UNIQUE CHALLENGES OF SHARING FAILURES FOR YLOS
1. It shows you are not perfect
When a youth-led organization shares its failures, it is essentially admitting to not having all the answers and being open to learning from its mistakes. This can be a powerful message to both its members and external stakeholders, as it shows that the YLO is willing to grow and improve. However, it can also make the organization appear vulnerable, as it is acknowledging that it is not perfect.
Imagine a scenario where a YLO makes a mistake in planning a rally and not enough people show up. Sharing this publicly may damage its reputation and make it more difficult to mobilize support for future campaigns.
2. It questions your credibility
The vulnerability of sharing failures can be particularly problematic for YLOs, as they may not have the same level of credibility or experience as more established organizations. Sharing failures can make them appear less competent in the eyes of their peers, partners, and funders. This can make it more difficult for them to secure funding, partnerships, and other resources that are necessary for their growth and sustainability.
For example, say a youth-led organization fails to secure enough funding to carry out a planned clean-up project. Instead of quitting, it goes ahead with the event, which is not as successful as hoped. If the YLO chooses to share this failure publicly, it may damage its reputation with potential funders and make it more difficult to obtain funding for future projects.
3. Lack of capacity to manage failure sharing
Most youth-led organizations do not have the same level of infrastructure or support systems in place to handle the consequences of sharing failures. They do not have strong public relations teams with the capacity to handle negative feedback or criticism, and they may not have the resources to make the necessary changes to prevent similar failures from happening in the future.
A simple example would be a YLO failing to secure a meeting with a government official it was trying to influence. Sharing this publicly may damage its reputation with the official and other government representatives, making it more difficult to arrange meetings and exert influence in the future.
Does this give you a clear picture of how sharing failures can damage a YLO’s credibility?
If you are a young person or have run a YLO before, I bet you can relate. If you are a funder, you might be wondering why your YLO partners have never shared their failures with you. It is important to note that while sharing failures can be risky, not sharing them can also be disastrous to the YLO and to others working in the FP/RH sector. This is why normalizing failure sharing is important, especially for YLOs. With the right support and encouragement, YLOs can use their failures as learning opportunities to improve their strategies and make a greater impact in their communities.
You are probably wondering what the “right support” might look or feel like for a YLO. Here are some of my recommendations on how funders can create safe spaces for YLOs to openly share their failures. These are based on my experiences as a young leader at Green Girls Platform, my work as an advisor at We Are Purposeful, and as a co-lead for the We Trust You(th) Initiative.