Positive Youth Development in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: What do we know, what don’t we know and how can we measure it to design more effective PYD programs

American Evaluation Association Conference, Washington, DC

Positive youth development (PYD) aims to build and support the competencies, skills, and abilities of youth so that they are empowered to reach their full potential. There is strong evidence that PYD strategies can increase positive outcomes for youth in developed countries and the evidence from low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) is growing. But what does PYD look like in programs for youth in LMIC? What are the gaps in the evidence base and opportunities for future evaluations to address? What are appropriate tools and considerations for measuring PYD outcomes? The authors will share the results of a systematic review of PYD programs in LMIC, which looked at the effectiveness of PYD on cross-sectoral outcomes. Building on the findings from USAID’s YouthPower Learning review, the authors will also share a PYD framework and associated indicators and discuss how to integrate PYD principles in monitoring and evaluation to improve program performance.