Mr. McCabe described how organizations need to align their work with the “triangle of success, a framework that centers:
- A robust budget.
- Adequate staffing.
- Tailored strategy.
He also emphasized the need for strong guiding policies, offering as an example USAID’s current overhaul of its youth engagement policy. He described the process of receiving feedback through listening sessions with young people and revising the policy so that it includes:
- More accessible language.
- Empowers collaboration.
- Contains an accountability mechanism.
- Ultimately connects with young people.
He also discussed several initiatives and tools that aim to expand USAID’s scope of partnership and engagement. The Youth Programming Assessment Tool (YPAT), developed by USAID, is available in several languages. It can be used by organizations to self-assess whether or not they are sufficiently promoting Positive Youth Development (PYD). PYD refers to a set of indicators surrounding the resilience of young people in terms of assets, agency, and access to civic or economic opportunities. Mr. McCabe also discussed the Global LEAD Initiative. It aims to support one million young global changemakers by focusing on skill-building and education as well as civic and political participation and leadership. The Global LEAD Toolkit allows organizations to examine how different programs have engaged youth in various sectors around the world. It provides information on how to mix and match interventions in a way that fits an organization’s unique needs.
Mr. McCabe also emphasized the importance of supporting youth innovation using collaborative learning and technology. He described how as a large and bureaucratic organization, it can be difficult for USAID to channel resources directly to youth-led organizations. To this end, the Youth Excel Initiative was launched to support the implementation research of youth-led organizations. Additionally, USAID’s YouthLead program engaged 50 young leaders from around the world to develop an online platform for and by young people. Through YouthLead.org, 14,000 young people host weekly webinars, create starter kits, and organize to take action on key issues in their communities.