The Positive Youth Development (PYD) Measurement Toolkit: Revisions Based on New Learnings in Application of PYD to Program Measurement

• In Event: Roundtable Session 9
  In Refereed Roundtable Session: Supporting Transitions, Reducing Barriers, and Promoting Positive Youth Development: From Guatemala to MENA

Proposal

The Positive Youth Development (PYD) Measurement Toolkit was developed under the US Agency for International Development’s YouthPower Learning project and published in 2016 to provide resources for using a PYD approach in evaluating youth-focused programming. The Toolkit introduced the now widely used PYD framework, which can be applied to understanding how young people are meaningfully engaged in programming, positive impacts of their participation, and how they can ultimately be empowered to thrive as healthy and productive contributors to their communities. Given advances in the youth development field in the last several years, it was critical to integrate new learnings into this key resource.

This roundtable will provide highlights from the process of revising the Toolkit, including lessons learned related to inclusion and accessibility. It will also describe key learnings from the finished product, contributing to the knowledge base in PYD measurement. A key objective will be to provide attendees with information on how this resource can be applied to their work.

Revisions to the Toolkit involved a multi-stage process to build on existing evidence and elevate important information related to key themes: localization and decolonization of measurement processes and meaningful engagement of youth in measurement. A key consideration in revising the Toolkit was to balance the inclusion of technical guidance related to measurement and evaluation with opportunities to build capacity and provide an accessible product for diverse stakeholder audiences. Inclusion and accessibility were integrated in multiple ways throughout the development process. A roundtable discussion on PYD measurement was held with youth development stakeholders in spring of 2022, to inform Toolkit updates. Meaningful engagement of youth also guided the process; youth were engaged in separate pre- and post-Roundtable discussion sessions.

Given the CIES 2023 conference theme focus on equity and inclusion, the cross-cutting themes integrated into Toolkit revisions are highly relevant. There is renewed focus on the importance of local ownership of development programming results and measures of effectiveness, as longer-term success and sustainability hinges on the involvement, engagement, and capacity of local actors. Significant recent events with worldwide repercussions have underscored the importance of critically examining traditional power structures and the need to actively change attitudes, practices, and approaches rooted in the status quo. Decolonization of measurement aligns with this imperative. In the context of PYD measurement, this requires considering how local knowledge is integrated into measurement, who is involved in data collection, how input of youth is reflected, how findings are validated, and who is involved in taking further action towards sustainability. Additionally, USAID’s updated Youth in Development Policy emphasizes the importance of partnering with young people to solve development challenges, given their increasing representation in developing countries and the importance of developing and enhancing supports and services that enable youth to reach their potential and transform their communities. By authentically engaging youth in program design, implementation, and evaluation, activities can be appropriately tailored to meet their needs and potentially be more effective as far as retention, impact, and sustainability by bringing in their expertise and lived experiences.

Authors

• Sharika Bhattacharya, Making Cents International

• Chelsea Pallatino Trevelline, Making Cents International

• Jonathan M. Tirrell, Tufts University