By Rachael Okoronkwo and Khadija Yahaya Muhammad
Cloneshouse
Youth bring fresh perspectives, innovative solutions, and a deep understanding of their generation's challenges. The call for youth engagement in development projects has never been more crucial in today's rapidly evolving world. With an increasing emphasis on participatory approaches, it is clear that to create lasting change, we must engage the voices of the key players—the youth.[1]
Cloneshouse is a specialist evaluation firm with over 14 years of experience, providing technical assistance in monitoring and evaluation to government, bilateral and multilateral agencies, foundations, private entities, and NGOs. At Cloneshouse, we recognize the potential of young people and have placed youth engagement at the heart of our evaluation approach. Through capacity-building initiatives and actively integrating youth into evaluation processes, we equip young professionals to make a meaningful impact on development.
In this blog, we will explore the critical role of youth engagement in evaluation, Cloneshouse's approach to youth engagement, and a case study highlighting the impact of youth-led evaluation initiatives to drive positive development outcomes.
The importance of youth engagement in evaluation
Involving youth in evaluation practices is strategic and necessary. Below are key reasons why youth engagement in evaluation is crucial.
Diverse perspectives lead to better outcomes: Youths bring fresh, unfiltered perspectives that older generations might miss as they are often closer to the issues addressed in development projects. Youth also approach problems creatively, offering innovative solutions that older evaluators might not consider. Their involvement enhances the credibility and acceptance of evaluation findings among their peers.
Empowering the next generation of leaders: Youth engagement builds critical skills such as data collection, analysis, and reporting. These skills enhance youth employability and leadership potential. It also fosters confidence, empowering them to influence decisions and drive community change.
Bridging the generational gap in development: Youth engagement addresses the disconnect between generations in development planning and implementation. By bringing young people into the field, we ensure development initiatives reflect their needs, fostering intergenerational dialogue for more sustainable and inclusive solutions.
Advancing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Harnessing the power of the global youth population is essential for successfully delivering the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. Youth involvement strengthens accountability and transparency and ensures that solutions are relevant to the needs of younger generations, aligning directly with the overarching mission of the SDGs to leave no one behind.
Our organization's approach to youth engagement
At Cloneshouse, our approach to youth engagement focuses on actively empowering young professionals to participate in the evaluation process through several key initiatives.
We offer hands-on experience via our African and European internships, where young professionals gain practical insights into evaluation while receiving mentorship from seasoned evaluators. We also conduct capacity-building workshops, including brown bag sessions, skill shares, and webinars, aimed at enhancing the skills and knowledge necessary for success. Additionally, we create youth-led evaluation teams, enabling young professionals to lead projects and develop essential leadership skills.
We prioritize partnerships with youth organizations like YEE (young and emerging evaluators) Nigeria to engage aspiring evaluators and expand their opportunities. Our commitment to real-world impact is demonstrated by our interns' achievements, such as the Cloneshouse Summer 2023 interns, who emerged second in the World Evaluation Case Competition 2023.
Through these strategies, we integrate youth into our evaluation processes and cultivate a new generation of evaluators capable of driving impactful change.
Case study of a youth-led evaluation
In March 2024, Cloneshouse provided technical assistance to the National Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) department within the Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning in Nigeria. Our task was to assess the M&E capacity of 38 Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) in Nigeria and evaluate their compliance with the National M&E Policy. This evaluation stood out not only for its national scope but also for our deliberate decision to integrate youth into the core of the process. Committed to nurturing the next generation of evaluators, our team comprised three young evaluators working alongside seasoned professionals, ensuring their involvement in every phase—from the inception meeting to the final presentation of findings.
A young evaluator leading the overview session during the M&E Systems Assessment validation workshop with the MDAs
Following an in-depth desk review, the three young evaluators were integral in developing the Monitoring and Evaluation Capacity Assessment Tool (MECAT), the data collection instrument. They collaborated with the National M&E department to deploy the MECAT via the Eye Mark, a digital platform for national M&E activities, which enabled real-time, accurate data gathering from various MDAs. These young evaluators implemented a weighted rating system to assess the MDAs’ capacity for consistency and compliance with national standards. Based on these assessments, they identified critical capacity gaps and developed tailored System Improvement Plans to address specific gaps within each MDA.
Furthermore, the young professionals led interactive dissemination sessions, ensuring their findings were communicated effectively and translated into actionable insights for stakeholders. Their involvement significantly enhanced the technical rigor of the evaluation process, introduced innovative approaches, and focused on sustainable capacity building within government systems. Consequently, their participation contributed to strengthening national evaluation capacity.
The project fostered an organic cross-generational mentorship programme and evolved into an opportunity for young evaluators to demonstrate their expertise. As the project concluded, we observed impacts extending beyond the evaluation itself.
"It is Youth in Evaluation week, and what better time to be a young person involved in evaluation processes!" -Rachael Okoronkwo in a LinkedIn post
Looking ahead
The success of this youth-inclusive national evaluation has set a new standard for our organization and the field of evaluation in Nigeria. It has demonstrated that meaningful youth involvement is not merely about representation; it is about recognizing and harnessing their unique strengths to enhance the evaluation process. Our commitment to this approach has been recognized, as we received the Emerging Super Champion award during Youth in Evaluation week 2024.
To build on our established standards, Cloneshouse is dedicated to strengthening its capacity-building initiatives for young evaluators and actively seeking opportunities for youth to take leadership roles in evaluations. We also plan to expand our partnerships with educational institutions to create pathways for nurturing young and emerging evaluators. By prioritizing these initiatives, we aim to foster a more robust and impactful M&E landscape in Nigeria, focused on innovation, collaboration, and developing the next generation of evaluators.
Rachael Okoronkwo is a PMD-Pro certified development practitioner with four years of experience in project implementation, monitoring, and evaluation. As M&E Officer at Cloneshouse, she supports the design of MEL plans, conducts data collection, and analysis. She is also active in EvalYouth, promoting youth involvement in evaluation practices. Connect with Rachael on X and LinkedIn.
Khadija Yahaya Muhammad is a skilled Monitoring and Evaluation professional, with over three years of experience working in the development sector. She’s a member of the Young and Emerging Evaluators (YEE) and Nigeria Evaluation Association (NEA) Nigeria. She is PMDpro certified, a SRHR and gender advocate. Connect with Khadija on X and LinkedIn.
[1] USAID. (2012). Youth Engagement in Development: Effective Approaches and Action-Oriented Recommendations for the Field. Retrieved from https://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PA00JP6S.pdf
Disclaimer: The content of the blog is the responsibility of the author(s) and does not necessarily reflect the views of Eval4Action co-leaders and partners.
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