Action Toolkit

Nothing for us Without us a Youth-led Development starter kit prepared by the 540 delegates who attended the World Youth Congress in Stirling, Scotland, from 29th July to 8th August 2005

Acknowledgements By hosting the World Youth Congress, Scotland has shown its faith in, and commitment to, young people all over the world. Our thanks go out to the people of Scotland for hosting us so well and to all those individuals who worked so tirelessly to ensure the Congress was a success. Thank you Scotland - we hope the actions of those who use this toolkit will repay your investment in youth many times over!



- Editorial Team

Editorial Team Alexa Gainsbury, UK - Editor Francisco Pereira, Ecuador- Designer Caroline Ang, USA - Congress Toolkit Coordinator Lizzie Tubbs, UK Pochi Tamba, Cameroon Clare Moran, UK Julia Siritona, Estonia Mihir Chatterjee, India Diana Plazas, Colombia Editorial Advisors Ray Bugg David Woollcombe Rosey Simonds

Eirwen Harbottle Erin Senff James Wakefield

Prepared by Peace Child International The White House, Buntingford, Herts UK SG9 9AH for The Scottish Executive Victoria Quay, Edinburgh EH6 6QQ, Scotland



Copyright 2005 © Peace Child International & The Scottish Executive

Contents PREFACE





Introduction by Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the United Nations Introducing the 3rd World Youth Congress Introduction to Youth-led Development A Close Look

4 5 6 8

PREPARATION

Research — identifying priority needs Planning — assessing the best action to take The proposal — creating a project reality A WYC successful project proposal

10 12 17 22

TAKE ACTION!





Sourcing resources People management Time management Financial management Networking

26 32 34 36 38

FOLLOW UP



The project manager’s report The mentor’s report The independent evaluator(s) report(s) Media reporting Sample press release

43 48 48 50 54

RESOURCES



Web links & other resources Glossary Index Afterword Millenium Development Goals

56 60 65 67 68



U N I T E D N A T I O N S

NAT I O N S U N I E S

THE SECRETARY-GENERAL In Africa, where I come from, half the children go to bed hungry every night. Many of them lack a bed, some even a roof over their heads. It is hard to imagine, if you have never experienced it, what it is like to be sick and have no doctor to go to, to be hungry and have no food to eat, to want a future but no school to prepare you for it. Kofi Annan, Secretary-General, United Nations

At the World Summit for Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, the Youth Caucus called on us to “see young people as a resource, not a problem.” How right they were. Young people are the most precious resource our planet possesses. That is why I have worked to create initiatives such as the Youth Employment Network, set up to fight the tragic waste of youth joblessness. Young leaders of today are vital partners in that effort, and in so many others: eradicating the HIV/ AIDS pandemic and other deadly diseases; achieving gender equality and universal primary education for all; and, most importantly, eradicating extreme poverty - the first of the Millennium Development Goals.



With the Millennium Development Goals, the world’s governments have committed themselves to halving the number of people living in extreme poverty by 2015. It should be the commitment of your generation to eradicate it completely. It is never too early to be active. If you start young, I am confident that, by the time you are my age, you will succeed. So I hope you will make the best possible use of this toolkit. Your generation can Make Poverty History.

Kofi A. Annan

World Youth Congress, Scotland 2005 The world’s most precious resource: the Congress hosted 540 of them — the most talented and energetic youth from an impressive 120 countries united to discuss how we can Make Poverty History and achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The Congress was a real coming together of minds, all dedicated, determined and experienced in the development field. Over ten days delegates engaged in discussions, expanded their minds through workshops and developed their ideas and skills on threeday community action projects. Together they shared solutions, resources and networks that will help us all go back to “Be the Change” in our communities.

projects that will make a change in your community. One observer of the Congress marvelled, “There are 500 celebrities here!” And we used every minute to interview, quiz and generally interrogate all the delegates we could lay our hands on. The result is this document: a best practice guide to Youthled Development based on the experience of those who have been out there and done it. This toolkit is filled with their wisdom and advice on how we, together, can create successful Youth-led projects. This is our chance to “Be the Change!” Let’s use it.

And it does not end there. We want the lessons learnt at the Congress to be shared with everybody determined to get out there and make a difference. That is why we have created this toolkit— a step-bystep guide to how you, together with your friends, can start



What is Youth-led Development “Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great. You can be that generation…”

Nelson Mandela

What is Youth-led Development (YLD)? Simply, YLD is community projects devised and implemented by young people under the age of 25. They are generally grass-roots, small in size, and carried out mostly, but not exclusively, by youth volunteers. And why do we think YLD so essential to achieving the MDGs? Because nature dictates that youth have energy to spare and the eagerness to use it. Worldwide, young people are already dedicated to addressing their communities’ needs. And, because we young people are so keen to learn, we are happy to take our wages in experience rather than cash salaries. Thus, YLD offers the most cost effective development action. YLD also massively benefits the youth who do it. They learn invaluable project management, fund-raising and leadership skills, hugely boosting their employability. Being part of a successful project builds a young person’s confidence and raises their self-esteem to stratospheric levels. Also, communities



celebrate and rejoice in YLD success! As they enjoy the new library you have re-furbished and equipped, or benefit from the new well you have dug, they will be so proud that other members of the community will be inspired — or shamed — into doing things too! And so the enthusiasm — the change YOU started! — will grow and grow, inspiring new people throughout your community, town and nation. That is what we want to see: every young citizen of every country engaged in building its prosperity and shaping its future. But we also want so much more than that. As you complete fantastic projects, your successes will prove to governments and large NGOs that youth is an untapped resource essential to the development effort. That is why we have called this book Nothing for us, Without us because we believe young people have to be seen as partners and not just beneficiaries in the global fight for the MDGs. And this book is designed to help us all prove that we are worthy and capable of being the most excellent partners.

The 3rd WYC is my first global event and also my turning point where I’ve learnt so many things, learnt how to believe in a dream; to trust and love others deep from your heart; to stand up and “Be the Change!” I know that as young people we can do amazing things – I met hundreds doing just that in Scotland. I know that many thousands – millions! — more young people can, with a little guidance and support, do projects just like them. So those of you who want to be the change yourselves — get your hands dirty and do a project that helps your community. Read on!

Alexa Gainsbury

This Toolkit focuses on doing YLD community improvement projects. If you are interested in advocacy or lobbying your governments to achieve the MDGs, then check out “Only With Your Voice” — the lobbying toolkit created by Global Youth Action Network and TakingITGlobal. It’s available at — www.millenniumcampaign.org How well do you know the MDGs? we list them on the Inside back cover. Also read ‘Youth and the MDGs White Paper’ available at — www.takingitglobal.org/themes/ mdg/youthinpolicy.html

Tran Luu Ha Anh, 19, Vietnam

“Its pretty clear, if we all work together and share ideas and experiences we as young people can lead the change. And why can Youthled Development succeed? Determination, Discipline, Dreams...” Sara Darr, 18, England

“Decision-makers will come to realise just how crucially instrumental the youth contribution is to building a better world for generations to come.” Bernise Ang, 25, Singapore

“We want to motivate, motivate, motivate and prove that Youth-led Development is not just a dream.” Sergey Atliyev, 20, Turkmenistan

“Youth-led projects are the key for true development. It is investing in the present and future of our global community.” Fabrizio Scrollini, 23, Uruguay

“The toolkit will help youth understand how to turn their ideas into real life solutions, empowering them with the confidence to lead tangible change in their communities.” Shasheen Jayaweera, 21, Australia



A Closer Look We know we can “Be the Change.” But to do so, we need the right tools. And what better place to find them than in a toolkit! This guide takes you through, step-by-step, exactly how you can plan, run and complete a successful project in your community. Start at the beginning: Preparation recommends tips on research methods, planning your project and writing successful project proposals. Once you are prepared and ready to get stuck into your project, Take Action! offers advice on all the areas of successful project management from recruiting volunteers to managing money. It also encourages effective networking: we want this book to help create a global family, working together for a better world. Follow Up focuses on evaluation and encourages you all to take this task seriously, offering guidelines and templates that will help you produce fantastic reports providing proof you, and YLD, can be a complete success. And for the show-off in all of us, there are tips on approaching the media and securing that



well deserved high profile feature. Finally, to learn more, check out our Resources section. This lists useful web links for your project and further avenues to explore. The way you use this toolkit will differ depending on your country and situation. If you are living in one of the world’s less developed countries or a deprived part of any country, use this guide to get out and research the needs of your community and devise a project that addresses those needs effectively. And if you are a young person living in the developed world, you can help provide essential resources for your brothers and sisters by starting projects to help raise funds, gather books, computers and other equipment. Most importantly, we want you to use this toolkit to take action – in whatever form that might be. It does not belong on the shelves of libraries but in the back packs of activists, covered in the stains of your projects. It is for people who do. Is that you?

PREPARATION

preparation You know you want to do something and you have an idea in your head about what that might be. Before you do anything else, you need to develop three things to turn that idea into a reality:

1

identify a need

1 Research:

2

make a plan

3

write a proposal

identifying a need

Before you begin planning your project, it is essential you thoroughly research both your subject area and the people who will be changed by your project. Good research can help you make sure you tackle the right issue effectively and efficiently. Start with your own knowledge: You probably already know what you would like your project to tackle. Use your local knowledge as the basis of your research of both your community and subject area. List exactly what you know and the issues you believe need to be addressed. To plan a fantastic project, write down anything that you would like to find out — but don’t be too specific at this stage. Your research may uncover new ideas. Don’t limit yourself. However, by clarifying a broad idea

of the area and people you would like to work with, you have a far better starting point for your research. Use what you already know to identify the people you should be talking to, to find out more. Talk to your community: From your own experiences, you have identified where you would like to do your project and some of the ideas it may tackle. Now it is time to learn from the people this project should hopefully benefit. What do they think will improve their community?

The web is full of sites offering information about development priorities. Try doing a web search using key phrases or check out some of these online research centres.

W

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www.idrc.ca www.id21.org www.developmentgoals.org www.wri.org

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www.eldis.org www.odi.org.uk www.unmillenniumproject.org www.un.org

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PREPARATION

What are their attitudes toward the problem you wish to tackle — is it an issue that will engage them or is it of comparatively low importance? Always talk to your peers: your project may not be aimed at young people, but it should definitely be done by them. So find out what is on their minds, and how they think they can affect change. Talk to the people who will be most helped by your project. If you plan to run a soup kitchen for the homeless, talk to the homeless about their needs. Do not worry about formal questioning at this stage. It is important to get a general feel for the community so you know where to direct your energy and who to contact in the future. Hit the books: Now that you have a broad idea of what the community needs it is time to back up your knowledge with facts. Research the issues faced by your community so you can become an expert on the problem. When looking for funding it is incredibly useful to be able to quote statistics and hard facts, so take the time to collect some that suggest there is a real need for your project. Think literacy rates, HIV-AIDS infection rates, school enrollment rates – all of these statistics should be available at your local UNDP office.

Cult u ra l a n d Et h i c a l Con s i d e rat i o n s How well do you know the people affected by your project? If they are part of your community, you probably know them pretty well and you don’t have to worry; their norms of behaviour will be your norms. But if you are from the middle-class part of town and are interviewing people in the poorer areas, be aware that culture and norms may be very different. The same applies if you are planning to take part in a project abroad. It is essential to get to grips with differences of culture to prevent misunderstandings from damaging your work. Try getting in touch with local people or organisations and ask for guidance before you go to areas. Think about taking on a local person as a cultural mentor who can advise you on any issues that may affect your project and relationship with the community. Here also are a few points to consider: • Rules for clothing: Is that skirt too short? Do men and women need to cover up? • Language: Could your words be misinterpreted to mean something different? • Rural areas: Remember rural areas can be more conservative and protective than urban areas in the same country. • Religion and beliefs: Are there certain times for prayer when you shouldn’t disturb? Be aware of any clashes between your project and the local religion and prepare solutions to tackle this. 11

Explore what have others done before you and how can you learn from this. Does their research highlight anything you hadn’t thought of? Think about the issue on a local and national level. What, for example, is being done locally and globally to tackle the AIDS pandemic? Are there groups and organisations on both levels that could help or work with you on your project? Or are you duplicating the work of another and would it be best to tackle an alternative problem or another angle? Check out groups registered in your local area and surf the internet to find national programmes of research and action.

2 Setting your goals:

Streamline your ideas through detailed questioning: You now know the issue you would like to tackle inside and out. Use your new knowledge to go back into the community and ask the key questions that will help you identify exactly how this issue can be tackled in this specific area. Your earlier contact with the community should have given you an idea of the key people to go back and talk to. From your research you should have an idea of exactly what you need to ask. Check out pages 14 and 15 for tips on interviews and questionnaires.

making a plan

Getting a project idea: Once you are well informed on the issues and feelings of the community, you can confidently start planning your project. To do this, you need a workable and achievable idea. There is no best way to generate a project idea, but there are steps that will make sure your idea is a good one.

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Get help: Having more than one person thinking about a problem leads to better solutions. Build a team of like-minded people. Bounce issues and suggestions off one another.

Try not to be too upset if someone identifies a major flaw in your idea — better to raise a problem now than later after you have put a lot of work into an idea.

Interaction: Talking with others almost always generates new suggestions. Your team will help you measure how good an idea really is. Constantly invite feedback — take on both positive and negative criticism, and use it to develop your idea.

Idea generating: Expect to have a few failed ideas before you get one that is really good. Turn to page 16 for an effective method of generating ideas.

Once you have identified your priority need, it’s time to get creative! Think about how youth can solve the problem or at least how you can make the effects of it more bearable for the people in your community. Consider ideas from your research. Think laterally across a problem — come at it from different angles. What are YOU going to do about it? If you absolutely cannot think of an achievable project that can help address the first priority need, then

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PREPARATION

Prioritising your needs: Next try to prioritise your ideas according to the needs of your community. Have your team vote on this — it will help them feel “ownership” of the decisionmaking process. Write up the needs highlighted by your research then prioritise them in order of urgency i.e. What is the thing that absolutely has to be addressed immediately?

move on to the next need — or the next — until you find one that you all think you can usefully address. Don’t give up! What makes a good project idea: Achievability: Make sure your project ideas are within your powers to complete successfully. If you feel an idea can’t be done, then try a different approach. For example, if your priority need is for electricity, building a power station is probably beyond your competence. However, you could build a wind generator hooked up to batteries. That’s an achievable project goal! Relevance: It essential that your project’s main goal will address a priority need. A common mistake is to start a project that is exciting without clearly thinking how it will help improve your community.

S.W.O.T Analysis

S!

To help you figure out if your project is going to work or not, do a S.W.O.T. analysis. This will allow you to measure your project’s Strengths: The people, skills, facilities and equipment that you have.

Opportunities: Possible ways to build or add strengths and lessen weaknesses.

Weaknesses: What limits your actions (e.g. lack of skills, equipment, local facilities)

Threats: Possible events that could weaken your organisation and so should be avoided.

By getting your team to write down the S.W.O.Ts of your idea/organisation, you can get a clearer idea of where you are now and whether your project idea is realistic and acheivable.

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Make sure you are able to give a clear step-by-step explanation of how your project will address the need. A web-based educational group, for example, may be more exciting to set up than community classes. However, it would not be of any use in a community with limited internet access. Originality: Be prepared to think of new ideas. While an idea must first be relevant and achievable, it helps to be bold and inspiring, especially for catching the attention of funders and development professionals. So try to think of ideas that are different and innovative. Having said this, tried and tested means can sometimes be a safer method. You may be able to combine the two by being the first in your area to use an idea from abroad. Do what is right for you, and don’t be afraid to be different.

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Fleshing out the project: So you have an idea! It is your “Project”! Well done! Now break it down into all of its component parts to build a workable programme. You can use these pointers to help you: each of them will be explored further in the Take Action and Follow-up sections:

• • •

• • •

Your Team: Who, what roles and where will responsibility lie? Your resources: Why are you collectively capable of taking on this project? Your supporters: Who in your community can offer assistance in the form of finance, goods in kind, experience or ideological support? Estimated time frame: How much time do you have to complete the project? Estimated costs: How much will this project cost? Evaluation method: How will you record and measure your project’s success?

Questionnaires S!

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When you are designing a questionnaire, think about:

Simplicity: Ask straightforward questions. Avoid undefined time definitions such as ‘sometimes’ or ‘usually’. Different perceptions will confuse your answers. Instead stick to defined time frames such as ‘everyday’.

Clarity: Try and focus your question on a specific issue rather than general ideas. if you make your questions too broad, different issues will get lumped together and will be impossible to break up.

Avoid leading questions: Keep questions neutral. Remember you are trying to find out the views of the participants, not trying to impose your views on them

Relevance: Don’t ask questions just because they might be interesting. Stick to the issues you wish to tackle.

Creating SMART Targets SMART targets are:

• • • • •

Specific – Precisely state what is to be acheived. Measurable – Have clear criteria for completion. Achievable – Have all the resources to complete the task. Realistic – Can be completed within the time-frame and budget. Time related – Have a clear date/ deadline for completion.

PREPARATION

Setting milestones Now breakdown your project idea into a set of realistic goals. Divide the goals into short-, medium- and longterm SMART Targets. Your targets should be practical, step-by-step and allow you to focus on one thing at a time. Use your SMART targets to make a clear plan of action, scaling down from your overall goal and highlighting pitfalls and obstacles. This will give you an overview of the entire project.

Example: Digging a well. A bad target is: “We will dig a hole.” A SMART Target is: “We will have dig a 2m diameter wide, 1m deep hole by the 12th October.” This SMART target specifically states what is to be done, how it can be measured and when it will be completed. How achievable it is depends on whether you have sufficient resources and personnel to do the job within the time-frame. Always think about the time frame when you are setting the target dates. Evaluation Also, be sure to set up a process to evaluate your progress and see how far you have progressed every step along the way.

Interviews Think about the following tips when you are conducting interviews: • • •

Be Confidential Be personal, friendly and place the interviewee at ease Allow the interviewees to fully express their views



Make sure you record the interview or take notes so you have information to refer back to later. Try to end the interview on a light note and always remember to thank your interviewees. It will leave them feeling valued and useful. Remember, you may want to engage their help on your project in the future!

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Mind Mapping

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A method to get project ideas:

Write down everyone’s ideas. Seemingly silly ideas can often spark better ones and the more ideas you have the more opportunities you have to create a great project. You can always discount the irrelevant ones later.

Mind mapping is one popular method of generating ideas. It can be done alone or with a team and is an excellent tool to help you put your thoughts in order.

Use other people’s ideas as inspiration for your own. Feel free to develop, or make points based on another’s idea. Encourage participation from everyone — everybody will think of different things, which will lead to an eclectic and well developed mind map.

Take a whiteboard or large piece of paper. In the centre, write the main point you want to address and circle it. As you have a thought about the issue, draw a line out from the circle and write it down. This thought might be an idea about how to solve the problem or an observation about the problem. If you have a point about this new thought, then draw a line out and write down this new thought and circle that too. As the map grows you will be able to see lots of ideas and how they relate to your central issue.

Documentation For your organisation’s future, it is extremely important to learn how to document every step. Keeping a record is useful when tracing the progress of a project, and keeping a log of who said and did what is invaluable when conflicts or confusions arise. Try to keep track of the following:

Example of mind map

• Finance: budget and financial report form • Receipts and invoices • Correspondence: copies of all letters

Idea 1

& faxes; a summary of all phone calls • People management: Work schedule • Networking: names & contact

Main Idea

numbers • Research: interview notes; your team member’s observation notes • Legal agreements: contracts signed Idea 2

Idea 3

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PREPARATION

3 The Proposal:

writing a proposal

Now you have thought how to turn you idea into a practical project it is time to write it all down in a proposal. Every project needs a written proposal — it is the only way you are going to gather the people and the resources you need to do a project. A project proposal is a living document — something that can be translated into real money, real resources and real improvements. Every funding agency has a different funding procedure, often with enormously long and complicated forms, but they all ask broadly the same questions. The Be the Change! YLD programme uses a 10-point application which you can use to give you an idea of what to expect. As you will see from the sample on page 22, it can be filled out simply and it provides funders with all the information a funder needs to know about a project. The points are: 1. Title of Project: make it catchy — ten words or less! 2. The Context: a description of your community/region and the major issues you face; 3. The Need: the specific need you have chose to address and why it is important; 4. The Project: describe the actions you are going to take to tackle the need (described at 3 above) and devise a schedule of when you are going to do each action; 5. The Budget: how much each action will cost. Estimate as precisely as possible; 6. You and Your Team: who are you? what are your qualifications for doing these actions and why do you

think you will succeed? What have you done before that is similar? 7. The Mentor: identify an older person with skills and experience in your project area who is prepared to support and guide you; 8. The Evaluator(s): aim for one older and one younger person, not involved with the project, who can give an objective evaluation on its success. 9. Handling the Money: who is going to handle the money? give bank details. 10. Sustainability: how are you going to make sure that the impact of your actions lasts? What plans do you have for follow-up and continuing funding?

Remember to include your contact details: your name, address, phone and, most importantly, your e-mail address.

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If you have followed our advice and planned well, you should be able to answer 1-4 pretty easily. Follow these pointers to help you with the rest...  Drawing up a budget: the budget should include absolutely everything you might need, with each cost carefully researched and verified. People often fail to break down their budget: don’t just give a general overview but make sure you think of every detail! Think materials, transport, food & drink during working days, rent and administration costs, to name but a few. If you need a skilled tradesperson or materials — put the costs in the budget even if later you can persuade them to donate their time or resources.

 The Schedule: what is going to be done and by when? A common problem in YLD is that projects never seem to get finished. Good project managers nip that problem in the bud by setting a firm, realistic schedule early on with tasks and monthly targets. You will see later on how the budget becomes the mechanism by which you do the financial reporting — showing what you thought you would spend on each item and comparing it with what you actually spent. Have a column for little notes to explain the variations. You do exactly the same with the schedule when you come to write your report: show the schedule you planned to follow and place alongside it the schedule you were actually able to follow, explaining any variations with little notes; (‘The materials were delivered late...’ etc.)

The Team: who do you actually need to do this project? List all the names of the people in your team, their assets and skills and assign roles to them — including a role for yourself. In good people management, the team will be present as you discuss and determine everyone’s roles so that they are a part of the decision-making process. Again this gives them a feeling of ownership of the project which is essential to motivation, especially when there is no salary motive for doing the work. It is also educational for every one to be present during these discussions as all can learn from each other, and the benefits of doing the project will be spread as widely as possible. Check out page 32 for good team work and people management tips.

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PREPARATION

Identifying a Good Mentor: Many funders will insist upon projects securing an adult mentor. A good mentor almost always is the reason that some YLD projects are more successful than others. The individual should be dictated by the nature of the project. If you are setting up an IT training centre, you may want to approach a local IT professional and so on. However, always try to find a multi-talented individual who really wants to help you succeed and is not trying to re-live his or her life through you! Even worse are mentors who use youth to push their own agenda. A bad mentor can be worse than having no mentor at all. We have known some dishonest ones who run off with the money! So be very cautious. Think through your friends, family and business contacts. It is good to have someone who you trust. But before you get Mum to do it just because she will, make sure she has the skills to provide and support you need.

Identify Good Evaluator(s): Remember, whether your project is a huge success or a howling failure, you will unquestionably learn from the experience. And, to make sure you learn all the lessons you can learn from this project, it is incredibly important to have an impartial, objective evaluator. It is preferable to have TWO evaluators: an older person who will represent the interests of the older members of the community; and a younger person, close to your age who will tell you honestly if your project has improved the lives and opportunities for young people in the community. Do NOT get friends to be your evaluator — just because you think they will give you a favorable report. That doesn’t do anyone any good — least of all you who will miss out on the opportunity to learn important lessons from the project. The independent evaluators’ report are the major things that funders look at to see if their money has been wisely spent. Often, a good choice for the adult evaluator is a teacher or a journalist: if you get a journalist interested, he or she may write about your project in the local paper. Finding a local independent youth evaluator shouldn’t be hard: think about approaching community groups such as religious congregations, guide or scout associations.

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Handling money: This is very important! Sponsors know there is corruption in some countries and are very worried about their money going astray. With good reason! All of us have heard stories of young project managers receiving money for a project then spending it on something totally unrelated. It is therefore necessary to impress upon potential funders how you are going to protect the money they give you and ensure that it is spent on the budget and nothing else. This usually involves getting a local school, NGO or church to allow their bank account to be used for money transfers. Take the financial part of your project very seriously. By doing this bit right, you will learn an invaluable skill. Do it in a sloppy way and you may well make it difficult for anyone to trust or employ you in the future!

Sustainability: This is often the hardest question to answer! How will your project survive after the money given to you is all used up? If it is an income-generating project, chances are you will be selling goods so you will be able to demonstrate that a funder’s investment will have a long-term impact. However, it is also perfectly possible to argue that a one-off event — like an HIV-AIDS awareness performance or an environmental clean-up — will make a life-changing impact on all who take part and therefore is worth doing. Basically, you just have to make the case that the impact of your project is going to last. It is not enough to say, as many do, that “We trust in God to provide...” You might, but it is unwise to assume that funders will feel the same! Also, it is not good to simply say, “We plan to carry on fundraising and hope to get more money…” This indicates that you are going to be dependent on soft-money gifts forever. That doesn’t impress any funders. So think about how you will sustain your project and develop a careful argument.

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Sustainability S!

Allow your community to feel ownership of your project. In your research, define exactly what they need and then involve them in it. If you build a school, for example, let the children paint it. Involve a local government or NGO to ensure other structures are interested in your project’s continuation.

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Delegate power. If you give people responsibility and ownership, they will nurture the project and care about its continuation. Train and educate the next generation of young people. This will help them continue your good work into the future.

PREPARATION

Troubleshooting for project proposals We asked a young person who sits on a youth funding board to tell us the most common mistakes made by youth applicants. Read carefully and learn from them. COMPLETE THE FORM: An obvious but very common mistake! Every question is there for a reason so answer all of them! Any unanswered questions allow the funder to turn down your project immediately.

PRESENTATION: Your form is likely to photocopied and read by many people. If possible type it. If not, make sure your handwriting is legible.

CONTENT: State the obvious! Remember the funding board probably knows nothing about you, your project or your community’s needs. You must make sure your writing is clear and detailed, explaining exactly what you hope to achieve and why it is necessary.

CRITERIA: Know the aims of your funding board and make sure you are applying to the right people! A board whose remit is to empower young women is not about to fund a project involving only men!

INNOVATION: Funders have to read through hundreds of applications. You need to show them why your project is the best and why they should fund yours above others. Be innovative!

RISK AWARENESS: Do you need a criminal record check? Do you need to request legal permission for any land you use? If working with children do you need the permission from parents or schools? Is insurance necessary for your project? All risks and permissions need to be considered before the application stage and included on the form. In most cases, the issue will need to be resolved before applying for funding. Check out page 31 for help.

SUCCESS STORIES AND IMAGES: An example of a similar project working in the past will add gravitas to your application. A picture also speaks a thousand words! Good images that illustrate a need is very valuable and will help get funders on your side.

REFERENCES: References are essential to an application form and referees need to be chosen carefully. As a rule, referees cannot be a family member or an individual already involved in the project/with a vested interest in the project’s success. A referee should be a respected person with a level of interest regarding the project and issues it tackles.

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Successful project proposals! Below is a sample proposal that successfully secured funding at the World Youth Congress. From this proposal the project manager, 24-year-old Maeve Wadge, now has the resources to make a real change in the lives of her local community in Bangalore. A well thought proposal will help you achieve the same.

Project Title: Screen Printing and Paper Production Cooperative The Context: There are huge communities of migrant workers in Bangalore, living in temporary, tent-like accommodation. In the more developed parts, these have built up into slums and more permanent housing, but conditions are still very poor. Most of the inhabitants of these areas are migrant workers from neighbouring Tamil Nadu, the majority of whom do not speak the local language, Kannada. The only opportunity to work is on the building sites – hard, physical labour which is extremely poorly paid, or other menial jobs which leave people open to exploitation. It is often only the man in the family who takes up this work, which means women are left to bring up the children on a very tight budget. They are completely dependent on their husbands, and as the work can be quite unpredictable, are often left with nothing.

The Need: The project aims to address the issue of exploitation and social and financial insecurity in these communities of migrant workers. We wish to establish a cooperative of young people, particularly women, and train them in screen painting and the manufacture of products from recycled and hand made paper. We will market products, such as business cards and paper bags, to local shops. We will also prepare products, such as greeting cards, gift bags and books, for the export market.

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PREPARATION

Your Team: Project Manager: Maeve Wadge: 24, member of local NGO Arivu/Peace Child India. Recruitment of members for cooperative marketing of products internationally and – locally – for training, coordination and overseeing work. Raju: 18, Team leader. Training new members, coordinating work load and marketing of products locally. Laksmi: 24, Screen printer and paper product manufacturer. Shivagarmi: 25, screen printer and paper product manufacturer. This team consists of members of the pilot cooperative, who have received initial training and have been working as a unit for the past four months. They have proved to be hard working, resourceful and skilled. After the cooperative has become sustainable and we are receiving enough orders and demand for the products, we will expand the members of the cooperative to include at least five to ten people. However, we want to start small to ensure that the product becomes sustainable and the funds are not wasted.

The Mentor: Prabhu MC: member of local NGO Arivu. Prabhu is trained in screen painting and the manufacture of local products, such as gift bags and books. He has a number of local contacts who can provide support and business for the cooperative. Having grown up in very poor conditions, he has many self-taught skills that make him able to understand the social background of the co-operative members and communicate with them in their own languages. e-mail: [email protected]

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The Evaluator(s): Bernadette Raj: 52, Bernadette is the president of a small NGO. She has been involved in development work for the past 20 years. e-mail: [email protected] Venkatesh: 30. Venkatesh has worked for the association for the promotion of social action for the last five years. He has experience running their screen painting unit – training Dalit youth in printing and running the unit as a commercial enterprise. e-mail: [email protected]

Handling Money: The cooperative will be overseen by Arivu, an Indian registered local NGO who work with young people from marginalized communities. The accounts and financial report will be conducted by it. Members of Arivu will be involved in the setting up of the cooperative and then in the training, marketing and monitoring the progress of the cooperative. Bank Account Name: Arivu Address: 123 Peace Avenue, Chamarajpet, Bangalore, 1234567 Email: [email protected] Contact: Jagan Devaraj A/c Number: 123456789 Bank Sort Code and other details: 1234567890

Sustainability: After the initial set-up period, the project will become sustainable by receiving orders from local businesses and selling products overseas. The sales of products will cover all material costs and staff wages as well as replacing wear and tear of tools and materials for screen painting.

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TAKE ACTION!

take action You have done your research, identified the needs and planned a project to tackle that need. Now it is time for the fun part — time to take action! Just keep a few things in mind to keep your project on track.

Project management for success The main skill you need to learn to become a successful leader of your project is “project management.” No matter what career you choose to pursue in later life, project management will always be an invaluable skill to possess. The main components of project management are:

• • • • • •

Sourcing the resources — fund-raising and sourcing goods in kind; Legal issues — dealing with the law and getting the necessary permissions; People management — team leadership and motivation skills; Time and goal management — getting the job done on time; Financial management — maintaining cash flow; Networking — spreading the load and sharing resources.

Now we will look at the tried and tested techniques that make for successful project management in all these fields. For though we hope that all members of your team will read this toolkit and share responsibility and ownership for the project with you, final responsibility has to lie somewhere. And, if you are taking on the role of Project Manager, that responsibility lies with you!

Sourcing your resources Funding is usually the first resource that comes to mind. Money, or lack of it, is always the problem. We have already looked at writing successful project proposals, which offers one solution to the problem of finding funding. Another method, which we will explore in this section, is approaching companies for sponsorship.

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TAKE ACTION!

But first think, is it necessary to look at our resources only in terms of money? Is it the single most important factor in getting what we want? No! Many resources can be gained without spending anything! Make a list of what you actually need and think about different ways of getting just that. You may find getting resources by means other than money a far easier task. People as resources: Never underestimate the importance of human skills as a valuable resource and one that does not necessarily need paying for! When approaching companies and individuals for support, consider how they may be able to help you by providing skills as well as, or as an alternative to, money. Ask for both, as many will be more willing to offer labour, time and talent. This will help to reduce your project costs. Volunteering their time over money will also give funders a greater attachment to the project; as a result, they are more willing to give their all to help it succeed. Funds in-kind: Raising funds in-kind is a great alternative to raising cash. Rather than approaching potential

funders for money, devise a list of what you need the money for and see whether anyone can provide the actual goods. If, for example, you’re setting up an office, you will probably find it much easier to find a company willing to donate an old computer rather than raising the cash to buy a new one at very high cost. The same is true for almost any project. We met youth activists who had not only run a successful rock concert based almost entirely on in-kind funding but had even managed to make a profit from it!

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Approaching corporate sponsors:Whether you are asking for financial support or goods in-kind, you need to plan your approach to sponsors carefully. Use the networks you have formed and your newly acquired research skills to identify your best possible chances. Here are a few points to consider that will help you tailor your approach: 1. Will your project benefit your sponsor? You will be more successful if it is relevant to their own aims. Would it, for example, be a good Public Relations exercise or will it benefit their community? Is their brand related to your goals? Try to present a good motive for this particular company to support your project by considering the synergy between project and brand. Microsoft, for example, is probably more likely to support an IT project than a project raising goats! 2. Are you a good investment? You need to show you are capable of making your project and their money or resources work. We keep

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on saying it, but it is essential to present clearly set REALISTIC goals. These goals should be quantifiable and easy to understand. Don’t say: “We want to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS in Bangalore.” Instead argue “We plan to take workshops into five schools in Bangalore in order to educate children about the dangers of HIV/AIDS...” This shows potential sponsors how you are going to make a change and exactly who will benefit. CSR officers are likely to be considering your project against many others; quantifiable benefits will make your project stand out.

Top tips for sponsorship success S!

Get informed: Do your research and find out who is the best person to talk to so you don’t waste time targeting the wrong people. Try to get the advice and input of people with experience in assessing proposals. Show you are somebody: Give yourself authenticity by including support letters in your application from as many responsible organisations as possible. Endorsements from other business lead-

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ers are especially valuable as it shows a professional thinks you are a good investment. Demonstrate previous success. Enthusiasm combined with actual results is much more appealing! Show commitment and persevere! It is rare to receive funding after your first attempt so don’t give up! If you are committed to your idea, then your enthusiasm will show and eventually influence others to believe in you.

TAKE ACTION!

3. Do you have you got accurate accounts and records to prove your reliability? Potential funders need project managers to be accountable for every penny they spend to ensure their money is not being wasted or misused. Your budget must show funders exactly how you plan to spend every cent of their money. 4. Is the company in a position to invest? Have they just invested a lot of money in another project or are they in known financial trouble? Do your research on the company to ensure that they are in a position to invest. It’s best, for example, to avoid approaching companies that are downsizing or in the middle of a employee reshuffle. Find out the

Get personal: If you can, use a contact in the company and always try to organise a face-to-face meeting where you can explain the importance of your project. This always creates a greater impact than a letter. If you do send a letter, always make a follow-up phone call to ensure that they received it. Think visual: Presentation is key to looking professional. Dress smartly and present your proposal as well as you can

budget period of companies and try to approach them while they are planning their charitable investments for the following year. 5. Are you diluting your ideologies? Be aware of the company’s behaviour and ethos. You may want to ensure that the company is genuinely ethical and responsible. Make sure that it supports, or at least doesn’t undermine, your values in the area of, for example, gender equity or environmental sustainability. Do not dilute your message, or take on someone else’s, for the sake of cash. Be aware that some businesses use examples of donations and community work to divert attention from their own unjust practices.

with the resources you have. If you have the chance, create a Power Point presentation and try your hardest to borrow a computer and type your proposal. Thank supporters. If you get a grant, prepare a ‘thank you’ gift or organise a formal occasion together with company representatives. Recognition of their support will increase the chances of them supporting you again.

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Sample sponsorship letter In no area is the project manager’s responsibility more serious and stressful than the challenge of raising funds. Don’t agonise over your sponsorship letters. Just make them as good as you can, make sure there are no spelling mistakes then get them out! Letterhead makes a letter look professional and adds legitimacy to your organisation

Clearly define the purpose and aims of your project

Co rp orate E ndorsements and Co rp orate S o cial Resp onsibilit y A lot of companies have finally started to think seriously about responsibilities towards sustainable development and take their “Corporate Social Responsibility” (CSR) seriously. As part of their CSR, many companies look for projects to fund and support. This is fantastic news for activists who can make use of growing CSR to ask for project support. However, before approaching a company. there are several questions you should ask yourself. Does getting involved with this company make you feel uneasy or somehow dilute your message? We cannot tell you who you should and should not seek partnership with, but what we can tell you is to be aware and THINK before blindly accepting cash from what could be a dubious source. Consider this before you write a letter.

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Clearly define stages and a time frame

Think about the possibilityofrequesting services over money

Highlight the benefits of sponsoring your project

Make sure you write your contact details

Let the recipient know who you are

TAKE ACTION!

Telf: + 22 000 000 000 Fax: + 22 000 000 001 w w w. a n t i m M D . c o m

September 05 2005 Mr. Ali Oruntak General Manager Dedeman Grand Hotel, Kishinev

Co-operation Letter The National Association of Young Managers of Moldova (ANTiM) in collaboration with Canadian Business Incubators and The Academy of Economic Studies of Moldova is organising the “Business Plan Competition for Initiative Young People”. The goal of this contest is to support and promote young people’s initiative towards progressive business ideas and to offer them the possibility for the development and application of these ideas. The competition will proceed in four stages. Each completed stage has thus far been very successful. The stages of the Business Plan Competition are as follows: 1. Participants’ sign-up period (1st Selection): July 1, 2005 – August 15, 2005 2. Training period: August 25 – September 1, 2005 3. Elaboration of the business plans (2nd Selection): September 1 – October 1, 2005 4. The final stage (3rd Selection): October 16, 2005 We would like to invite you to support and encourage today’s young people by helping to sustain this project. As partner in this project, we would like to ask Dedeman Grand Hotel to grant a conference hall for the final stage of the Business Plan Competition which is the Awards Ceremony. ANTiM, on its behalf, would like to offer Dedeman Grand Hotel free advertising through the period of the project’s activity with our media partners in the Business Plan Competition are: Kiss FM, Hit FM, Timpul, Curierul Economic, and Logos Press. We would like you to consider this offer and ask you that you meet with ANTiM in order to discuss all further issues. To arrange a meeting or for any further information, please do not hesitate to call me on 0123456789. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Respectfully, Aurelia Bragua President of ANTiM

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Legal Issues This, again, is another serious and stressful part of the project manager’s responsibility. It is impossible to review every legal aspect that you may run into, but it is essential you take it seriously. Research, plan, talk to the relevant authorities, and be sure to initiate all the necessary procedures to keep well within the law. Risk Assessment: If someone gets injured due to your negligence, you are liable. Hopefully, your project will not carry many risks with it. However, you should always conduct a full Risk Assessment by quantifying and writing down exactly what risks young people may be facing by working on your project. If you are doing practical work, have a first aid kit handy. Make sure all participants have the correct safety equipment. Take precautions and plan ahead to minimise unpleasant surprises.

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A risk assessment is only worthwhile if you then use it to plan and implement ways to mitigate or manage those risks acceptably. You may for example ask volunteers to sign a document acknowledging that they have been trained on how to use tools safely or the hazards associated with a specific location or environment.

Permissions: Does your project affect or use property? If so, you need to get the necessary permissions from the owners. If you are holding a big open-air event, you must get the necessary licences or letters of permission from the owners to use the venue. If you want to dig a garden in school or municipal grounds, you need a letter of permission from the owner of the property. Your permissions need to be formal - not just a nod or informal verbal agreement. Go over each part of your project in your mind and ask yourself: do I have to get permission from someone to do this? If the answer is “Yes!” — or a suspicion of a “Yes!” — don’t go ahead and do anything until you have that permission — in writing!

Minors: Another legal issue you may have to deal with is the issue of over-18s working with under-18s or those defined as ‘minors.’ In many countries, local authorities require that everyone working with minors have to undergo a background check by the police to make sure they do not have a record of inappropriate behaviour. In the UK, for example, you would not be able to work unsupervised with under-18s without a police check on every single member of your team. This rule will vary among countries, so make sure you are aware of local regulations concerning minors.

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People management Recruiting volunteers: A good team of volunteers working on your project is essential for its success. In poorer areas especially, motivating volunteers to participate in projects can be a problem. Many are not inclined, or simply cannot afford to give their time for free. Therefore, whilst you are unlikely to be able to pay, try to make sure you offer something in return for people’s services: think food, travel, board, or simply a fun environment in which to make friends. Also, offering certificates to volunteers who complete the project, costs you little and is a valuable, career-boosting incentive to young people.

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Task Distribution: Now you have recruited a team of volunteers, you need to make sure they are utilised well! Write down all the tasks and discuss with your group who is best suited to each. In most cases, you will find that the variety of talents in your group means tasks will naturally fall to the appropriate member. This is great because if your team volunteers for roles, rather than having them assigned, they will feel more attached and this will help keep them motivated! Only if you feel seriously doubtful about someone taking on a task, should you step in and assert your authority.

Public speaking S!

Often you will be required to speak about your project in public. Here are some tips to help you deliver those inspiring speeches! Be prepared. Obvious but essential! Know the main ideas and practice. Get somebody to listen to your speech, so you get used to delivering to a crowd. This also gives you the chance to troubleshoot for any words that may cause you to stumble. Use any nerves to your advantage! Nerves create adrenaline which makes your heart beat quicker and your brain think faster, turning you into an immediate genius!

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Don’t be afraid to improvise. Speaking naturally is far more engaging than a scripted speech — and, if it means you occasionally need to improvise, then go for it. As long as you are prepared, words should flow. Remember YOU are the expert. So speak like one! Don’t deliver your words unsurely or apologetically. You know you are right, and if others see that, you will convince them.

TAKE ACTION!

However, if you feel someone is taking on a task beyond their competence, you must step in. Not only would it be bad news for your project, but learning through the disillusion of failure is not very motivating to your team and should be avoided at all costs. Leading your team: Good leadership is essential to the success of your team. Everyone develops their own style: from the quiet and methodical to the flamboyant and magisterial!

All leaders, however, need a certain fire to be able to say “Follow me!” and know your team will do so happily and gladly. You also need to be sensitive to people’s needs and motivations. An authoritarian, dictatorial style of leadership will make you lose sight of that. So look for a horizontal style that invites everyone to give their opinion and lends ownership of the project to all.

Leadership skills There is no one way to manage a team well, but here are a few tips to help you along the right way! Give lots of praise. Celebrate achievements big and small. Words are free and offer great motivation. Learn to compromise. Stand up for what you feel strongly about but be prepared to let go of less important issues. People will be a lot more accepting of your view if you are not always dogmatic about it. Communication is at the heart of every good team! Hold regular meetings and ensure that everyone, no matter how small their role, is informed and valued as a key team member.

Create a comfortable work setting. Aim for an atmosphere in which feelings and ideas can be openly expressed and disagreements worked through. Remember that you want your volunteers to come back! So have fun together and organise outings or socials outside of your project. Don’t get possessive. This may well be you brainchild, but you need others to make it work. If you get too precious or controlling you will not find a willing team to make your dream a reality.

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Time management Keep to the schedule: “Punctuality is the courtesy of kings,” but it is rarely the norm in YLD projects. Volunteers tend to sleep superbly and turn up groggy-eyed and late for every scheduled start time. You will have to decide yourself how you are going to deal with this perennial problem. One way is to shout and scream and cancel lunch! Other, potentially more effective ways, are to schedule extended hours at the end of the day to make up for time lost in the morning, or plan a long lunch that can absorb early delays. More critical for time management is how to deal with days lost to rain,

Task

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transportation failures, or delays in material delivery. Too many setbacks such as these can leave a gaping hole between your schedule and reality. So prepare for it. Give yourself a buffer zone within your time-table to prevent setbacks from being disastrous. The trick is to know when it’s the right time to be strict and when it is OK to be a little more lax. The best thing is to get every team member on the same page with the schedule — who is doing what by when, and when the absolute drop-dead deadlines are for delivery. We did that at the Congress and in preparing this booklet, thus:

When

Final Deadline

Responsibility

Priority

Completed?

Planning themed discussions

Toolkit timeline

20/7/2005

Caroline and Orsi

Medium

18/7/2005

Journalist brief/instructions

Toolkit timeline

20/7/2005

Lex

Medium

20/7/2005

Team leader briefings

PreCongress

22/7/2005

Caroline

High

20/7/2005

Presentation and equipment order

PreCongress

14/7/2005

Lex and Caroline

High

14/7/2005

Toolkit timeline

PreCongress

14/7/2005

Lex

High

12/7/2005

TAKE ACTION!

Goal management Getting the job done: In the preparation section, we recommended that you set “milestones” in the schedule for the project so that you can register achievements along the way. This is an excellent way of motivating and inspiring your team. If you are involved in a long-term project, you need to break it up - by setting achievable goals within do-able time spans. Your job as manager is to steer the team toward the next milestone. Keep the focus on that, rather than leave them wondering how on earth they are going to achieve the broad, endgoals of the project. Between milestones, you can invent targets for the days — for the morning and afternoon sessions, even for individual hours or short breakout sessions. This way, the whole project will become results- or goal-oriented. And that makes your project easier to report as each day you will be able to acknowledge a goal achieved, a target reached. Check out page 14 again for tips on goal setting.

Cam b o d i a n M o t i vat i o n I find my motivation through focusing on dreams - high achievement takes place in the framework of high expectation and dreams offer the highest expectations of all. Dreams give us hope and when they come true, joy and happiness. When you have a dream inside you, listen, really listen, and work towards it coming true, First, figure out what your dreams are. Listen to yourself and what you really want. It doesn’t matter if you think it is silly or can’t come true. What do you need to do to reach your dream. Write out the steps towards it and break them down into baby steps: a phone call to make or letter to send. Make these small steps. Hold onto your dream. Try to always be gentle and kind with yourself. When you do something, anything, celebrate it, notice it and realise you’re coming closer to your dream. Feel the joy and wonder of that. So reach for your dreams. Follow them. Believe in them. Get others to believe in them, and they can come true. Chariya Ear, 23, Cambodia

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Financial management Cash flow — having the money at the right time to pay the bills — is the biggest challenge faced by every businessperson and project manager, young and old. The way you will handle your cash flow will depend on the size and time span of your project. If you are completing a small project, with one main objective, digging a well for example, then the main piece of advice is this: Do not start your project until all the money you need is in the bank. If you are conducting a larger project that involves a series of tasks over time, then it is acceptable to rely on a schedule of payments, deposited in your bank at agreed times. Again, however, make sure these payments are guaranteed and contracted in writing before you start your project. It’s not what you want to hear, but it really is the best way. Unless you are 100% sure of your funds, this is the only way to avoid getting stung.

dealing with small amounts, but it is still very necessary. Small amounts add up to large ones and if you have unidentified gaps in your expenditure no one will take you seriously. It is often wise to appoint one team member to be the treasurer to look after the accounts. However, as project manager you should always be acutely aware of your finances and the exact state of your balance sheet from one day to the next.

Financial management is also a matter of keeping and demanding receipts and evidence of expenditure from everyone on your team. This can be very hard when you are

Corruption Most development professionals agree that corruption is the second biggest obstacle to development after all-out war. Everywhere, it takes different forms,and unfortunately there is no universal answer on how best to tackle it. But face it: many of you inevitably will be vulnerable so here are a few pointers to help activists to avoid corruption.

Stick to your morals. You are the future! If you don’t kill corruption, who will? Encourage all your team members to join you on the moral high ground. Holding up positive values today makes people more likely to do so tomorrow.

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Once our generation become Ministers and senior officers in companies and public institutions, the positive values we learn on these projects will become the norm and we will finally be able to break this appalling cycle of corruption.

Balance Sheets Not sure what a balance sheet should look like? Look below. Your balance sheet should show the amount of money in the bank (in credit) set against the amount of money you have to pay out (the debit) . If your finances are healthy the resulting number should always be a plus!

A. Fixed Assets Tangible assets: Items bought for the project that still have a value; give a rough idea of their value on the second hand market. B. Current Assets 1) Debtors:outstanding bills and invoices that you still have to pay. 2) Cash in bank: any money that you still have left in the bank. 3) Creditors: any money owed to you. C. Net Current Assets This is what you have (2) + what people owe you (3) less what you owe others(1) D. Net Assets Your net current assets (C) + your fixed assets (A)

Balance Sheet Example A. Fixed Assets 2 Computers @ £400 each

£800

B. Current Assets 1. Debtors

(£70)

2. Cash at the bank

£189

3. Creditors

£40

C. Net Current Assets

£159

D. Net Assets

£959

Plans for use of Net Assets: donate computers to the school(£800) and spend cash assets to purchase additional software(£159).

0

E . Plans for Disposal At the end of a project, your balance sheet should show zero net assets. If you have been able to save funds during the project by, for example, getting materials donated, you have to explain to the sponsor what you are going to do with it or they may ask for the balance back. So use it to expand or continue your project.

Be Aware. Don’t be naïve or in denial about what goes on. If you are aware of corruption, then it is easier to take steps to avoid it. Avoid Gifts. Don’t give or receive gifts as it is impossible to draw a firm line between a gift and a bribe. The giving or receiving of any gift could compromise your position.

Know your context. Be aware of clan/tribe structures and how this helps/defines people.

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Networking Networks remind you that you are not alone in the world. There are many others out there who have been here before you and who are often very happy and eager to help. Learning from others and exchanging knowledge is incredibly useful when looking for direction. Use existing online networks, local community networks and personal contacts to gain advice from experienced activists and subject specialists. Through networks, you can also find everything you could possibly want for your project — from finding a mentor or evaluator, to raising funds and recruiting volunteers. And rather than just use networks, be part of them! Encourage the development of local and interpersonal networks between friends. We want to see a network of global youth that acts as a family: sharing the load and supporting fellow members. Networks are the basic human safety net. Find them, cherish them and use them!

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Community networks: Community networking helps raise project awareness amongst those it is affecting. It is also incredibly useful for gaining the hands-on support your project needs. Through community networks it may be possible to find free labour, resources and advice. It will help create a sense of community ownership of your project. Think about who you, or your friends and family, are connected to. A great way to do this is to put yourself in the middle of a pictorial web and spread out the lines through your family and friends. Ask each to give you five useful names and watch your web grow! Professional networks: The support of a large organisation in your field may help your project gain recognition and credence. Professional guidance can also be invaluable in helping a project remain sustainable. An established organisation’s support adds legitimacy to your work and can be useful in getting round obstacles such as legal loopholes. Network with these people, create strategic alliances and, with their blessing, use their voice and established position to your advantage.

TAKE ACTION!

Adult Advocates: Often embassy officials, government members and celebrities can act as powerful endorsers to a project. Network with these people to attract much needed attention to your project. But be careful. Make sure media interest in some teen sensation does not detract and overshadow your actual cause. Remember this is your project, not their promotional tour! Online networking and youth networks: The internet is an enormous and fantastically useful resource for youth-led development. There are a number of websites and networks devoted to this subject. These are invaluable for getting hints and tips for

project management from successfully completed projects. But don’t just look for success stories - sometimes it is even more helpful to review projects that went wrong. These stories are hard to find as youth,like everyone else, do not like the stigma of failure. And remember, once you have finished your project, you can contribute to this spirit of cooperation by telling your experience, including mistakes, fully and honestly in your reports. Remember we are in this fight together! It may be too late for you to learn from your mistakes, but others can so share mistakes to prevent others from repeating them. Check out some of the great online youth networks listed on page 58.

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Do what you say you’re going to do!! Everybody faces times when their project seems nothing but an uphill struggle. And when times get challenging, many of you may be tempted to give up... Don’t! It is very normal for you to go through a difficult stage in your project. You need to persevere and face up to whatever challenge is thrown at you. Think about the amount you have already invested and the obstacles you have already overcome. If you give up, all of that will be wasted. But if you keep at it, push for one goal at a time, you will learn and grow and your final success will be even more rewarding. Another essential in YLD is keeping your word. Make sure you always do exactly what you say you are going to do. If you are not sure if you will be able to do something, don’t commit to it!

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If we are honest, that is the major concern that governments and big organisations have about YLD. They think we are unreliable and will give up at the first sign of a problem. That is not true! To change opinions of YLD, we need to show a very high success rate and prove that not only are youth are the biggest bang for the development investor’s buck, but that we are a very low risk, safe investment too. To date, we have pretty much achieved a 100% success rate, often exceeding our own and other’s expectations. Now it is time for you to join this happy tradition. By persevering you, too, can prove that YLD truly works. And, if things go wrong and you face insuperable obstacles, just remember: DON’T YOU DARE GIVE UP!! Keep the faith and Do What You Say You’re Going To Do!

FOLLOW-UP

Follow-up Your project is coming to a close, but it is not quite time to relax! Follow-up is vital to achieving success in the field of YLD. And whilst you will traditionally write your evaluation at the end of your project, it is extremely important for each project manager to think about the evaluation and reporting part of the project at every stage.

Evaluation & reporting: Evaluation has many purposes and provides many benefits both to the project and you as an individual far beyond helping the project continue into the future. Good evaluations give you and your funders 1. A strong idea of where your personal strengths lie. This is an invaluable reference for you! 2. Vital feedback to funders and supporters of your project. An evaluation can prove to sponsors that they were right to invest in you and will encourage them to invest in you again in future. If you fail to report your funders will feel uninvolved and unvalued. 3. Provide a source of information. At the start of your project you researched experts in your field. Now you are the expert so share your knowledge! And whilst we want all projects to be a success, problems do happen and it is vital we learn from them. So don’t be afraid to admit mistakes. We all make them! It is a sign of strength to admit them and pass on their lessons so that others do

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not have to repeat them. 4. Evaluations of successful projects give us the evidence we need to prove to government and aid agencies that YLD WORKS! If we expect people to take notice we have to provide them with hard evidence of what we can do. If we do not produce reports, our message will never be heard by the those capable of making policy changes. 5. Young people are generally not fans of evaluating - we enjoy the action too much to sit behind a desk and write it all down in a dreary report. But this has to change. Reports don’t have to be dull - they can be colourful, will illustrated with photographs, entertainingly written. And with these in hand, we know we can change attitudes towards YLD.

FOLLOW UP

Project Manager Report Your personal diary of the project

Formal performance reports of your team, methodologies and outcomes

Photographs

Financial report

Your personal diary of the project: This is what you felt about the project’s progress on each day. Sponsors have really liked a highly personal story of the project. Performance reports: This is written in a similar format to an evaluator’s report. The performance reports should be your professional take on the success of your team and your strategy. Check out the template overleaf to see what your performance report should include. Project photographs: It is really astonishing the difference a good or bad photograph can make to a report. So many of the photographs we get from YLD projects are useless! Stupid, cheesy close-ups, meaningless group photos, far away, indistinct views. What we need are good action shots, images showing results,

and shots of the team engaged in doing something good. These are invaluable and tell the story better than words. Think carefully about what pictures you need to tell the most positive story about your project. We need them for the website! Financial report: Have you kept your accounts in order at all times? It is incredibly important that sponsors can see their money was spent responsibly and has been accounted for. That is not to say your actual spending should be exactly as you proposed in your budget - changes are a fact of life. But a good financial report means that you have properly documented all expenditures and noted any changes and explain discrepancies between your proposed budget and the actual spending. See the sample report on page 46 to get an idea of how to present this.

45

Young project manager’s performance report It is very important that your performance reports follow a similar pattern. That way, we can compare each project with another and build up a coherent picture of what is happening in the field. Below is a generic template for a project manager’s performance report. Use it to help us achieve consistency.

Project Name Name

2

Organisation in Charge Name Address

Name of the organisation.

Postal Address - street address and PO Box No.

Contact’s Name Email

3

Phone

Project Summary State the project goals as defined by the initial project proposal.

4

Evaluation Project Context

46

Set the scene - regionally and/or nationally. Describe social, economic or political factors that you feel have affected your project.

Project Analysis according to the goals

How did you carry out your evaluation and what tools did you use? Did you, for example, use surveys, interviews or a mixture of both?

FOLLOW UP

Methodology Used

Did you achieve the goals outlined in question 3? What other goals did you achieve aside from your main one? What hopes did you have aside from your goals; community involvement, training, project expansion? Were these realised? Why do you think things did or didn’t go well? Indicate what specific activities were done to try to achieve your goals, how it went, the circumstances that helped or hindered their success and the effect it had on your overall plan. If appropriate, you may choose to present some of your analysis through graphs and visual aids that show the effects of your project. This is often a good way of making your report more visually appealing to funders.

Human resource analysis

Evaluate your adult mentor’s assistance (If you had more than one, do a separate section for each) Did they provide you with the guidance and assistance you needed? Were any problems encountered? How did they assist you? Could they have been more effective?

Your Team

How well did you team work together? Did each person work well within their defined role? Be very honest and try to include positive and negative comments. Include in this section an HONEST evaluation of yourself. How well do you feel you performed as a project leader? How much work was involved and what mistakes did you make? When things went wrong, how did you handle it? Highlighting shortfalls will not be your favourite job but remember it is ESSENTIAL if you are ever going to learn from the experience.

The effect on the beneficiaries

To what extent did the community get involved in the project? Was this positive? How could they have been involved further?

47

5

Media Reaction and Local Awareness How many times did your project appear in the media? Was all coverage positive? What could have been done to increase media interest? Did you project attract community interest? In what ways? Could this have been improved upon?

6

Evaluation Considering all the above assessments, what is your overall assessment of the project? What would you identify as your strengths and weaknesses? What lessons will you take forward from this project? What recommendations would you make to future project managers?

7

Next Steps Now the official project has finished, what will you do next? Are there plans for expansion/continuation?

48

FOLLOW UP

Taking Photographs It is very important to have a visual reference of your project so that you can document your progress with it. Make sure that you take several shots, you will because you will only a few ones that are good.

A good photo will show what actions the people in your team did every day! We like this photo because it shows young people actually doing something - planting a tree.

A common mistake is that the photos are taken with a poor camera and comes out over- or under-exposed

If you take photographs in a hurry, you will sometimes shake the camera and get photographs that are blurry.

Another very common mistake we see is a close up of interesting people that fails to show what they are actually doing. Remember: what you are reporting on is what they are doing not their faces, however beautiful those faces may be!

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Financial reports Sponsors are always very impressed when they receive a professionally written financial report. These do not have to be long, wordy documents. If you have kept proper receipts and got your documentation right, the facts and figures should speak for themselves. Just makes sure you include all expenditure and explain any variations from the proposed budget in an attached sheet. The report below is for a 3-month AIDS awareness drama programme in Kenya: PROPOSED BUDGET USD

ACTUAL BUDGET USD

1. Office 3 months @ 6000/- = $80 per month.

240.00

240.00

0.00

2. Hire of hall for rehearsal for 10 days @ 750/= $10 per day

100.00

90.00

10.00

4. Programme officer transport and meal allowance for 35 days @ 400/- = $5.33 per day

184.55

195.21

(10.66)

5. Drama director transport and meals allowance for 25 days @ 300/- = $4 per day

100.00

98.36

1.64

6. Phone, email and 1st mailing

91.80

77.64

14.16

7. Rehearsal allowance for 12 actors x 10 days @ 2000/- = $26.67 each for the full period

320.04

314.75

5.29

8. Purchase and printing of banner

45.00

45.90

(0.90)

9. Purchase and printing of T-shirts @ 400/- = $5.33 each x 38 units

202.54

189.34

13.20

10. Hire of video and photography services

131.15

141.64

(10.49)

11. Performance allowance for 12 actors x 10 days @ 2000/- = $26.67 each for the full period

320.04

314.75

5.29

12. Lunch/food and refreshments @ 350/- = $4.67 per person per day x 14 days

65.38

84.26

(18.88)

13. Transport for Dance troupe Waza Afrika

0.00

45.90

(45.90)

14. Evaluators’ costs

0.00

35.57

(35.57)

15. 2nd Mailing Final report

0.00

29.19

(29.19)

1,800.50 KSHS 135,0374.60

1,902.51 KSHS 142,688.25

(102.01) KSHS (7,650.75)

ITEM



TOTAL COST OF RUNNING THE PROJECT

50

VARIANCE

FOLLOW UP

NOTES

1. The additional day allowance costs for both programme officer and drama director were financed by Yiff. (Spell out what YIFF is!) 2. Our initial budget for the allowances for the actors was for ten but we needed two additional actors to complete the cast. Again the extra costs were financed by Yiff. 3. The cost of T-shirts and banners) were under estimated. Therefore, to remain close to budget we reduced our initial order of fifty T-shirts and printed one, instead of two, banners. 4. The budget did not account for these costs. However we were able to cover the bill from savings made elsewhere (see point five). 5. We made a huge saving on evaluation costs by securing the service in kind. It is important to note that due to a fluctuating exchange rate, there was a small variance between budget set and money received. The budget was set at Kshs 75.21 per dollar, however the exchange rates at the point of receiving funds was Kshs 76.25 per dollar, slightly less favorable.

Present the budget in the currency you received the funding

Cleary state and explain differences between proposed budget to actual spending.

Break down unit costs

If you rectified budget issues this is the place to do it.

Present your financial Report in the currency in which your sponsor sent you the funding,translating all costs and figures into that currency.

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Mentors’ report It is useful, but not essential, to have a short report from your mentor. This does not have to be long or excessively formal. It should just be an account of the project from the Mentor’s general perspective. Ask for a 2-page report on how s/he felt the project went, focusing specifically on their role and their effect on the project. S/he should consider these points: Your relationship with the project manager and team members: How far were you able to guide them? How willing were they to consider your advice? The role and importance of a mentor: How did you presence add or detract from the success of the project. Do you think a mentor was essential to the project’s success? Explain your answers.

Team development: In your opinion, what did the team learn both from you and from taking part in the project. Do you think the experience was valuable to the youth involved. In what way? Future of YLD: After taking part in this project, how do you feel about YLD and its future? What, do you feel, should be the relationship between adults and YLD?

Evaluators’ report Like the project manager’s report, it is infinitely more useful if both evaluators’ reports, the young and the old, follow a similar pattern. We propose each explain the following:

1

Contact details Give your name, your profession, address, e-mail etc.

2

How you got involved What relationship do you have with the project manager and the team members?

3

Methodology How did you go about your evaluation? How many site visits did you make, how many interviews did you carry out and with whom?

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FOLLOW UP

General assessment What appeared to work well on the project? What worked less well and what, if anything, appeared to be a complete disaster?

5

Evaluation Community evaluation

Project manager evaluation

Team Evaluation

3

Review the need expressed in the application form. In your opinion, is it a genuine priority need in this community? Did the project address the need in a positive way? Give a score out of ten as to how well the project impacted the identified need and explain it using evidence from the community. Rate the project manager’s leadership style. How effective was s/he at getting the job done? Did s/he liaise efficiently with members of the community? Did s/he work well with the mentor? Rate his/her report on the project. Is it fair and accurate? Did the project manager grow and/or develop as a result of doing this project and in what way? Did the team work well together? Did any particular member of the team catch your eye as a particularly good, or troublesome, performer? If they did not work well together, where would you assign blame? Did you notice team members growing and/or changing as a result of the experience of working on the project and in what way?

Financial report Is the financial report accurate? Does it represent good value for money?

4

Follow-up What do you think the young people should do next? What would be the best ways to capitalise on their achievements in this project, or to rectify the mistakes that were made?

4

General reflections about YLD Having observed this project, what are your thoughts about the idea of YLD. Does it have a future? Do you think governments and aid agencies should invest more in YLD? If so, what recommendations or thoughts would you offer them as they start to plan those increased investments?

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Media reporting The kinds of report that all sponsors like best are those published in newspapers or magazines. Those are the ones that the general public get to see! Do all you can to get a report in the media. We know that ways of doing this differ from country to country and culture to culture. In many developing countries, you have to pay the journalist and often the editor to cover your event and get anything printed. We do not encourage this practice. If money is to be spent, rather let it be spent to enhance the project and benefit the community rather than line the pockets of corrupt journalists! Remember: Media comes in many forms: newspapers; magazines; radio; TV; posters; brochures & hand-outs; church news-sheets; school magazines; community free papers etc. All are good for different purposes. If used effectively, the media can be a powerful tool, providing a cost effective method of:

• • • •

Raising awareness Gaining mainstream support for your cause and, if you’re lucky, financial support Engaging communities and encouraging participation Putting pressure for change on governmental and higher bodies

But to be effective you need to take it seriously:

• •

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Appoint a media officer in your team Plan a media strategy with media invited to a pre-project announcement and briefing; on-going events and a post-project wrap-up and evaluation

Contacting the media: As a rule, media centres are busy, quick-moving places. They want the best stories out there in the quickest time. They don’t waste time on anything that does not immediately catch their eye. So when you make contact, you need to be aware that you will only have one, very quick shot at selling your story. When you call a reporter, remember that you’re only one of dozens of people who will be pitching stories to him or her that day. So be creative, concise and informative, and stick to your topic! Even if you’ve sent material in advance, you can never assume reporters know what you’re talking about; so be prepared to repeat information. The best way to ensure that your pitch will be quick, efficient and skillful is to practice it in advance. Make sure you practice and are prepared for different responses. Be ready to answer any questions that are fired at you!

FOLLOW UP

How can you work your “hooks”? In an attempt to promote Fair Trade ideals in their University and city, students Lizzie and Alexis decided to organise a Fair Trade fashion show. They convinced one of the fashion lecturers to join the project and worked with their students’ union which agreed to host the show as the title event of their “Fair Trade Fortnight.” What angle did Lizzie and Alexis use to promote their event?

Fair Trade The girls made sure other Fair Trade promoters such as Oxfam and the Fair Trade Foundation were on board with their event. The presence of national advocates increased their media kudos and ensured that other organisations helped to promote the event.

Student Unions Students in the UK media are often portrayed as lazy and apathetic. The pair used this image and turned it around, portraying student interest in Fair Trade as symbolic of a transformation. They received national media attention by highlighting a long-running issue and screaming ‘look students are getting engaged again!’

University As active members of the university, Lizzie and Alexis highlighted to the University press office that they presented a good image of the university. As a result they received positive internal media and the university pushed their story to the local media.

Fair Trade Week Lizzie and Alexis arranged their event to fit in with a national campaign week. This made the press more open to any news about the issue.

Students Lizzie and Alexis used their status as students to identify themselves with a specific group. They received student media attention by highlighting what “fellow” students were up to.

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Media DO’s and DONT’S! Here are some tips to help you plan a slick and effective media campaign.

Really know your target audience. Think about and research the best ways of reaching them.

Be prepared. Know your subject inside out. Have press releases available to send to them immediately any reporter expresses interest.

Show your passion. If you have no confidence that your project makes an amazing story, who else will?

Keep gathering media contacts. If one reporter is not interested, ask him/her to suggest others.

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Know your media and what interests them. If you are targeting a specific reporter, check out his/her style and write your pitch accordingly. Provide pictures — especially when dealing with smaller media which lack the budget to obtain exciting pictures. It may be the image that secures your story. Always make sure your picture is interesting and of high quality. Small or grainy images are of no use and will make you look unprofessional.

Identify your hooks and be aware of what makes your story newsworthy. this may not be obvious so think carefully and be innovative and daring! Be persistent. Media centres are very busy places and things get forgotten, so don’t give up too soon. If a journalist said yes to you first time — follow it up! Get personal. Try to establish a link with a specific person and always remember to be polite and friendly whilst exuding confidence.

Be aware of deadlines! After introducing yourself, your first question should be “Is this a good time for you?”

FOLLOW UP

Threaten them or get rude. Remember they are not obligated to write anything.

Don’t say “thank you” as if the reporter did you a favour. Thank them for doing a good job in covering the story.

Get trampled on. If a reporter gives unfair or negative media, call up and ask politely why? Then request the right of reply.

Send a carbon copy of the e-mail to a number of news agencies! They will not even look at it. Rather tailor your copy according to its target.

Forget local and regional media! Local media is far easier to get and has the benefit of reaching the people of your local community.

Push it. “No” means “No.” Most reporters will listen to you and know how to say they don’t want your story. If you receive an outright “no” don’t persist or pester. Rather thank them for their time, and ask if you can write or call them again in a few months if a new story “angle” comes up that might interest them.

Be sloppy. Make sure your press release is a tight piece of writing that doesn’t have spelling mistakes or typing errors!

Leave the subject line of the e-mail blank. Like your opening sentence on the phone, this is your chance to gain attention. So use it!

Try to avoid sending your press releases as an attachment.Many will not open attachments for fear of viruses.

Pitch to a reporter on a deadline! You are unlikely to get a positive response.

Give up! If your approach isn’t working, use a different angle or approach alternative forms of media.

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Press releases Your press releases will vary dramatically depending on your project and the media you are targeting. However, below is a well-presented and well-written press release that should give you an idea of what you should be aiming for.

Use visual aids to make your press release look attrac-

MEDIA RELEASE Singapore Voice at World Youth Congress 10th August 2005

Start with an arresting Headline

By showing links to high profile events, you will add kudos to your press release

Short paragraphs are more appealing and help you keep to the point.

Draw out links to recent events the press my have reported on.

Singapore was represented at the recently concluded World Youth Congress in Scotland by delegates Bernise Ang and Mahesh Rai. The WYC Policy Document – a primary outcome of the Congress – was drafted by a drafting committee, on which Singaporean delegate Bernise Ang served as a representative for Asia and the Pacific. The WYC policy document will be presented at the upcoming UN World Summit in New York next month, reviewing the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Ms Ang emphasises, “The policy document represents a voice of today’s global youth and addresses how youth can and should be a major force in strategies for development.” “As such, this document needs to be referred to when our country delegation addresses the UN Summit next month,” urges Ms Ang. “In Singapore, many of us have the luxury of economic privilege. Let us use that privilege to join in the struggle to eliminate abject poverty in other parts of the world.” Ms Ang remarks on Singapore youth: “Our youth is the largest untapped resource that has so much potential just waiting to be unleashed. Programs such as the Youth Expedition Project of the Singapore International Foundation have demonstrated the capability of our youth to shine as leaders.” “Back home, the sheer volunteer strength in CDC initiatives such as the recent Taman Jurong Painting Competition reveals the energy and desire of our youth to make a difference in our communities.” “The concept of youth participation can be so much more meaningfully realised in structures where youth can be more effectively involved not just in implementation (as volunteers) or consultation, but also in significant decision-making capacities.”

Provide contact details.

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Media enquiries: Bernise Ang phone number, e-mail address

RESOURCES

resources We hope this book has taught you the essentials of running your own project. But you can never know too much! And we could not fit everything into one little book! So here is our list of additional resources that we think you will find invaluable.

Youth Networks Run by youth, for youth, these sites offer useful resources and information sharing points. Use them also to build your youth networks and increase your global family www.takingitglobal.org TakingITGlobal (TIG). An online global networking resource connecting youth around the world to find inspiration, information and get involved in improving their local and global communities. www.youthlink.org The Global Youth Action Network (GYAN) is an alliance of thousands of organisations working to create social change. They work to increase youth participation in global decision-making and act as an incubator to global partnerships. Membership is open to youth-led, youth-serving and youth-friendly organisations.. www.youthaidscoalition.org Global Youth Coalition on HIV/AIDS: A global alliance of over 700 youth leaders that encourages dialogue and facilitates capacity building amongst youth affected by HIV/AIDS. www.iearn.org International Education and Resource Network. Resources for teachers and youth.

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www.unitedgames.org United Games of Nations International www.youthactionforchange.org Youth Action For Change. Inspires and helps young people empower themselves while tackling the issues affecting their communities and the world at large. They have developed a global network of conscious and self-reliant youth in 83 countries worldwide.Their programmes, all run provided free of charge, include online courses, mentoring, youth-led programs advice and guidance. www.youthactionnet.org Youth Action Net. Offers forums, resources and toolkits to young activists. www.wsisyouth.org The Youth Caucus of the World Summit on the Information Society (www.wsis.org). A network of youth oriented and youth led organisations in the Information society.

RESOURCES

Tool Kits www.thusanang.org.za/ Fundraising tools for youth www.mediachannel.org/getinvolved/ journo A media resource offering style guides and journalism tips for a variety of regions.

www.yearofthevolunteer.org/downloads/resources/resources_media_toolkit.pdf A media toolkit designed for volunteers.

Gap Year Organisations For those of you interested in volunteering abroad, check out these resources for alternative and ethical gap year projects and volunteer opportunities. www.vso.org.uk Voluntary Services Overseas. www.peacechild.org Opportunities to Volunteer in the UK, India and Peru. www.projecttrust.org.uk A gap year organisation that sends school leavers abroad for a year’s voluntary work. www.gapyeardirectory.co.uk A comprehensive directory of volunteer opportunities, placements and courses.

www.idealist.org US Listings of current volunteer and job opportunities worldwide. www.oneworld.net Offers both listings of current volunteer opportunities and informative links to partner charities seeking volunteers. www.raleigh.org.uk Worldwide travel & expeditions www.yearoutgroup.org Listings of current volunteer opportunities.

General www.yesweb.org The Youth Employment Summit website

www.iyp.oxfam.org Oxfam International Youth Parliament

www.savetheworld.com.au A youth-run information site on world issues and guide to sustainable and ethical living.

www.ilo.org/public/english/employment/strat/yen/ The Youth Employment Network

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UN Related www.un.org The United Nations Homepage www.unicef.org The United Nations Children’s Fund www.un.org.esa.socdev/unyin/ The United Nations Youth. The UN’s global youth policy entitled World Programme of Action for Youth is available at http://www. un.org/esa/socdev/unyin/global.htm www.unep.org/tunza The United Nations Environmental Programme’s Youth Branch

www.undp.org The United Nations Development Programme www.unv.org The United Nations Volunteers webpage www.who.org The World Health Organisation www.unfpa.org The United Nations Population Fund www.fao.org Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations

Media Networks & Directories Use these specialised media networks and directories to help get the word out about both your project and the issues affecting your community. www.worldradioforum.org The World Radio Forum. Broadcasters, Producers, Journalists, Trainers and Facilitators involved in radio programming made for, with and by children and youth. www.unicef.org/Magic Young People’s Media Network. The United Nations media resource for young people. www.oxfam.org.uk/generationwhy/dosomething/takeaction/write_for_us/ Write for Generation Why. A new Oxfam’s Generation Why (Oxfam’s youth website) initiative. You can apply online to be one of their young writers who will contribute content to the site on a regular basis.

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www.newslink.org Directory of links to newspapers and news magazines worldwide. www.mondotimes.com Worldwide media guide with over 15000 media outlets. Local media by country and major media by topic. www.freechild.org/national_media_ outlets.htm Names, links and addresses of publishers worldwide that publish youth-written poetry, stories, research and more.

RESOURCES

Foundations & Funding Resources The best place to start looking for funds is through local churches & religious foundations, UN institutions and foreign embassies. But the imaginative fund-raiser finds all sorts of different ways of finding money – bazaars, competitions, selling things, selling services! And you are never too young to become an imaginative fund-raiser and social entrepreneur. www.fundraisingideas.com

www.developmentmarketplace.org

Different fund-raising ideas + links to other similar

This the World Bank’s Development Market place:

sites which get you thinking about different ap-

worth a look.

proaches to selling things, holding contests etc. to raise funds locally;

europa.eu.int/comm/youth/program/index_en.html

www.access-funds.co.uk

This is the European Commission’s home page

Provides the latest funding information from

– portal to masses of youth action project funding.

Central Government, National Lottery, devolved

It takes time to get money out of Brussels, but they

governing bodies, EU and quangos. Access Funds

have a lot of it, and they are incredibly committed

has email services, training courses, directories of

to youth programmes.Visit your local EU Represen-

funding programmes and guides to funding.

tative office and talk to them first.

www.worldbank.org/smallgrantspro-

www.globalfundforchildren.org Funds small grassroots organizations that improve the lives of children. Not Youth-led development but good for $5,000 - $10,000 if you have a good programme for disadvantaged children.

gram Since 1983, the World Bank has run a Small Grants Programme to support NGOs and - sometimes! - youth!! Check the website – and then go talk to your local World Bank office. And remember, they take 6-12 months before you get the funding. www.worldbank.org/rmc/jsdf The Japan Social Development Fund run by the World Bank supports innovative programs which directly respond to the needs of the poorest and most vulnerable groups in society. www.fundingagents.com A great source book for UK fund-seekers.

www.globalfundforwomen.org US-based charity that funds serious projects run by and for women. www.peacefund.org The Peace Development Fund. Gives grants to organisations and projects working to achieve peaceful, just and interdependent relationships among people and nations. the Americas. Grants range in size from $500 - $10 000.

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Glossary Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): A company’s obligation and responsibility to aim for sustainable development in not just economic dimensions but also within the social and environmental sphere. CSR usually represents a company’s awareness and acceptance that it needs to develop socially and environmentally aware policies. Corruption: Dishonest, unlawful or improper use of power, influence and other means for personal gain. All governments are susceptible in practice to political corruption; the misuse of public office for private gain. Degrees of corruption vary greatly, from minor uses of influence and patronage in return favours, to institutionalised bribery and serious fraud. Delegate: A person chosen to attend or represent an organisation at a meeting, conference or convention. Local UNDP Office: The United Nations Development Programme’s (the UN’s global development network) country headquarters. Provides local information and data about issues, projects and the MDGs. Find your country’s UNDP office by visiting www.undp.org/countries. The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs): Eight goals decided in 2000 and agreed upon by all 191

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United Nations member states to try and achieve by 2015. The goals represent a global responsibility and dedication towards achieving the targets which range from halving poverty to halting the spread of HIV/ AIDS and providing universal primary education. They were introduced to encourage the international community to stop talking about making a difference in the developing world and join forces to start doing something about it. For more information about the MDGs and the role of youth visit www.millenniumcampaign.org/youth Non Governmental Organisation (NGO): Broadly speaking, an NGO is any organisation that is neither government nor business. However it generally refers to non-profit organisations involved in environmental, social or development issues, including most charities.

RESOURCES

Peace Child International: PCI is said to be the largest network of Youth-led Development organisations in consultative status with the United Nations. Peace Child International empowers young people to inform themselves and take action on major world issues through their network, publications and their series of World Youth Congresses. Peace Child’s headquarters is near Cambridge in the UK and there are Peace Child Field Offices and affiliates in several countries. To get involved, visit www.peacechild.org Sustainable Development: Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Sustainable development causes little or no damage to the environment and is therefore able to continue over a long time without causing harm now or in the future.

achieve their development targets?” Delegates were chosen through application and were invited to attend according to their previous role in Youth-led projects. The next World Youth Congress will be held in Quebec in 2008. For more information visit www.peacechild.org. The UN - United Nations: A global inter-governmental organisation established in 1945 that aims to promote worldwide peace, security and economic development. There are currently 191 member nations and the UN’s headquarters are based in New York, USA. Youth-led Development (YLD): Projects and initiatives run and largely implemented by under 25year olds.

World Youth Congress, Scotland 2005: The Third in the World Youth Congress series following Hawaii in 1999 and Morocco in 2003. Scotland 2005 was designed to mobilise young people behind the UN’s Millennium Goal campaign by stimulating a large number of Youth-led Development projects across and tackling the question “What is the most effective way for young people to support their governments

65

Index

66

Aid agencies

44

Oxfam IYP

51, 61

Balance Sheet Be the Change Budget

39 5 14, 17, 18, 51

Cooperative Corporate Social Responsibility Corruption

22-24 29, 30-31, 64 38-39, 64

Peace Child International People Management Performance Reports Photographs Poverty Project Management

2, 17, 65 34 45 45, 49 4 26

Questionnaires

14

Development Priorities

10

Evaluation

14, 52-53, 19, 17

Research Risk

10, 12, 32 21, 33

Fair Trade Financial Management Financial Report Funding

55 38 45, 50-51, 53 11, 20, 26, 30-31, 63

Gap Year Organisations Global Youth Action Network Goal Management GYCA - Global Coalition AIDS

61 7, 60 12-13, 37 60

Scotland Skills SMART Targets Sponsorship Sustainability Sustainable Development SWOT Analysis

2 26, 27 15 20, 29, 41 17, 20, 24, 68 4, 65, 68 13

HIV/AIDs

4, 50, 68

Idea Generating IEARN India Inter-American Development Bank

12 60 22-24 67

Taking IT Global Team Tiime Frame Toolkits Trouble-shooting

7, 60 14, 18, 36 14, 18, 36 8, 61 21

United Nations University

63, 65, 67 55

Interviews

15

Volunteering

27

Leadership Legal Issues

35 32-33

Make Poverty History Mandela, Nelson Media Mentors Milestones Millennium Development Goals Mind-Mapping Motivation

5, 67 6 54, 56-57, 58, 62 17, 19, 52 15 4, 7, 58, 67, 68 16 37

World Bank World Programme of Action for Youth World Youth Congress WSIS Youth Caucus

63, 67 67 5, 58, 65 60

Youth Action for Change Youth Action Net Youth Employment Network Youth Employment Summit Youth-led Development

60 60 4, 61 61 5, 6, 36, 42, 44, 52-53, 65, 67

Networking NGOs

40-41 20, 24, 64

RESOURCES

Afterword 2005 was an excellent year for the fight against poverty in general, and YLD in particular. The Make Poverty History Campaign in the UK became the best-known brand in the history of ODA (Overseas Development Assistance.) The Live 8 Concerts on July 2nd reached more than half the world’s population (3 billion + people) with a message to G-8 leaders to eradicate extreme poverty.

Finally, in New York in October, the UN General Assembly (GA) endorsed a revised World Programme of Action for Youth with 2 very helpful Paras:

In August, World Youth Congress delegates produced a Framework for Action to enable governments and ODA agencies to engage the energy and skills of youth in the effort to achieve the MDGs. The young people committed themselves to building awareness of the MDGs while calling on governments to do more research on YLD, do more development education at all levels, and to invest 0.7% of ODA in YLD. [For the full text, see: www.scotland2005.org]

Para. 14: Requests the Secretariat to establish a broad set of indicators related to youth which governments may use to measure progress toward the implementation of the WPAY.

In September, the Inter-American Development Bank celebrated the 10th Anniversary of its YLD Department – with an excellent review of its multi-million dollar investments in the youth field in Latin America. Two blocks away, the World Bank started work on the 2007 World Development Report on Youth and Development – the first time that any major institution has reported on youth as a sector of global society.

Para. 3: Calls upon governments to develop strong partnerships to scale up investments in youth and to encourage youth-led contributions to achieving the internationally agreed development goals, in particular the MDGs.

This means that UN member states now require the UN Secretariat to disaggregate data to identify youth development indicators. It also encourages governments and all of us to develop ‘strong partnerships’ and scale up ‘investments in youth’ and ‘youth-led contributions to achieving the MDGs.’ This is exactly the language we need to persuade our governments and all development agencies to review their policies in relation to YLD with renewed vigour. 2005 was a great year for YLD! From now until the next Congress in Quebec, Canada in 2008, we must all ensure that the momentum begun this year is continued and expanded. So go for it and good luck!

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Millennium Development Goals By 2015, the member states of the United Nations commit to 1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger • Reduce by half the proportion of people living on less than a dollar a day

• Reduce by half the proportion of people who suffer from hunger

2. Achieve universal primary education • Ensure that all boys and girls complete a full course of primary schooling

3. Promote gender equality and empower women • Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education preferably by 2005, and at all levels by 2015

4. Reduce child mortality • Reduce by three quarters the maternal mortality ratio

5. Impove maternal health • Reduce by three quarters the maternal mortality ratio

6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other major diseases • Halt and begin to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS

• Halt and begin to reverse the incidence of

8. Develop a global partnership for development • Develop further an open trading and financial system that is rule-based, predictable and non-discriminatory, includes a commitment to good governance, development and poverty reduction — nationally and internationally • Address the least developed countries’ special needs.This includes tariff- and quota-free access for their exports; enhanced debt relief for heavily indebted poor countries; cancellation of official bilateral debt; and more generous official development assistance for countries committed to poverty reduction • Address the special needs of landlocked and small island developing states • Deal comprehensively with developing countries’ debt problems through national and international measures to make debt sustainable in the long term • In cooperation with the developing countries, develop decent and productive work for youth • In cooperation with pharmaceutical companies, provide access to affordable essential drugs in developing countries • In cooperation with the private sector, make available the benefits of new technologies— especially information and communications technologies.

malaria and other major diseases

7. Ensure environmental sustainability • Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programmes; reverse loss of environmental resources • Reduce by half the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water • Achieve significant improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers, by 2020

To find out what you can do visit www.millenniumcampaign.org