1. Example: Organizational & Community-Level Outcomes Outcome Evaluation of Latin American Youth Leadership in Sexual and Reproductive Health Program Julie Solomon, PhD 1 ; Jacqueline Berman, PhD 2 ; Kristin Bard 2 ; Thomas Goldring, MA 3 ; Gwendolyn Smith, MPA 2 ; Alberto Colorado 4 ; Esther Tahrir, MPH 5 1 J. Solomon Consulting, LLC, 2 Independent Consultant, 3 Carnegie Mellon University, 4 Advocates for Health International, 5 Public Health Institute Background Principal Program Components Principal Outcome Evaluation Findings Promising Practices in Leadership Development Next Steps for GOJoven Evaluation Methods In Mexico and Central America, adolescents face high risks of early pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, including HIV, intimate partner violence, unsafe abortions, and poor birth outcomes.* The Summit Foundation-funded Youth Leadership in Sexual and Reproductive Health (GOJoven) Program, implemented in English and Spanish by the Public Health Institute, builds young adult leaders’ (Fellows) and local organizations’ capacity to improve adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights (ASRHR) in Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and Quintana Roo, Mexico. Since GOJoven began implementation in 2004, PHI has tracked programmatic outputs and changes in Fellows’ knowledge and skills. In 2011, Summit commissioned an external evaluation of GOJoven to: (1) identify GOJoven’s outcomes at multiple levels; (2) identify the program’s most promising practices; and (3) support planning for GOJoven’s next phase. * UNFPA & PRB. Country Profiles for Population and Reproductive Health, www.unfpa.org/public/countries. Fellowship Year: Teams of 5-6 Fellows (ages 18-30) from each GOJoven country receive training and coaching and plan team leadership projects Post-Fellowship Year: Fellows implement projects and have access to more training, networking activities, and professional development funds Institutional Strengthening (IS): IS Project grants and IS Workshops are available to organizations working (or interested to work) in ASRHR About the Evaluation: Julie Solomon, PhD, julie@jsolomonconsulting.com; reports: summitfdn.org/foundation/programs/empowering-youth/spotlight About GOJoven: Esther Tahrir, MPH, etahrir@ihp.org; see also gojoven.org Individual (Fellow) Level Positive influence on knowledge, attitudes, and skills in ASRHR and leadership At least 75% of alumni engaged in or looking for paid or volunteer ASRHR work Increasingly influential ASRHR-related Fellow leadership roles Organizational Level Positive influence on staff’s youth- and ASRH-related knowledge and skills Positive influences on organizations’ youth- and ASRHR-related focus (mission, services) Increased inter-organizational collaboration and organizational visibility Community Level New ASRHR programs and services available Some evidence of positive short-term changes in youths’ ASRHR knowledge and attitudes Little formal or systematic evidence of behavioral or health status outcomes National/International Level Some Fellow involvement in ASRHR-related committees, conferences, and programming and advocacy initiatives Little evidence of policy or service outcomes Background: Centro Escolar Mexico Junior College Technical junior college, Corozal District, northern Belize ~177 students, ages 17-30, largely from rural communities; ~15 teachers GOJoven Involvement Two teachers became Fellows (2009 and 2011 cohorts) IS Project Grant*: ASRH needs assessment, staff training, strategic planning IS Workshop* attended by school Principal and Fellow TA from a local consultant Organizational- and Community-Level Outcomes ASRH integrated into entire school curriculum Greater teacher comfort discussing and addressing ASRH New partnership with National AIDS Commission for campus condom distribution Staff and students disseminating ASRH information to local community Pregnancy-related school drop-outs decreased to zero (2011) * Funded by the World Bank. ChallengesRecommendations Fellows not (yet) in positions of national-level decision-making authority Continue to offer alumni professional development opportunities and focus on linking Fellows with local, national, and international ASRHR networks/platforms Sustaining organizational change effected through IS Projects Provide training to Fellows/organizations that focuses on proactive sustainability planning Consider strategies for involving the private, for-profit sector in ASRHR Limited awareness of and collaboration with GOJoven among national- level organizations Disseminate GOJoven information, conduct outreach, and seek to collaborate more proactively with the ASRHR sector, organizations in allied fields, and the public Limited formal or systematic monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of community-level outcomes Develop outcome targets, an M&E plan, and common instruments for prospective evaluation Build local M&E capacity among Fellows, their organizations, and others in the sector Budget for dedicated evaluation staff Tensions over GOJoven time commitments Communicate annually with Fellows’ organizations about expectations The theme of right[s in] SRH has become a passion for me and I have committed myself much more to working on this theme. -Honduran Alumni Fellow [Because of GOJoven] we have a plan that is based on the need to strengthen... our work in sexual and reproductive health with youth. -Guatemalan organization Systematic review of 204 program documents Paper and web-based alumni Fellow survey (N=88, 78% response rate) Web-based survey of affiliated organizations (N=53, 29% response rate) In-country interviews and focus groups with Fellow project teams, project beneficiaries, IS Project organizations, GOJoven staff, and ASRHR key opinion leaders Collection and group discussion of Fellows’ Most Significant Change stories Four in-country alumni Fellows assisted with instrumentation, data collection, and dissemination of findings Focus on Fellows’ self-awareness and personal development Foster a sense of community and peer support within GOJoven Employ a highly participatory, interactive training methodology Provide ongoing opportunities to apply new knowledge and skills Include institutional strengthening with Fellow involvement Apply evaluation learnings to GOJoven’s next-phase efforts, which aim to: Mobilize alumni and other in-country stakeholders to positively impact ASRHR programs and policies at local and national levels Partner with alumni to build leadership and ASRHR capacity among new youth leaders and service providers Build in-country infrastructure to sustain capacity development efforts For Additional Information