GPE Summit - Side Event

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Research has proven the value of PYD in workforce development settings, with soft skills being recognized as an important component and used by employers as criteria when hiring youth. However, traditionally, education organizations in LMICs have not paid much attention to providing these skills. This session will provide a brief overview of what PYD is; how soft skills relate to PYD; what we know about the needs for soft skills and gaps, and what PYD means for Education (incl. examples).

This session will provide

• A brief overview of what PYD is;
• How soft skills relate to PYD;
• What we know about the needs for soft skills and gaps, and
• What PYD means for Education organizations (with some examples).

When:

July 22, 2021

8:30 am ET

Presenters:

Heather Simpson, Chief Program Officer, Room to Read

Maria Brindlmayer, Senior KM Specialist, YouthPower2: Learning and Evaluation (YP2LE)

Eric Bergthold, Executive Director, Office of Global Projects at University of Arizona, USA

Albina Tortbayeva, Kazakhstan, currently studying for MA in education and international development at UCL, as Chevening scholar, and YP2LE Community of Practice (CoP) co-champion for the Higher Education Evidence and Transformation CoP under YP2LE.

Speaker Bios

Heather Simpson, Chief Program Officer, Room to Read

Heather Simpson is the Chief Program Officer of Room to Read.  She is responsible for the design, execution, and monitoring of Room to Read’s Literacy and Girls’ Education Gender Equality programs in 20 countries in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America and Caribbean. Heather leads the development and implementation of Room to Read’s overall educational program strategy and oversees the global programs teams. She serves as a critical member of the executive leadership team helping to set strategic direction for Room to Read’s programs and growth. With over 25 years of experience, Heather has served as a manager and technical adviser for organizations including the American Institutes for Research, Juarez and Associates, and Save the Children. She began her career as a Peace Corps volunteer based in Honduras.   Heather earned her Bachelor’s Degree from Yale University and her Master’s in Education from the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia.

Maria Brindlmayer, Senior KM Specialist, YouthPower2: Learning and Evaluation at Making Cents International

Maria leads the learning network and YouthPower.org and YouthLead.org platforms for the YouthPower2: Learning and Evaluation project, funded by USAID. Maria is a trained economist and knowledge management expert recognized for developing and deploying high-impact KM systems and processes for public and private sector clients, including USAID, FCDO, the European Commission, and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Since 2013, she has also served on the Secretariat for the Building Evidence in Education (BE2) donor working group.

Eric Bergthold, Executive Director, Research and Development, University of Arizona

Eric Bergthold is an international development professional with more than 20 years of project and business development experience in over 15 countries in Africa, Asia, and Eastern Europe, including 9 years’ resident experience in Japan, Eritrea, Ukraine, Cambodia and Indonesia. He has extensive experience managing and implementing international projects for donors such as USAID, Danida, the World Bank, UNDP, Chevron and Government-funded grants and contracts. 

Albina Tortbayeva, Youth Advisor, YouthPower2: Learning and Evaluation project

Albina is an international development professional with the proven project management, communication and leadership skills and extensive experience in implementing education, skills development, CVE and cultural exchange projects. She is a Member of the London International Development Centre. For YP2LE, Albina is the youth advisor for the Higher Education Engagement and Transformation Community of Practice. The purpose of this community is to: 1) engage the wealth of experience and expertise within the international higher education community to advance higher education and youth learning priorities, 2) engage older youth (ages 18-35) to integrate transformational positive youth development (PYD) approaches and experiences in higher education  (i.e. doing nothing for them without them), and 3) strengthen the link between PYD and higher education programming through applying a systems approach.

ACCESS THE RECORDING: https://youtu.be/7DHdHBmK2TY