory of change and measure PYD outcomes
• Ensure fidelity of implementation
• Conduct evaluations and RCT when possible
• Use PYD indicators to capture data

28. PYD Case Study Exercise Instructions
• Form small groups - read RFP excerpts
• Note where PYD could have been incorporated into the solicitation
• Use 7 Features Matrix to ID possible PYD interventions for responding to the
solicitation. Groups take notes on flipcharts.
• Share report out with neighboring group. Choose from among the PYD
interventions to highlight one PYD approach that has the most impact
during implementation.
• Questions for plenary:
• What are challenges you anticipate in implementing your
recommended PYD approaches?
• How would you mitigate these challenges in the implementation of the
project?

30. PYD Domains PYD Program Features
Assets
Skill building
Agency
Contribution Youth engagement and contribution
Enabling Environment
Healthy relationships and bonding
Belonging and membership
Positive norms, expectations, and
perceptions
Safe space
Access to age appropriate and youth friendly
services; integration among services

31. Resources for PYD
• PYD Measurement/Indicators Toolkit
• Meta Review of PYD in LMICs
• www.YouthPower.org
• PYD Webinars, and DC based training
• Briefs of Cross-sectoral Skills PYD outcomes on SRH,
Violence, Workforce Development
• Briefs on toolkit

32. Ex. Positive Reach - Citizen Security
Panama
• Power of 5 Campaign - Risks to Assets Media Campaigns
• Healthy Relations/Mentors
• Corp. Mentors, Family Strengthening, Peer Counseling
• Education for Decent Jobs
• Life Skills for Peace Secondary Curriculum
• My First Job - Employment Prep and Insertion
• Safe Spaces
• 28 Youth Outreach Centers - 9,000 youth
• Agents of Change
• Youth Against Violence Movement
• Youth Friendly Services - Ponte en Algo -Get Involved
• Private sector partners: Sponsorship of OCs and Media
• Systems: Municipal Youth Violence Prevention Committees/Plans

33. Engaging Youth in Development
1.
Po
ve
rty
Adolescent Girls Strategy
YouthPower IDIQ
Youth Policy
YID Programming
Feed the Future Strategy
DREAMS Initiative
PEPFAR
SCR 2250 and
P/CVE Strategy
Youth Economic
Opportunity
Let Girls Learn
Education in Crisis