Youth engagement

The project’s objective was to increase the role of youth in public affairs and policy development in 20 locations in Pakistan. Its intended outcomes were: a strengthened networking and institutional capacities of the programme; enhanced understanding of the Voice of New Generation youth on social, political and development issues; and increased participation of Voice of New Generation groups in research and advocacy for policy making on youth issues.   The project design addressed issues directly relevant to youth and incorporated community based organizations into programme delivery which helped ensure an effective intervention and continuity of efforts. However, it assumed all participants were literate, had internet access, and the time and drive to develop and sustain a Voice of a New Generation effort within their area. This was the case for only a small minority of the targeted youth. This significantly reduced the relevance of the project.

The project’s objective was to increase the role of youth in public affairs and policy development in 20 locations in Pakistan. Its intended outcomes were: a strengthened networking and institutional capacities of the programme; enhanced understanding of the Voice of New Generation youth on social, political and development issues; and increased participation of Voice of New Generation groups in research and advocacy for policy making on youth issues.   The project design addressed issues directly relevant to youth and incorporated community based organizations into programme delivery which helped ensure an effective intervention and continuity of efforts. However, it assumed all participants were literate, had internet access, and the time and drive to develop and sustain a Voice of a New Generation effort within their area. This was the case for only a small minority of the targeted youth. This significantly reduced the relevance of the project.

The project’s objective was to increase the role of youth in public affairs and policy development in 20 locations in Pakistan. Its intended outcomes were: a strengthened networking and institutional capacities of the programme; enhanced understanding of the Voice of New Generation youth on social, political and development issues; and increased participation of Voice of New Generation groups in research and advocacy for policy making on youth issues.   The project design addressed issues directly relevant to youth and incorporated community based organizations into programme delivery which helped ensure an effective intervention and continuity of efforts. However, it assumed all participants were literate, had internet access, and the time and drive to develop and sustain a Voice of a New Generation effort within their area. This was the case for only a small minority of the targeted youth. This significantly reduced the relevance of the project.

The project enhanced the technical capacity of youth group leaders to introduce rights-based development knowledge. It also supported leadership development, and therefore was a relevant effort to involve youth in democratic and participatory processes regarding the management and use of natural resources. In addition, trained teachers of 17 primary schools from 6 provinces developed locally relevant curricula introducing indigenous knowledge. Given the political and administrative realities, the identification of bio-diversity issues and general development challenges, rather than direct democracy issues, represented smart approaches to support participation in environmental policy formulation by youth. The youth’s field-work identified about 30 different bio-diversity themes and general development challenges, and subsequently suggestions were made related to farming practices, but also to the need to preserve local culture and traditions. In view of the appreciation expressed by central and provincial representatives, evaluators are of the view that the project effectively contributed to improved consideration of local and biodiversity knowledge in local community development processes.

The project enhanced the technical capacity of youth group leaders to introduce rights-based development knowledge. It also supported leadership development, and therefore was a relevant effort to involve youth in democratic and participatory processes regarding the management and use of natural resources. In addition, trained teachers of 17 primary schools from 6 provinces developed locally relevant curricula introducing indigenous knowledge. Given the political and administrative realities, the identification of bio-diversity issues and general development challenges, rather than direct democracy issues, represented smart approaches to support participation in environmental policy formulation by youth. The youth’s field-work identified about 30 different bio-diversity themes and general development challenges, and subsequently suggestions were made related to farming practices, but also to the need to preserve local culture and traditions. In view of the appreciation expressed by central and provincial representatives, evaluators are of the view that the project effectively contributed to improved consideration of local and biodiversity knowledge in local community development processes.

The project enhanced the technical capacity of youth group leaders to introduce rights-based development knowledge. It also supported leadership development, and therefore was a relevant effort to involve youth in democratic and participatory processes regarding the management and use of natural resources. In addition, trained teachers of 17 primary schools from 6 provinces developed locally relevant curricula introducing indigenous knowledge. Given the political and administrative realities, the identification of bio-diversity issues and general development challenges, rather than direct democracy issues, represented smart approaches to support participation in environmental policy formulation by youth. The youth’s field-work identified about 30 different bio-diversity themes and general development challenges, and subsequently suggestions were made related to farming practices, but also to the need to preserve local culture and traditions. In view of the appreciation expressed by central and provincial representatives, evaluators are of the view that the project effectively contributed to improved consideration of local and biodiversity knowledge in local community development processes.

The project enhanced the technical capacity of youth group leaders to introduce rights-based development knowledge. It also supported leadership development, and therefore was a relevant effort to involve youth in democratic and participatory processes regarding the management and use of natural resources. In addition, trained teachers of 17 primary schools from 6 provinces developed locally relevant curricula introducing indigenous knowledge. Given the political and administrative realities, the identification of bio-diversity issues and general development challenges, rather than direct democracy issues, represented smart approaches to support participation in environmental policy formulation by youth. The youth’s field-work identified about 30 different bio-diversity themes and general development challenges, and subsequently suggestions were made related to farming practices, but also to the need to preserve local culture and traditions. In view of the appreciation expressed by central and provincial representatives, evaluators are of the view that the project effectively contributed to improved consideration of local and biodiversity knowledge in local community development processes.

The project enhanced the technical capacity of youth group leaders to introduce rights-based development knowledge. It also supported leadership development, and therefore was a relevant effort to involve youth in democratic and participatory processes regarding the management and use of natural resources. In addition, trained teachers of 17 primary schools from 6 provinces developed locally relevant curricula introducing indigenous knowledge. Given the political and administrative realities, the identification of bio-diversity issues and general development challenges, rather than direct democracy issues, represented smart approaches to support participation in environmental policy formulation by youth. The youth’s field-work identified about 30 different bio-diversity themes and general development challenges, and subsequently suggestions were made related to farming practices, but also to the need to preserve local culture and traditions. In view of the appreciation expressed by central and provincial representatives, evaluators are of the view that the project effectively contributed to improved consideration of local and biodiversity knowledge in local community development processes.

The objective of the project was to increase the participation of youth in the democratic processes in Pakistan. The project was relevant as it started two years before the national election, which was expected to be the first time that a civilian government would hand over power to another civilian government through the ballot box. The project was also relevant to the need to strengthen the democratic awareness and understanding of the youth in Pakistan: youth form the majority of the population and in surveys less than a third thought that democracy was the best form of government. The project strategy was to form Youth Democracy Teams which would then organize meetings with other youth in the districts, and extending project reach through the use of theatre, print, broadcast, and social media. However the project was not properly documented and activities and outputs were not recorded so it is impossible to assess if the project had any impact.

The objective of the project was to increase the participation of youth in the democratic processes in Pakistan. The project was relevant as it started two years before the national election, which was expected to be the first time that a civilian government would hand over power to another civilian government through the ballot box. The project was also relevant to the need to strengthen the democratic awareness and understanding of the youth in Pakistan: youth form the majority of the population and in surveys less than a third thought that democracy was the best form of government. The project strategy was to form Youth Democracy Teams which would then organize meetings with other youth in the districts, and extending project reach through the use of theatre, print, broadcast, and social media. However the project was not properly documented and activities and outputs were not recorded so it is impossible to assess if the project had any impact.