Resourcing girls PPP April 4th FINAL kp.pptx

GAGE presented ‘Resourcing girls: The potential and challenges of girl- and youth-led organising’ during this webinar. The purpose of the webinar was to launch the Resourcing Girls report authored by GAGE colleagues as well as a supplementary briefing published alongside the main report on the topic of resourcing girls’ sexual and reproductive health activism which was commissioned by Plan International. GAGE presented the research questions and methods, key findings from the report, impact case studies to illustrate findings, and a set of recommendations based on the evidence.

1. Resourcing girls: The potential and challenges of girl- and youth-led organising Dr Kate Pincock, April 2024

2. A quarter of the world’s population are young people - 600 million are girls and young women . Gender equality and girls’ rights are increasingly visible in global and national development commitments. Adolescence is a critical life stage of rapid physical, emotional, social and cognitive development during which gender norms increasingly shape girls’ trajectories and opportunities . Young people are widely recognised as important agents of societal change However, these policies have not always transferred to on-the-ground benefits for girls and youth – especially those who are the most marginalised. Between 2016 and 2021, only 1% of all official development assistance (ODA) for programmes addressing gender and adolescence reached local girl- and youth-led organisations (GYLOs). To understand how investing directly in girl- and youth-led work can lead to improvements in girls’ lives, it is important to explore how girl- and youth-led organisations (GYLOs) operate - and what role they play within the ecosystem of broader gender equality and adolescent empowerment efforts. Background to the study

3. Research questions The objective of the Resourcing Girls study was to explore the experiences of girl- and youth-led organisations (GYLOs) and understand the contributions they make within the broader ecosystem of adolescent and youth empowerment and development, as well as to investigate the challenges they face in carrying out and expanding their work. This study answered three research questions : NB : Alongside the Resourcing Girls study, supplementary research was undertaken with GYLOs working on sexual and reproductive health. See our new report here: R esourcing girl- and youth-led sexual and reproductive health rights activism : potential and challenges

4. Methods D esk review of grey and peer-reviewed published literature on girl- and youth-directed funding. I n-depth qualitative data collection undertaken to explore the characteristics and work of GYLOs, the challenges they face in resourcing their work, and their perceptions of impact: 22 GYLOs partici pated in i ndividual and group key informant interviews 3 GYLOs conducted further research with their beneficiaries and provided written testimonials about what impac t their activities were having in beneficiaries’ lives . 8 girl- and women-focused/feminist intermediary donors participated in key informant interviews 3 monitoring, evaluation, accountability and learning (MEAL) experts were also approached as key informants .

5. Findings: What are the characteristics of girl- and youth-led organisations ? Whilst extant literature profiles GYLOs as being predominantly led by urban and well-educated young people, there is no comprehensive mapping and profiling of GYLOs in the evidence base. Findings Registration status Year founded

6. Characteristics of girl- and youth-led organisations and movements Findings Number of staff members Current number of donors Type of organisational presence Current type of funding

7. What are the opportunities, contributions, and impacts of girl- and youth-led work? GYLOs contribute to tackling a diverse range of issues affecting girls and youth in their communities, including climate justice, SRHR, disability rights, child marriage, access to comprehensive sexuality education, economic empowerment, and GBV. The modalities through which girls and youth engage in these diverse thematic areas is equally varied : from direct programming in schools, information-sharing, awareness-raising, social norm change efforts, community health outreach, and policy and legal advocacy. GYLOs perceive that their added value is their ability to engage on a shared level with their target group. GYLOs seek to challenge discriminatory social norms through their activities: through embodying and role- modelling behaviour that challenges these norms, inspiring other girls. GYLOs bring fresh perspectives and innovative ideas and organise in innovative ways. I mpact outcomes for GYLOs relate not only to the project outcomes that target communities, but also the skills developed by girls and youth involved in leading the project; and the personal impact on their own wellbeing and development. Findings

8. What are the resourcing challenges that girl-and youth-led organisations face? GYLOs face many barriers when trying to access funding: GYLOs often do not have sufficient due diligence processes to meet the requirements of larger international and institutional donors (and therefore often receive support through intermediary donors or dedicated funds). Although some GYLOs are formally registered, others are unable or unwilling to do so due to cost barriers, legal age requirements, or unwillingness to take on legal responsibility or make their work visible. Limited donor transparency makes it difficult to understand how GYLOs can access funds, what funds are available, and if there are thematic, geographic or other parameters. Funding is often for specific projects , with limited flexible and core funds available to support staffing costs or organisational growth. Findings

9. What are the challenges that girl-and youth-led organisations face in demonstrating impact? GYLOs struggle with how to define and represent the impact of their work: T raditional donor measures of performance do not always align with the capacities of girl- and youth- led organisations, or with the nature of their work. Whilst short-term measurable impact is presumed to increase accountability, efforts to address gender equality and social norms are complex and require alternative impact measures. Donors, intermediaries and girls frame the empowering effects of GYLO activities as extending outwards to the community and society through role-modelling, changing perceptions, and eventually shifts in social norms; but the connections between individual and collective impact are not clearly conceptualised. While GYLOs’ strength is their knowledge of community dynamics and their ability to mobilise communities, we know less about how they challenge community hierarchies and overcome structural barriers (and sustain these over time). Findings

10. Impact case study: Ap p to provide accurate youth-friendly SRHR information in Benin

11. Impact case study: Interventions on girl and youth health and nutrition in Nepal

12. Implications and recommendations for resourcing girl- and youth-led organisations 1. Consider the multitude of ways donors can support GYLOs beyond funding: capacity building, skills development, networking opportunities and other ‘resources’ are all valued by GYLOs. Explore support structures for GYLOs, intergenerational solidarity opportunities and intermediary linkages to wider social change efforts to strengthen GYLO capacities. Engage with a broader spectrum of organisations involving adolescents and youth to widen opportunities for diverse sub- populations of young people, and also to explore entry-points for widening the donor funding base and scaling up efforts. Ensure that piloting initiatives are underpinned by robust process and impact evaluations to maximise learning. 3. Pilot different resourcing models for GYLOs and investigate their respective impacts Engage GYLO as active contributors to M&E to harness GYLOs’ creativity and flexibility Measure GYLOs’ participation in the wider social change ecosystem for SRHR including as a catalyst for social norm change. Take account of timeframes of behavioural and social norm change (including beyond the duration of a grant cycle) and the intersection with the lifecycle transitions many adolescent girls and young women are undergoing when designing MEL approaches for GYLOs. 2. Harmonise impact measurement across GYLO so that donors can better understand the range of impact that girls and youth can work toward.

13. Publications Investing in adolescent girls: Key changes in the bilateral donor funding landscape - 2021 update Resourcing girls: The potential and challenges of girl- and youth-led organising For more resources see: https://www.gage.odi.org/publications/ Resourcing girl- and youth-led sexual and reproductive health rights activism: Potential and challenges UK ODA cuts: How do they impact adolescent girls?

14. Contact Us WEBSITE www.gage.odi.org TWITTER @ GAGE_programme FACEBOOK GenderandAdolescence About GAGE: Gender and Adolescence: Global Evidence (GAGE) is a decade-long (2016-2026) mixed-methods longitudinal research programme focused on what works to support adolescent girls’ and boys’ capabilities in the second decade of life and beyond. We are following the lives of 20,000 adolescents in six focal countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East.