The development sector can turn any moral commitment into a framework – it’s a skill. Youth partnership is a favourite, because it sounds like progress while remaining delightfully vague about who holds the pen, the budget, and the final decision.
A theory of change is where vagueness ends and clarity lives. So ask yourself, when you say “youth partnership” in AYSRHR, do you mean shared power, or shared airtime?
Principle is easy, practice is not
In AYSRHR, youth engagement is widely recognised as essential. The gap shows up when organisations try to translate that agreement into day-to-day partnership that is meaningful, accountable, and sustainable.That gap is rarely about bad intentions. It’s usually about unclear roles, uneven power, and the quiet habits of institutions that default to adult control unless you actively design otherwise.
This is where a theory of change becomes practical. It gives a structured way to explain how youth partnership is expected to create change, and what needs to be true for that change to happen.
Why a ToC on Youth Partnership is Necessary
| 1. Bridging the Implementation Gap: While many organisations acknowledge the importance of youth participation, there is often a disconnect between policy and practice. The Theory of Change provides a practical roadmap that helps organisations move beyond tokenistic involvement, outlining actionable steps and measurable outcomes that ensure youth are genuinely engaged at all stages of program design, implementation, and evaluation. |
| 2. Addressing Complex Development Realities: The landscape of AYSRHR is shaped by diverse social, cultural, and political factors. A theory of change offers a structured approach to navigate these complexities, identifying the underlying assumptions, barriers, and enablers that impact youth partnership. This clarity is vital for designing interventions that are context-appropriate and responsive to the actual needs of young people. |
| 3. Fostering Accountability and Shared Ownership: The framework supports the creation of clear roles, responsibilities, and accountability mechanisms for both youth and adult stakeholders. This fosters a sense of shared ownership, ensuring that programs are not only youth-friendly, but also youth-driven, leading to more sustainable and impactful outcomes. |
| 4. Promoting Learning and Adaptation: By mapping out the intended pathways of change, organisations can better monitor progress, evaluate impact, and adapt strategies in real time. This continuous learning cycle is essential in the rapidly evolving field of youth health, where emerging challenges and innovations require flexible, evidence-based responses. |
How YIELD Hub’s Theory of Change Adds Value to Existing Tools and Resources
| 1. Integration with Current Frameworks: Many existing tools on youth participation focus on guidelines, checklists, or best practices. The Theory of Change complements these by providing a strategic, big-picture view that links day-to-day activities to long-term systemic change. It enables organisations to see how their efforts fit within a broader movement for youth empowerment in health. |
| 2. Evidence-Based and Co-Created Approach: The ToC is informed by research and developed in collaboration with young people and diverse stakeholders. This co-creation ensures that the theory is grounded in lived experience and best practices, making it more relevant, credible, and adaptable across different contexts. |
| 3. Facilitating Cross-Sector Collaboration: The Theory of Change provides a common language and set of objectives for governments, NGOs, youth-led organizations, and donors. It encourages collaboration across sectors, helping to break down silos and align efforts toward shared goals in AYSRHR. |
| 4. Inspiring Innovation and Advocacy: By highlighting strategic leverage points and desired outcomes, the framework inspires organizations to think beyond traditional programmatic approaches. It encourages innovation, advocacy, and the scaling of successful models, ultimately advancing the global agenda for youth health and rights. |
In summary…
A theory of change on youth partnership in AYSRHR should not sit on a shelf as a “nice document”. It should function as working infrastructure: a practical tool that helps teams design partnership with clarity, address power directly, learn in real time, and build approaches that last. If we want youth partnership to be taken seriously, we have to design it like it has consequences, because it does.
