Engaging Youth as Leaders as DRG & Evaluative Practice: Cross-TIG, Cross-Cultural & MultiLinguistic Lessons Learned in the U.S. and African Contexts to Amplify and Empower Youth Voices in Evaluation

Abstract Information: This Roundtable is intended to provide cross-TIG perspectives and lessons learned around youth engagement and Young and Emerging Evaluators (YEEs) at the organizational level – or Voluntary Organizations of Professional Evaluators (VOPEs) which exist as associations in the private and civil society sectors. It is co-sponsored by the Democracy, Rights and Governance TIG, the Youth Focused Evaluation TIG, and the International Cross Cultural Evaluation TIG. VOPEs are an important partner in democracy, human rights, and governance (DRG) activities and interventions as they provide objective analyses of both problems and solutions as well as external assessments of public policies to inform citizens in ways that counter disinformation and authoritarianism and ensure transparency and accountability. This Roundtable engages three TIGs and is intended to address cross-TIG, cross-cultural and multilinguistic lessons learned around youth engagement and YEEs. The AEA DRG TIG has an established Sister Organization relationship with the African Evaluation Association (AfrEA) which has been exploring best practices in democracy, human rights, and governance (DRG) including working with YEEs. The Roundtable will also include other experts in youth engagement from the Youth-Focused Evaluation (YFE) TIG, and the International and Cross-Cultural Evaluation (ICCE) TIG. The AEA ICCE TIG has been the major AEA liaison globally to other VOPEs, and the YFE TIG has been a leader in the U.S. in youth-led evaluation practices and the outcomes of positive youth development and participatory approaches across informal and formal contexts. The goal of the Roundtable is to integrate and share best practices in amplifying and empowering youth voices in evaluation (the AEA 2024 theme) to provide global insights and cross-TIG learning. The African context matters because the continent inverts what the U.S. and other developed countries are experiencing – a collapse in fertility and birth rates below the replacement level. This inverted triangle reduces innovation and imperils the economy with a shrinking workforce and declines in tax revenues. Thus, youth are both an economic and development challenge and an opportunity. Today, more than 60% of Africa’s population is under the age of 25 and it is estimated that by 2030, young Africans are expected to constitute 42% of global youth. This can be an economic advantage for economic growth and innovation. On the other hand, in unstable or declining economies where employment is limited or scarce, a large youth population can be destabilizing. Africa is home to some of the world’s fastest growing economies and youth can also provide dynamism and innovation in rapid economic development as entrepreneurs and leaders when engaged and provided real opportunities including as professional evaluators.