Sharing and Learning

We are always on the ground, applying new thinking and different tactics.

We are constantly experiencing at first-hand how effective youth-led development models are, and how we need to improve them.

We have a large and live base for research, development and innovation.

This is thanks to the scale of our grassroots programmes and the reach of our partner and alumni networks. But right now, there is no centralised way for us to learn from one another.

We will capture and communicate lessons from the field.

This will serve to inform the policy-makers and practitioners, adapting what we know works for use by others. Not just within Restless Development, but the entire development sector, and anyone else who is interested.

Like most young people, we're not scared to share our ideas.

And we're always keen for others to build on our work or learn from our successes and failures. It will all contribute to growing the impact, effectiveness and credibility of the youth-led development sector and create a global network for us to interact with.

We will

• Conduct eight technical evaluations of youth-led development interventions to bolster the global evidence base.
• Capture and publish comprehensive guidelines research, tools and resources for youth-led development models specifically for use by government ministries, civil society organisations and international aid agencies.

We HAVE

Coordinated development in Nepal.

Restless Development in Nepal has been asked to join the governing body of the Association of International NGOs (AIN). The AIN is a consortium of nearly 100 organisations, in which Restless Development is an active member. We were also elected to lead the Youth and Peace Working Group, a consortium of organisations forging links between young people and peace-building in Nepal. The network aims to support practice sharing and collaboration between members, whilst engaging in advocacy around key development policy issues.

As well as adopting a new leadership role, Restless Development played a major part in the creation of a new strategic review process for the AIN, drafting a plan to support development in Nepal over the coming years.

Created a guide to youth participation in development with the UN.

2010 marked the beginning of the UN International Year of Youth; an effort to harness the energy and initiative of young people in overcoming the major challenges faced by the world. Working with a consortium of NGOs brought together by the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), Restless Development has played a major role in creating a global momentum towards right-based, youth-centred development agenda.

In collaboration with the UN Programme on Youth, we developed a guide to youth participation in development. Developed to assist development partners working with and for young people, the guide provides practical information for donor agencies, policy makers, Governments and NGOs on how to effectively work with youth in policy formation and programming. The tools and processes were piloted in Uganda, Nepal and the UK, and have already led to a number of successful new initiatives, including the first ever Uganda National Youth Consultation.

We want this to mark the beginning of truly collaborative world-wide effort to put young people at the leading edge of sustainable development. In February Restless Development attended a meeting in New York with global partner organisations to plan how this collaboration will continue into 2011.