Design Your Program
Once you’ve mapped your context (with meaningful input from young people), it’s time to design your program. USAID’s ADS Chapter 201 offers comprehensive guidance and procedures for USAID program cycle implementation.
Source: https://www.usaid.gov/project-starter/program-cycle
Over the last few years, USAID has been rethinking how development assistance is conceptualized. Drawing on its Local Systems Framework, USAID applies systems thinking to development in five dimensions, (or the 5Rs): Results, Roles, Relationships, Rules and Resources. Section 3 of the US State Department’s Program Design and Performance Management Toolkit provides practical guidance and examples and a step-by-step process for program design.
Here are some great templates and links that you can use in the process outlined above:
- Problem Definition (DIY Toolkit)
- Logic Model (YouthREX)
- Theory of Change (DIY Toolkit)
- ADS 201: Program Cycle Operational Policy Fact Sheet
- Online modules related to How to Work with USAID training series, and Workwithusaid.org which includes resources for groups developing activities and wanting to work with USAID
When you are ready to develop activities, below are a few of our favorite principles to keep in mind, regardless of what sector you work in or outcome you are designing for:
Design programs based on evidence and promising practices for education, civic/political engagement, and leadership.
- The USAID Civic Education, Engagement and Leadership Global Landscape Analysis provides an overview of promising practices and evidence across these three areas of programming.
- Consult our database of adaptable intervention models related to civic education, engagement and leadership, which includes general resources and specific program examples.
- Review USAID’s Inclusion of Youth in Democracy, Rights and Governance Toolkit.
Effective youth programs are grounded in Positive Youth Development (PYD). When developing a new program or project:
- Consider YouthPower’s four domains of Positive Youth Development;
- Be intentional about incorporating multiple PYD program features and the environment in which young people live;
- Another useful way of planning activities is to think through the supports, opportunities, and services (Karen Pittman’s SOS Framework) needed in a program to ensure the successful participation of your target population(s);
- FHI360’s Youth Programming Assessment Tool (YPAT) is an excellent resource not only for evaluating youth programs, but also for guiding the design of comprehensive youth-focused and youth-integrated programs.
Design programs intentionally for diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion because there are many kinds of young people.
- This YouthREX guide on putting intersectionality into practice helps you consider the diverse identities of young people who may be engaged in your program;
- If your program includes in-person activities or events, Youth.gov’s inclusion and accessibility guidelines can help ensure both the space and the content can be used by all;
- This YouthLead Starter Kit provides additional resources on making programs accessible for young people with disabilities;
- If your program includes virtual activities or digital components, take a look at IREX’s checklist for overcoming digital barriers to inclusion;
- The Principles for Digital Development also offer recommendations on designing with users.
Young people can (and should) be partners in their own - and their communities' - development. Program activities that create opportunities for young people to engage in civic spaces and practice leadership skills can contribute not only to program-specific goals, but also to a more connected, engaged, and peaceful society. Build strategies into every stage of your program for integrating youth voices, and explore our adaptable intervention models to find some inspiration on the range of possibilities for your program!
