The case for greater youth participation in monitoring and evaluation in international development
| Author | Christine Deng,Heidi Peterson,Sophie Purdue |
| DOI | 10.1177/1035719X18804401 |
| Published date | 01 December 2018 |
| Date | 01 December 2018 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
https://doi.org/10.1177/1035719X18804401
Evaluation Journal of Australasia
2018, Vol. 18(4) 206 –221
© The Author(s) 2018
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DOI: 10.1177/1035719X18804401
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The case for greater youth
participation in monitoring
and evaluation in
international development
Sophie Purdue
Oaktree, Australia
Heidi Peterson
Oaktree, Australia
Christine Deng
Oaktree, Australia
Abstract
Youth participation in monitoring and evaluation has been acknowledged as an
important vehicle for positively engaging young people in development processes. The
growing youth population in low- and middle-income countries necessitates greater
investment in and engagement with young people to leverage positive development
outcomes. This article aims to illustrate why youth participation in monitoring and
evaluation is desirable in international development contexts, establish an alternative
conceptual framework for applying youth participation in practice, explore the
challenges and caveats that can be barriers to its wider use, and provide evidence
of its application. This article draws upon examples from the literature and from the
authors’ own experiences conducting youth-led evaluations with Oaktree, Australia’s
largest youth-led international development organisation. Importantly, while we
believe this article presents sufficient evidence to demand greater youth participation
in monitoring and evaluation, it also acknowledges that there is still a lack of empirical
evidence and standards of best practice, particularly within international development.
Therefore, this article should be viewed as a call to action for the wider international
Corresponding author:
Sophie Purdue, 1 Walker Street, Northcote, Victoria, 3070, Australia.
Email: purdue.sophie@gmail.com
804401EVJ0010.1177/1035719X18804401Evaluation Journal of AustralasiaPurdue et al.
research-article2018
Article
Purdue et al. 207
development and evaluation community to work with young people to advance this
important work.
Keywords
Youth participation, monitoring, evaluation, international development
Introduction: the youth bulge calls for greater investment
in youth
Currently, there are approximately 1.8 billion young people in the world – the largest
youth cohort in history – termed the ‘youth-bulge’ (United Nations Population Fund
[UNFPA], 2014). The United Nations defines youth as those between 15 and 24 years
of age; however, this range can differ as it is contextually and culturally defined
(DFID-CSO Youth Working Group, 2010). Nine out of ten young people live in low
and middle-income countries and therefore this population phenomenon is particularly
relevant to work in international development contexts (UNFPA, 2014). The youth-
bulge has been framed as a risk to social and political stability (The World Bank,
2006). However, from a strengths-based perspective, young people represent an
opportunity for sustainable development and economic growth if appropriately
invested in, in a timely manner (Department for International Development [DFID],
2016; Pereznito & Harding, 2013). Accordingly, Australia’s development support
must have a stronger focus on the youth in our region; increasing investment in youth-
targeted programmes, as well as mainstreaming youth as a priority area across the aid
agenda.
In order for this investment to be responsive and accountable to the needs of young
people, young people’s lived experiences, perspectives and values must be informing
decision-making in a meaningful way (Pereznito & Harding, 2013). Increasing youth
participation in monitoring and evaluation practices is an important tool to ensure
relevancy and responsiveness, and to posit young people as agents of change (Flores,
2008). As Silva, Zimmerman, and Erbstein (2002, p. 8) aptly explain, youth participa-
tion in evaluation ‘challenges conventional views of youth as victims or threats and
instead offers new conceptualisations of youth as resources, assets and community
builders’. Oaktree, as a youth-led organisation that aims to empower young people in
Australia and regionally, feel compelled to add a ‘youth perspective’ to this discussion
and advocate for a strengths-based, rather than risk-framing, approach to youth partici-
pation. This strengths-based approach is discussed below.
The purpose and benefits of youth participation in
evaluation
This section will explore the reasons why young people should participate in moni-
toring and evaluation from a rights and strengths-based approach, including the
following:
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