Youth Excel supports young leaders and youth-led and youth-serving organizations to strengthen their positive youth development (PYD) programs across all sectors and to elevate their voices and priorities in development decision-making. It offers resources and technical support for them to conduct Research-to-Change (implementation research), engage in intergenerational collaboration, and share their data and findings broadly. 

As summarized in this Insights piece, young people involved in youth development and youth peacebuilding describe critical gaps in the support for their safety and security. To address these gaps, Youth Excel – led by consortium partner Search for Common Ground - conducted two foundational analyses in its first year: 

• Youth Protection Desk Review 
• Youth Protection Assessment

Based on the findings of these reviews, Youth Excel developed a comprehensive approach to youth protection that includes the following: 

• Protection Policy: Guidelines for everyone involved in Youth Excel on prevention and incident response. Every individual signs a policy acknowledgement form.  

• Internal Protection micro-site housing all internal and external resources, including materials in multiple languages. 

• Customized subgrant provisions: To address protection and safeguarding with more nuance than the mandatory provisions.  

• Intersectional Rapid Gender and Protection Analysis: Tool for analyzing protection and gender related disparities in your community prior to implementation 

• Reporting Requirements and System: All YE affiliates aware of safeguarding and reporting requirements. Personnel and guidance in place to respond to protection incidents. 

• Protection Budget Lines: 5% of direct costs for protection related costs, as well as 15% LoE for protection focal point at minimum 

• Investment in a culture of protection including training, reflection and learning, and resources for staff and partners. 

Consortium partner UNOY-Peacebuilders co-leads internal protection learning and external outreach, and has published pivotal blogs featuring key components of Youth Protection: 

• Inclusion and Protection of Gender and Sexual Minorities 

• Tackling Ageism as a Bystander 

• Digital Hygiene We Should All Embrace 

For more information or to talk about Youth Protection, contact us at excelyouth@irex.org.