LESSON
Lesson Learned: Engaging civil society and youth in public policy dialogue in North Africa
The key impact of was changes in attitude among the participating youth. These changes can be ascribed to the Project Citizen methodology employed by the project which used a hands-on training approach, in which participants worked in small groups to develop change strategies addressing specific, real-life concerns.
Project Partner
Moroccan Center for Civic Education
Project Description
The project’s objective was to support the involvement of youth in public policy debates. The project activities included training and organizational support for local civil society projects. It aimed to help civil society organisations and youth to identify problems and propose solutions to decision makers, develop effective leadership and advocacy skills to articulate their positions. It also hoped to establish a sustainable regional network of policy advocates to share information, best practices and lessons learned.
Weaknesses in the grantee’s initial problem analysis and a lack of hands-on support undermined the project’s effectiveness. Training on leadership and advocacy skills could have been delivered by experienced civil society members instead of professional educators. It would have also been appropriate to include and seek involvement from political decision-makers to ultimately obtain support for the project’s objective and outcomes.
Report
Evaluation Date
September 2015
Theme
Country