Youth Program Planning is the process of setting program objectives, designing program format and writing the program operational plan. While planning is an essential human activity and is an everyday aspect of life, designing and planning are more complicated than systematic planning. They involve the coordination of expertise and goals of various diverse resources and people into an agreed-upon framework. They are the ones that are involved in the environmental and social development that the project aims towards. This definition helps us to understand the process of youth program planning.
The advantages of good planning
– Planning lets you investigate the issues in advance and theoretically.
– Most likely to be involved in putting the project ideas into action.
-A well-constructed and the well-designed plan allow you to accurately estimate the resources you’ll require to accomplish the project’s objectives.
– It substantially reduces the uncertainty related to the project.
The process of planning generates specific project documents that support the tasks of project implementers and monitors.
-A properly-designed plan outlines how to manage the undertaking.
-It offers a framework for determining how to judge the success of a plan.
Youth program planning in the contemporary context
The long-standing tradition of youth development initiatives is slowly being transformed in the present context as they are integrated into the current design and development culture. One of the main reasons to develop solid and complete project plans is that they are essential to secure the backing of your partners and donors to implement your plan.The vast majority of international and national agencies are now more involved in the funding and direction of projects in global economic growth and severe economic inequalities. Because funding is usually crucial for agencies like The World Bank, the UK Department for International Development, DanIDA, AusAID, Concern, and CARE International have gradually increased the pressure on programs to be well-organized, executed, and closely assessed.
Principles of planning
As you’ve already observed in the previous section, there are various reasons project planning is viewed as an essential step. Additionally, you’ve observed that donor organizations typically require project proposals to show how they adhere to certain development guidelines.
The implications for projects planning
The fundamental ideas that underlie the majority of the theories endorsed by
Organizations include:
A) importance of projects in the needs of people, and
B) the empowerment and inclusion of the people.
Suppose a project is expected to positively affect those that it’s designed to assist the people who are affected by it. In that case, they must play a significant part in the planning and execution of the project. They must be included in every step, and their input must be heard. Naturally, this applies to the process of planning. The research on the planning and implementation of youth development initiatives outlines the fundamental principles of youth development:
Youth development projects must be designed to adapt to the culture, society, and the environment in the context of their operation. Project development and execution must be based on a thorough context analysis.
When planning projects, teams of project managers must examine and strive to satisfy the requirements of the beneficiaries within the community and the needs of the other participants in the project. The project’s success is contingent on the extent to which these demands and goals are fulfilled.
The process of planning for and carrying out youth-related development initiatives should include the local population as participants in identifying fundamental issues addressed by the program and determining what’s needed to resolve the issue.
Forming a committee/advisory group around the project team
Participation of local citizens in an advisory team or committee can be a crucial and often essential legal element of the design and implementation process. The advisory groups usually comprise people from every level of society who are actively involved in the project or program that is being considered. They typically represent the youth group of the village and the local agricultural officer, the head of the village teachers, heads of the agricultural community, and the supervisor or foreman of any commercial-scale operation. Their participation in the advisory committee or advisory group is generally accepted for many reasons.
People involved in the actual situation can lead to better decisions when opposed to those made by a small group of experts alone, as residents can discern the most pressing issues they face in real life and not just hypothetically. Participation of the well-known local population will accelerate the process of changing the educational system within the community due to the dissemination of ideas and new concepts to which they are exposed through group meetings. Participation of the local population on the project committee allows people in the local community to become more aware and prepared for the change process and ready to decide about the type of leadership and the training they require.
KEY TERMS in Program Planning
- Activities: Action taken or work performed within a project to transform means into results.
- Beneficiaries: A limited group of stakeholders who will directly or indirectly benefit from the project.
- Integrated project cycle management: Method of managing the project cycle, using the logical framework and the same sustainability criteria throughout the cycle.
- Logical framework: Method for analyzing and presenting the most important elements of a project and their interrelationships.
- Project: In these guidelines, there are various types of development initiatives are discussed, that are designed to accomplish specific goals within a particular budget and structure, and time frame.
- Project cycle: A model of the whole life cycle of a project.
- Project purpose: The reason for or focus of the project, describing the improved situation that the project is expected to achieve.
- Results: The results of actions that are combined to achieve the purpose of the project. Not just physical outputs, but also a beginning to enjoy of long-term advantages.
- Stakeholders: People or organizations that have an interest in direct or indirect ways, or a role, in the project or who affect or are affected by it.