Guidelines for Operationalizing Youth Inclusion Village and Neighborhood Development Project

Guidelines for Operationalizing Youth Inclusion Village and Neighborhood Development Project

Finished Projects

2008

This Project is Funded By The World Bank  

The West Bank and Gaza Village and Neighborhood Development Project, which is still at a concept stage, will be a community driven development (CDD) operation which will provide block grants to communities to finance local development plans, designed through community participatory mechanisms.

Scope of Work

CDS responsibilities was divided into four main tasks:

• Documented the experiences of key local actors and review secondary sources (existing surveys, research material and lessons learned) on issues of youth inclusion/participation in community driven development projects affected by conflict and possible risk scenarios;
• Produced a ‘Report on Youth Inclusion’ consolidating lessons learned and providing guidance to the team drafting the Project Appraisal Document (PAD) on: a) what to do to operationalize youth inclusion at the community level and in the overall context of the project; b) whatwould be the appropriate indicators to monitor youth inclusion at the community level and in the overall context of the project, and c) whatmay be the risk scenarios and mitigating measures youth face in the current fragile situation;
• Prepared a ‘Manual on Youth Inclusion’ to be integrated in the broader VNDP Project Operations Manual (POM) providing guidance on: a)how to institutionalize youth participation community decision making processes and throughout the project cycle, b) how to ensure that youth indicators are being monitored, and c) how the project can respond to different risk scenarios to mitigate the negative effects of violence and conflict on youth;
• Ensured that the recommendations outlined in the two documents which compose the ‘Guidelines for Operationalizing Youth Inclusion’ (the ‘Report on Youth Inclusion’ and the ‘Manual on Youth Inclusion’) are effectively integrated into project documents (the Project Appraisal Document and the Operations Manual). 

Methodology:

STAGE ONE

Desk Review

Two focus group discussions with organisations: Two focus group discussions will be conducted, one in West Bank and another in the Gaza Strip, with representatives of organizations including youth organizations, the Ministry of Youth and Sports, NGOs, development organizations and local government units.

Two focus group discussions with the youth: One focus group will be held in the West Bank and another in the Gaza Strip. Participation of young women in the sessions will be emphasized. Input from the youth will be elicited to diagnose their own situation, needs, priorities, challenges, and opportunities, as well as their experiences with community development projects. The focus group discussions will also provide insight into how the youth view the contributions of youth organizations, NGOs and development organizations. The focus groups will also provide guidance for drafting the survey questionnaire.

In-depth interviews with VNDP actors (Ministry of Planning, Ministry of Local Government, and local authorities). The interviews will aim to conduct a rapid assessment of the capacities and strategies of these actors to promote youth inclusion at the community level during the project.

Write up and submission of the first draft of the ‘Report on Youth Inclusion’: A first draft will be presented, yet it will remain subject to modification based on input from later stages of the project.

STAGE TWO

Four in-depth interviews with youth organizations (case studies): Four organizations (two in West Bank and the two in Gaza) will be interviewed. Both local (Sharek or Pyalara) and international (UNFPA and Ruwwad) organizations will be canvassed. The objective of the interviews is to gather concrete information from live study cases on experiences, strategies, operations, and measures these organizations utilize to promote youth integration on the policy and project levels. Particular attention will be paid to how they have (or have not) managed to institutionalize the participation of young people within their decision-making processes.

Youth survey: A survey will be carried out in the West Bank and Gaza Strip of young people aged between 15 and 29, stratified by age groups, gender, geographic distribution and locality (rural/urban, refugee camps). A sample size of 1,200 is required to be representative of young people in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

The objective of the survey is to explore the perceptions of youth themselves in the different geographic areas with regards to their participation and integration in the development process. The survey will help explore existing gaps and variations across the youth themselves. Among the issues to be tackled:

– Youth perceptions of their position, role and level of involvement in the development process.

– Youth perceptions of their needs, interests, priorities and risks facing them in society.

– Youth perceptions of their integration in development programs; the decision-making process, access to resources and participation.

– Youth perception regarding their benefit from programs and activities delivered by development and youth organizations.

– Youth perceptions about the relation between youth, local government units and local organizations.

– Youth perceptions about existing organizations which they consider active and sensitive to youth integration. This can help us build a list of active organizations on ground with whom the VNDP can potentially partner.

– Youth perceptions about challenges facing their integration.

– Youth suggestions and strategies to overcome challenges.

Write up of the‘Manual on Youth Inclusion’: The Manual would incorporate the feedback from the Report as well as the case studies, survey, and interviews.

STAGE THREE

Two final workshops: Two workshops will be held, one in Gaza and one in West Bank, at which all stakeholders will participate (youth sector, local communities, organizations, governmental partners, and project team). The objective of the workshops will be to discuss the outcomes of the survey, including strategies that would promote youth integration. The feedback from these workshops will constitute a valuable contribution to the operational manual.