Entry Points for Youth Integration into the Program Cycle: Project Design & Implementation
Generally speaking, USAID distinguishes between two types of youth programming:
Youth-Inclusive Programs (also referred to as youth mainstreaming):
Youth-inclusive programs are designed to reach youth as part of a broader target group by removing and/or accounting for barriers that may prevent or diminish the participation of young people, and are the focus preference for DRG efforts. While it incorporates youth into a wider range of interventions, an inclusive approach is often unable to deal with the full range of youth requirements to fully participate in systems (e.g., lack of skills and experience, educational attainment, lack of financial stability, policy constraints, and few networks/connections).
Youth-Specific Programming (also referred to as youth-focused programming):
This practice intentionally targets youth exclusively, for reasons that include demographics, political imperative (e.g., concern for increasing rates of youth unemployment), and/or the presence of disproportionate barriers to youth in DRG. By dedicating resources to youth-specific activities, DRG projects are able to align youth needs with market demand and livelihood opportunities. Moreover, a youth-specific approach allows DRG projects to achieve complementary objectives with other sectors including education, health, agriculture, and conflict mitigation.
For both Youth-Inclusive and Youth-Specific programs, young people should play a leading role in Theory of Change development. USAID’s Community Youth Mapping Tool is particularly helpful in ensuring meaningful participation in the project design phase.
For any project considering youth inclusion, Missions are advised to conduct an inclusive youth assessment. The relative depth of information collection and analysis depends on whether the design team has decided to take a youth-inclusive and/or youth-specific approach. At a minimum, by the end of the project design process, the project design team should have at least basic answers in the following five categories:
1. Youth Segmentation: Which youth cohorts will the project aim to include or target, what are the characteristics of each youth cohorts, and in what ways does the project envision including them?
2. Youth Participation in the DRG Sphere: How are different youth cohorts are engaged in DRG at present? Remembering the principles of inclusive development - are there gender, ethnic, ability, identity considerations that enable or inhibit meaningful youth involvement?
3. Youth Barriers and Opportunities in the System: What major barriers (household level, community level, institutional, and/or legal/regulatory) are preventing different youth cohorts from upgrading and/or participating in different aspects of DRG? Where in the system are there opportunities for greater youth inclusion or upgrading?
4. Cross-Sectoral Collaboration: Are there opportunities to leverage or collaborate with other existing investments in other sectors (education, health, conflict mitigation, agriculture)?
5. Alignment: What considerations are critical to aligning youth skills, interests, and assets with the objectives of the project and the demands of the DRG sector?
Some additional resources for Project Design and Implementation:
● The DRG Center in USAID produced the User’s Guide to Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance Programming (released in March 2018) provides helpful tools and considerations for DRG programming for all ages in several subsectors, and is adaptable to youth-focused programming.
● USAID through EQUIP3 produced the Guide to Cross-Sectoral Youth Assessments, which provides a conceptual framework, instruments, and tools for designing and implementing youth assessments in developing countries. It is intended for use by assessment specialists and USAID Mission staff interested in conducting a comprehensive cross-sectoral assessment of the assets and needs of youth.
Explore the toolkit:
What is Positive Youth Development?
What is Inclusive Development?
Models for Integrating Youth
Cross-cutting Considerations
- Civic Participation
- Youth Organizations
- Youth Leadership
- Example Program Types and Theories of Change
Entry Points for Youth Integration into the Program Cycle
Country/Regional Strategic Planning
Project Design and Implementation
Activity Design and Implementation
Monitoring and Evaluation
Guide to Youth in Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance Programs
1. Civil Society
2. Human Rights Protection and Promotion
3. Rule of Law and the Justice Sector
4. Legislative Strengthening
5. Local Governance and Devolution
6. Political Party Development
7. Electoral Processes
8. Anti-Corruption and Accountability
9. Reconciliation, Peacebuilding, and Transitional Justice
10. Media, Information, and Communication Technologies (ICTs)