Feed the Future Rwanda Hanga Akazi Activity (HA) hosted an enlightening 'Introduction to Positive Youth Development Workshop' for one of the partners, Africa Quantitative Science (AQS). AQS, a dynamic Rwandan organization, driven by the vigor of youth, specializes in tailored data solutions primarily for agriculture and health sectors. Presently, they're an integral part of the Hanga Akazi’s internship program that provides practical training and potential employment to eight promising interns. 

The workshop, which spanned three hours, was designed to introduce to AQS the Positive Youth Development (PYD) Framework—a model aimed at maximizing outcomes for young professionals. The goal? To meld the PYD postulates into their operational fabric and empower the youth staff and interns in transformative ways. 

Throughout the workshop, several pivotal insights emerged, such as creative ways to foster inclusive engagement of youth, encourage their active and strategic participation, and adapt the learning formats to meet the needs and learning styles of today’s youth in Rwanda. 

The session proved exceptionally productive as it unified senior managers and interns in dialogue, fostering a shared understanding and collaborative spirit, and bringing USAID’s Youth in Development Policy into focus. This setup not only heightened the discussion quality, but also amplified the interns' agency, motivating them to identify and suggest areas of improvement within AQS. 

The conversation on PYD’s four domains triggered significant realizations about individual and collective roles, highlighting areas like 'Agency' and 'Contribution' which require bolstering to enhance leadership and participation among young staff members. 

One surprising takeaway was the realization that some activities thought to yield high youth participation were actually at the 'non-participation' level of Hart’s Ladder—a tool that categorizes levels of youth involvement. This insight has urged the team to recommend incorporating Hart's model in future PYD discussions, especially in the private sector, so that meaningful youth participation may be increased. 

Feedback from AQS suggested a preference for shorter, more frequent training modules to accommodate the demanding schedules of private sector entities, enhancing engagement without sacrificing productivity. 

AQS’s strategy of assigning empowering job titles to junior staff members has significantly boosted confidence and responsibility-taking, a practice that will now extend to interns, enriching their developmental journey. 

AQS's commitment to youth inclusion is not just socially responsible, but strategically advantageous, driving innovation, productivity, and brand reputation. This forward-thinking approach promises extensive, systemic benefits, potentially addressing the broader challenge of youth unemployment. 

Looking ahead, AQS is keen on deepening their integration of the PYD framework within their operations and is seeking further support to measure its impact effectively. Although Feed the Future Hanga Akazi is navigating new waters with PYD impact assessment, the collaboration with AQS continues to be a partnership for strategic empowerment and innovation in the private sector. The insights gained through these partnerships and the implementation of the model in Rwanda are both academic and practical, and above all pivotal in shaping a robust business environment where youth can thrive and contribute meaningfully to our shared future.

To learn more about our youth development work across programs, please get in touch with Dr. Catherine Honeyman at choneyman@usaid.gov.