Its been a privilege being part of the USAID YouthPower project. Working in my capacity to support the implementation and achievement of Positive Youth Development (PYD) through YouthPower.org & YouthLead.org.
Over the past 5 Years, USAID funded the YouthPower project under The YouthPower: Implementation and YouthPower: Evidence and Evaluation IDIQs. The project was dedicated to expanding the evidence base for what works in positive youth development (PYD) and applying improved approaches across programs and sectors. Whereas, YouthPower seeks to improve the capacity of youth-led and youth-serving institutions and engage young people, their families, communities, and governments so that youth can reach their full potential. YouthLead, on the other hand, provides a platform for young changemakers 15-35 years old to make a positive impact in their communities and to achieve their goals. The platform fosters connections, inspires and provides support with peers from around the world. The platform which is supported by 23 international youth-serving organizations provides a variety of resources, including training, funding opportunities and events.
On Jan 23, YouthPower consortia members, program implementers, evaluators, and PYD experts gathered to celebrate the project’s accomplishments as Positive Youth Development (PYD) champions at The fifth YouthPower Annual Learning Network Meeting.
The celebration meeting provided an opportunity for USAID, project implementers, beneficiaries and Learning network members to journey back the past 5 years, to reflect, share learning and celebrate the global impact of PYD. It was also a time to look ahead and to prepare for the journey ahead most especially in advancing & Scaling PYD.
To further prove its commitment to Advancing PYD, USAID will be funding another 3 years of YouthPower. Now called YouthPower 2 Learning and Evaluation (YP2LE), will deepen the integration of PYD evidence and best practices into youth programming, ensuring more sustainable change. YP2LE activities will bring USAID’s Journey to Self-Reliance and Youth in Development Policy to life by enabling investments in PYD research and evaluation within and across multiple sectors, including health, education, agriculture/food security, economic opportunity, peace and security, democracy, and human rights and governance.
Its been a continuous learning journey for the team and the global International development community. I am grateful to my team and my organization for the enabling environment to learn, make mistakes and create.
It has indeed been an Odyssey to #PositiveYouthDevelopment. Learn more: All you need to know about the YouthPower project.
- YouthPower.org – advances solutions through integrated research and development programs to improve the capacity of youth-led and youth-serving institutions
- YouthLead.org – Young Changemakers Platform
- USAID – https://www.usaid.gov/global-health/health-areas/hiv-and-aids/partnerships-projects/youthpower-project
- Implementers of YouthPower – https://youtheconomicopportunities.org/blog/2541/usaid-awards-youthpower-agency-wide-mechanism-achieve-positive-youth-outcomes
- Making Cents International – https://www.makingcents.com/youthpowerevidenceandevaluationidiq
- YouthPower 2 Learning & Evaluation – https://www.makingcents.com/yp2le
