Using analytic frameworks to capture unanticipated systems-level changes

This presentation discusses how the narrative arc of a story can help donor-funded projects articulate and learn from their contributions to systems change for better youth employment and workforce development outcomes. It draws from a recent EDC case study that documented the systems-level changes observed in Rwanda's workforce development system over a 10-year period, and the contributions of a series of USAID- and Mastercard-funded programs toward those changes. This story-telling process allowed EDC to capture and describe the unanticipated systems-level changes and the evolution of the programming that were more difficult to capture through traditional program monitoring processes. As part of the presentation, we will share an analytical framework, the Youth Systems Framework developed by the Youth Systems CollaborativeSM, that can help evaluators, program staff, and donors understand and map the different ways in which youth system actors interact with one another, and how those relationships manifest themselves for youth workforce development outcomes.