World Bank Y2Y- YIF MODELsiteresources.worldbank.org/INTYTOYCOMMUNITY/.../World...YIF_MO… · THE...

A World Bank Youth to Youth Community (Y2Y) Program

YIF Model, Y2Y Program, World Bank | [email protected] | www.worldbank.org/Y2Ycommunity

THE YIF MODELJune 2010

The Youth to Youth Community (Y2Y) consists

of young World Bank Group staffers, who are

committed to and passionate about

international youth development issues

A compilation of stories from the Youth Innovation Fund (YIF)

YIF program provides an opportunity for young staff of the World Bank Group to design and

implement youth development projects around the world

MENDOZA EMPRENDE, ARGENTINA, 2008

“Mendoza Emprende enabled us to improve our management practices by exposing our team to human resource and business administration experts. We were

able to define our pricing strategy and learn the importance of investing in training. Our marketing has

also improved: we improved our branding, clearly defined the products we offer, and better targeted to our clients.

We feel empowered and have higher expectations for our firm to expand to national and international markets. We also have more clients, even in a difficult year”.

(PIEMSA team, winner of Business Plan Competition)

“The commitment of young people working in YIF projects, both Bank staff and their counterparts overseas,

is an inspiration for all of us who work in development.”

Pamela Cox Vice President, Latin America and the

Caribbean Region, World Bank

Voices and Images from the

Beneficiaries

www.worldbank.org/Y2Ycommunity

Y O U T H T O Y O U T H C O M M U N I T Y

WORLD BANK1 8 1 8 H S t r e e t N W ,

W a s h i n g t o n D C , U S AE M A I L

[email protected]

School-‐To-‐Work Transi0on for Adolescent Girls, Lebanon, 2009

Youth Participatory Education Theatre against HIV-AIDS, Sudan, 2007

Internship Program for Youth Gang Prevention, Guatemala, 2005

mailto:[email protected]


http://www.worldbank.org/Y2Ycommunity













THE YIF MODEL! PAGE2


INTRODUCTION

This report highlights the main findings and lessons learned over the past five years of the Youth Innovation Fund (YIF), one of the flagship programs developed by the World Bank Youth to Youth Community (Y2Y). The Y2Y initiative is a network of young World Bank (WB) employees that was created in 2004 with the aim of channeling fresh ideas and perspectives into the World Bank Group operations and engaging and empowering youth in development.

Launched in 2005 as a pilot in Latin America and the Caribbean with the support of Ms. Pamela Cox, Vice President for the Latin America and Caribbean Region of the World Bank, the YIF program provides an opportunity for young staff of the World Bank Group to design and implement youth development projects in client countries. These initiatives provide funding, technical assistance and knowledge exchange through partnerships with local youth and organizations. All young staff below the age of 33 at the World Bank Headquarters and in local offices around the world can participate, and the value of the grants range from USD 10,000 - USD 18,000 per project for 9 to 14 months.

Five years into the initiative, the Y2Y decided to prepare an evaluation report of the YIF Model and showcase the successes and challenges of YIF projects. From 2005-2009, over 62 projects in 42 countries were funded and implemented with seed funding exceeding USD 527,000. The projects were developed in six different regions including Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), Middle East and North Africa (MENA), East Asia and Pacific (EAP), Eastern Europe and Central Asia (ECA), Africa (AFR), and South Asia (SAR). The projects focused on topics such as entrepreneurship, health, mentoring, women empowerment, cultural integration, conflict resolution, education, and environment.

The entire YIF Program is run completely on a volunteer basis, with all funds going directly to projects.

Introduction..........pg2

YIF Model............pg3

Lessons Learned...pg4

Case Studies.........pg7

Afterword............pg12

!

Table of

Contents

YIF projects around the world






The YIF Model promotes innovation, impact and efficiency (See box to the right). There are five key steps for a YIF project to be developed, a process that takes approximately one year.

1. Obtain Funding from Region Vice Presidency (VPU): The YIF team presents the results of the projects from the previous rounds and makes a proposal for new funding for the next round.

2. Call of Proposals: Upon confirmation of funds granted for the new round, the YIF team introduces the YIF application process, eligibility requirements and procedures to prospective applicants. The YIF team provides an overview of the YIF program, including information on identifying an NGO to help implement the project in the field, seeking endorsement from the World Bank country offices, and making projects align with the World Bank country strategy.

3. Selection Process: After all proposals are submitted, they are reviewed by a select number of volunteer judges, who generally tend to be more senior staff and experts in project management in the World Bank Group.

4. Implement Projects: Upon selection of the winning projects, volunteer World Bank staff train new project managers in Procurement and Monitoring & Evaluation. Project managers work closely with local partners in the field to ensure the project’s implementation from beginning to end.

5. Evaluation Report: Each project manager submits a mid-term report and a final report for each project they implement.

The YIF team comprises of two Co-Chairs who are responsible for managing the YIF program, and two Regional Coordinators per funding round who take the lead in administering the YIF grants for their respective region. The YIF Co-Chairs are elected each year through an election open to all Y2Y Community members. Elected YIF Co-Chairs also become members of the Y2Y Steering Committee. The YIF Regional Coordinators are selected by the YIF Co-Chairs and other World Bank colleagues, based on a transparent and open call for resumes.

The YIF model consist of 5 simple steps to make an

idea a reality

The 5 Steps of the YIF Model







Promoted the creativity of young staff at the World Bank to manage development projects. For example, in 2007, a young World Bank staff was able to design and implement an innovative project in Sierra Leone focusing on basic life skills training for youth prisoners. One of the main products that they were trained to produce and sell was soap. The project became an immediate success, as the supply of soap to the prison and the local community was 76 miles away, in Freetown. The prisoners gained a new marketable skill, while improving their and their community’s access to soap.

Cross-sectoral and horizontal approach to implementing youth projects within the World Bank system and external partners. YIF projects provide an opportunity for individuals working in different units of the bank, in different countries, to work together to further a development goal. In 2009, a core team of project managers, mentors, and supervisors at the World Bank in Washington, DC and in Rabat, Morocco joined forces to successfully implement a project in Morocco, each side bringing a different perspective and area of expertise to the project.

Leveraged external resources through partnerships, resulting in cost-effective projects. In 2006, a project focusing on monitoring in the court systems in Poland received, in addition to YIF funds, matching funds of $3,300 from the Helsinki Foundation. This represents more than 30% of the original YIF grant for the project. The project helped train students of law and economics in Poland to improve court monitoring services. In addition, the project leaders also received free advice and guidance from the LEGEC unit in the World Bank, in the form of an in-kind donation. These partnerships led to increased leverage between resources provided by partners involved in the project and therefore benefited the young people being trained.

Due to the small-scale funding received for YIF projects compared to regular World Bank projects, approval for obtaining the grants is much faster and more flexible to reach community based organizations to directly impact youth.

In 2008, a local NGO in the Dominican Republic, “Teatro Guloya,” was able to receive and use YIF funds to implement a project that directly impacted local youth in under 7 months, a timeframe that is significantly shorter than the typical World Bank project cycle. “Teatro Guloya” increased awareness of traditional and contemporary issues such as domestic and gender-based violence through stage performances. In this project, the NGO trained participants on these issues and then organized performances for the local community, acted out by the trainees.

Key Lessons Learned from the YIF ModelSUCCESSES

The YIF Model provides youth at the World Bank with an opportunity to design and implement projects focusing on innovation, efficiency and impact on youth development. Many of the outcomes of these projects have contributed to increased employability, community engagement, and life skills. The following describes some of the main successes and challenges learned during the past five years.

“(The Project) was of a great help either professionally and personally, since the new skills acquired I can use them in a small business I have at home…I want to thank to the people of the World Bank, (trainers) from Israel, and Emprendedores Juveniles for giving us better training opportunities and be better prepared in our lives” Rossana del Carmen Cruz Díaz. Housewife. Nicaragua, 2007

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2005 20062007

20082009

YIF Rounds 2005-2009LAC MENA SAR ECA AFR EAP





Key Lessons Learned from the YIF ModelCHALLENGES RECOMMENDATIONS

There is a need for a systematic approach to Monitoring and Evaluation (M & E) of YIF projects. Unclear targets and indicators in past projects undermined results for these small-scale projects. Increase opportunities for YIF

project leaders to receive M&E training in order to better measure project outcomes. There were two M & E training workshops organized in Fiscal Year 2010. There are plans to streamline these workshops so that each YIF project leader receives these trainings before they implement the projects.

Due to the Y2Y yearly transition of volunteers, the institutional memory of the YIF program is comprised . The YIF leadership, including the Regional Coordinators and Co-Chairs, are all volunteers in the program whose term ends after only one year. Organize a centralized communication

and management structure in which the institutional memory of YIF can be improved and grow from one year to the next. This can be done by reinforcing the already existing online Google group and documents created to assist in finding previous YIF project reports, contacts and YIF background documents, and

updating the YIF website regularly. The uncertainty of whether project

funds must be used in one Fiscal Year or over the course of two Fiscal Years has led project leaders to change project design, including timeline of activities planned in implementation. This can negatively affect project results and cause project leaders to lose credibility with partnering organizations for the

projects in the field.

Distribute YIF funds based on project cash flow needs as indicated by the project leaders or through a Trust Fund that can cross over fiscal years. Set up an agreement with each region to allow YIF projects to receive funds during two different fiscal years. This can be done by discussing the possibility of crossing funds over two fiscal years with the procurement officers before committing the funds, as happened in the YIF

LAC Round in 2010.








Key Lessons Learned from the YIF ModelCHALLENGES RECOMMENDATIONS

Project leaders have required more time to implement projects because they are unfamiliar with procurement processes within the World Bank. This can cause delays in the start of their projects until all the formal procedures, including drafting the Terms of Reference, disbursement of funds, and formalization of contracts, have been completed.

Invite volunteer mentors or assign a point person in each region to assist in the initial procurement process. In 2009, a volunteer senior staff supported the winning teams throughout the procurement requirements, facilitating the overall implementation of the projects. (YIF ECA 2009). In addition, although YIF projects should comply with the basic procurement requirements of the World Bank, the process should be more flexible and require a lower level of management approval to disburse the funds.

In the past five years, there have been a smaller number of applications for YIF projects presented from the World Bank local offices, reflecting a need to increase dissemination of the YIF program outside the Washington DC Headquarters. Promote the YIF Program to more

young staff of the World Bank Group in the local offices by organizing videoconferences, showcasing YIF in local youth conferences and inviting them to Washington DC events, such as the Y2Y annual Global Youth Conference.

Some past projects were not completely aligned with regional priorities and target groups. Therefore, the World Bank VP Offices were more hesitant to provide funds for

future YIF rounds. Target specific topics for each region during the call for proposals so that the YIF project applicants can tailor their project proposals directly to the Region VPU’s immediate needs and priorities. This was recommended by both the Africa and East Asia and Pacific VPU Offices in 2010, during the fundraising meetings and presentations.







WEST BANK and GAZA: Youth Camera: Youth Empowerment Through Digital Media Training – Training of Trainers (2008)The project aimed to channel energies of youth in refugee camps in the West Bank into constructive activities to empower them, harness their creativity and get their voices and stories heard. By training youth in the 16-22 age group in the use of digital media, the Youth Camera Project contributed to improving youth’s technical and employability skills. Demand for such skills comes from the growing local digital media business and from local weddings and functions.

The Youth Camera Project has over-achieved its target by having 20 participants attend the trainings, compared to an initial target of 12 participants. The project also managed to expand its outreach beyond the original target of Ramallah Governorate refugee camps. Youth have demonstrated the ability to develop short films. At the same time, a network has been established among youth from different locations in the West Bank. By completing the 13 training sessions, the trainees have learned all basic and necessary techniques to develop short films. Through donations and funding opportunities by different organizations and foundations, there are plans for additional digital storytelling workshops in the West Bank Refugee camps.

SIERRA LEONE: Skills Training for Prison Youths in Sierra Leone (2007)The project targeted vulnerable youths in the Port Loko Prison who lacked access to basic education, were unskilled and unemployed, and were involved in a vicious cycle of crime that eventually led them back to the prisons. The Life Skills Training Project was a rehabilitation training program targeting 20 youth prisoners. The primary objectives included training youths in vocational skills, sensitizing them to human rights issues and HIV/AIDS, promoting public campaigns to increase awareness of prison issues, and promoting livelihoods for these young prisoners in the Port Loko Prison.

At mid-term reporting of the status of the Life Skills Training Project in September 2007, beneficiaries had already produced 237 dozens of laundry soap, 27 sets of assorted cloth materials and 14 reels of weaved materials – all traded at an estimated value of US$ 997. The sale of the products has led the project to become self-sustainable. The prisoners see themselves as changed and happier individuals as opposed to the downcast views they held of themselves before the program started. Prison authorities in Port Loko and the Port Loko community also benefited from the soap produced by the prisoners. It increased the cost effectiveness of purchasing soap for the prisoners because of the reduction in delivery time for soap which was initially brought from other cities, along with lower costs for the product.

Case Studies8 STORIES TO REMEMBER

Senior trainer giving instructions to trainees who are rehearsing their roles for a scene in the field,West Bank and Gaza, 2008

!







ARGENTINA: “Mendoza Emprende” (2008)The World Bank partnered with two Argentine NGOs to implement the project, “Mendoza Emprende,” an innovative pilot program for the development of youth entrepreneurship that capitalizes on the knowledge and experience of highly-skilled Argentine professionals residing abroad. The program was implemented in the province of Mendoza, Argentina between May and December of 2008. More than 150 youth (18-33 Ages, 21% Females) benefited in this program, and 32 Mentors (16 Diaspora and 16 Locals) shared their expertise (Average 9 years of working experience) with the participants.

The program resulted in: 1) a substantial improvement in entrepreneurial skills (83% of the participants felt that they had adequate knowledge on how to develop a business plan, compared to only 30% before the training); 2) a widespread interest in replicating and scaling up the project at the local, national and international levels; 3) a successful approach to developing youth entrepreneurial skill, as participating teams are still in touch with both their local and overseas mentors.

CAMBODIA: Cambodian Youth Business Skills Training and Water Health (2008)The primary purpose of the project is to test a supply chain approach to the marketing and distribution of household water treatment filters in Cambodia. Its objectives included fostering the development of young Cambodian entrepreneurs through business skills education, job experience, and income generation. The key features in the design of this project were the use of incentives and the empowerment of youth team participants. This project further extended the distribution of Ceramic Water Purifiers (CWPs) into poor areas by recruiting, training, and equipping a commission-based youth sales force to operate as an additional distribution channel. Each team was provided with a tuk-tuk cart and driver for transportation. All remuneration was paid at the team level and was to be divided amongst them at their own discretion. Due to the pilot nature of the project, the size was limited to a maximum of 16 youth participants (aged 16 to 25). The initial results of the project surpassed the expected results. There were 1059 CWPs installed (after 9 weeks), with an average selling price of USD$9.50 (estimated). The participants were able to average 118 CWP unit sales per week, translating into USD $120 monthly income per participant.


Youth Entrepreneurship WorkshopsMendoza Emprende Program, Argentina, 2008

Certificate of AchievementCambodian Youth Business Skills Training and Water Health, Cambodia, 2008







MONGOLIA and JAPAN: Blended Learning Program on Mother and Child Health Education for Mongolian Youth (2008)This project brought together necessary and important exchanges of knowledge and experiences on Mother and Child Health Education among nurses in Mongolia and Japan. By connecting the Mongolia Nurses Association via videoconferences with Japanese nurses, mainly to discuss the “Japanese Maternal and Child Health Handbook,” young Mongolia nurses were able to increase their education and skills on this issue. Such opportunities are scarce in Mongolia and this program was designed to increase awareness and the transfer of knowledge to Mongolia from experiences abroad. Between the two videoconference sessions organized for the program, over 840 young nurses in nine different venues were able to participate in discussions and trainings offered. There are plans for replicating this model, as it has been identified as an effective method of knowledge sharing among different countries and locations.

LEBANON: School-To-Work Transition for Adolescent Girls (2009)The project aimed to ease the school-to-work transition of adolescent girls by improving their access to the job market. An eight week program was developed which included hands-on courses, seminars and trainings for 60 selected young women. Comparing the results of a survey filled out by training participants before and after the program, notable positive results were found among participants, including: a) an increase from 45% to 84% of the number of participants with good/excellent interview skills, b) an increase from 34% to 79% of the number of participants with good/excellent in resume writing skills, c) an increase from 50% to 77% of the number of participants with good/excellent in written communication, along with improvements in other skills taught throughout the training, including sales and spoken communication. In one of the training centers, 73% of the participants were able to find employment after having gone through the trainings.


Layal, YWCA, 19 years old "Without a doubt, this training was beneficial in helping us to understand what is necessary throughout the cycle from searching for work, to appropriate attitudes in the work place once a position is established. The training opened our eyes to the importance of work in everyday life, contributing not just to our professional lives but also to our personal lives.”

Nour, Dar al Amal, 16 years old "Thanks to the information and experience that we learned in this role-play based course, we now have the means to engage in the search for employment with confidence and self-reliance.”

Sirine, YWCA, 17 years old "Throughout this Training Program we learned many skills, notably those concerning job interviews. By completing interview simulations, we learned what kinds of questions are normally asked in job interviews, and how to respond to them in the best possible manner while remaining honest. Thank you to BASSMA who showed us how to follow our dreams and to make them a reality!”

Quotes from project above in Lebanon, 2009







MOLDOVA: Reaching Poor Youth in Rural Areas of Moldova: Empowering Youth to Fight Poverty and Foster Development (2006)This project addressed issues of career planning, income generation, and health issues among poor youth in rural areas of Moldova. There were several training workshops conducted in the following areas: a) extra-curricular activities focusing on teaching youth simple skills they can apply later in the job market (including embroidery and ceramics), b) career planning, c) team work and communication, and d) HIV/AIDS and Hygiene. A local NGO was also coached in the topics of bookkeeping, monitoring and evaluation, and reporting. More than 100 rural high school students participated and benefited from these training.

NEPAL: Youth-to-Youth Radio Talk Show in Nepal (2007) The project focused on creating awareness of HIV / AIDs and other health-related issues affecting youth. This was done by developing 10 episodes of a radio talk show called “Pahal” tailored to Nepalese youth. Since the start of the project, 17 other FM stations across Nepal agreed to air similar episodes. Other project partners have also agreed to help organize capacity building workshops for 25 FM stations across the country in an effort to the stations produce more talk shows directly related to peace building and conflict transformation.


“These activities are highly likely to divert youngsters from risky behaviors like alcoholism, ignorance, fights… and engage them closely socially… and give them the possibility to turn to good account their energy and talents.” (teacher)

“The art of communication, networking and fostering relationships – a step forward to personality development.” (student)

Quotes from project above in Moldova, 2006







PERU: Combating Malnutrition in Peru’s Sierra Region: Educating Adolescent Indigenous Mothers in Maternal and Child Caring Practices (2006) The project aimed to provide training programs for adolescent mothers and a few fathers from five indigenous communities in Peru on the issue of malnutrition. Over the period of the training sessions, there was a total of 127 women and 18 men who learned more about the products and best practices available that help improve nutrition for children, improve health care for pregnant mothers, and help alleviate children’s suffering from diarrhea and other diseases. One of the main accomplishments of the trainings, apart from increasing awareness of malnutrition, was to motivate young mothers to learn more about other “taboo” topics, including: a) how to avoid pregnancies and female-related illnesses, b) how to prevent and treat respiratory illnesses, and c) how to learn more about their pregnancies and pregnancy-related issues.

NICARAGUA: Creating entrepreneurial capacity among young indigenous women in the Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua (2008)The goal of this project was to create entrepreneurial capacity among young indigenous women in the area of Bluefields on the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua. Training workshops were organized for young indigenous women in the region, who learned basic entrepreneurial skills and knowledge on how to set up and build micro-enterprises. This project also supported the World Bank’s ongoing project in Nicaragua, which includes preparing marginalized, afro-descendant women in becoming potential beneficiaries of two World Bank lending operations projects.

The workshops helped 51 participants create and register 6 micro-enterprises, integrating 35 women in these enterprises (40% of the participants), and contributed to increasing income for 32 women by an average of 32%. Indigenous women from different areas of Nicaragua and Guatemala were able to come together and exchange knowledge and experiences. The participants carried out a “Product Fair” (which involved local authorities), which provided them with the opportunity to showcase the products they developed during the course of the trainings. The opportunities for these young indigenous women were made possible through important partnerships with government agencies and international organizations such as the Young Americas Business Trust (YABT) from the Organization of American States (OAS), which helped secure trainers from Israel. Some managers of the Emprendedores Juveniles de Nicaragua (the local NGO leading the trainings), were also able to participate in several international events in order to establish contacts and seek more resources.


Workshop for Young Indigenous Women, Nicaragua, 2008





THE YIF MODEL

Special thanks to all the YIF

beneficiaries that provided us with

information as well as the Office of the VP for LAC for all

the support throughout YIF’s five-year history

June 2010

FROM:

W E N D Y C U N N I N G H A ML e a d S p e c i a l i s t & U n i t C o o r d i n a t o rC h i l d r e n a n d Y o u t h U n i tW o r l d B a n k

www.worldbank.org/Y2Ycommunity

AfterwordYouth as partners in development. Youth as beneficiaries of development. Both are key inputs to the World Bank’s economic and social development strategy. The Y2Y’s Youth Innovation Fund - designed and implemented by young Bank staff, in collaboration with youth-serving organizations in developing countries, and providing services to disadvantaged youth – develops both sets of actors. In five years, YIF has raised more than half a million dollars to implement more than 50 projects in the six regions where the Bank is active.

The range of the YIF experiences is not only valuable for the project beneficiaries and young Bank staff, but for the larger youth development community. This document is the first to draw lessons from the first five years of the program. It gives us a look into the dynamics of the YIF process and shares the experiences of programs as varied as information campaigns, mentoring, and local business development in countries as diverse as Nepal, Sierra Leone, and Argentina.

As the YIF further systematizes its lessons and strengthens its project evaluations, the Bank’s youth development community looks forward to new learning to take our collective - and rapidly expanding - youth development portfolio in exciting new directions.

!

Authors:

Rafael Barbosa Pereira PintoNahuel Velazquez Viard

YIF Co-ChairsY2Y Steering Committee 2009

Washington DC, USAJune, 2010World Bank

http://www.worldbank.org/y2ycommunity

http://www.worldbank.org/y2ycommunity

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