The ‘Building Agency of Youth in Climate Action’ project was designed to empower and mobilize youth to take leadership roles and become entrepreneurs in climate action. Over a six-month period, the project enhanced the awareness, knowledge, and 21st-century skills of young individuals, establishing a network of youth-led organizations dedicated to climate justice. It also encouraged young entrepreneurs towards green entrepreneurship. The project directly involved 4,251 young people and community members, achieved digital engagement with 517,673 youths in climate initiatives, and supported 125 young individuals with innovative business ideas, helping to incubate 20 business projects. The intervention targeted young people in marginalized and vulnerable communities, including those in coastal, urban slum, and river erosion areas of Dhaka, Satkhira, Khulna, Barishal, and Bagerhat districts in Bangladesh. These districts are highly susceptible to the impacts of climate change and extreme natural and manmade disasters, which are pushing a significant number of youth into deeper poverty and displacement.

Through strategic partnerships with organizations like ActionAid, FIVDB, and YPSA, the project adopted a multi-faceted approach, incorporating training sessions, social action projects (SAPs), advocacy, and a national youth conference. Participants were trained in leadership, climate literacy, and green business practices, while local communities benefited from youth-led initiatives like tree planting, waste management, and awareness campaigns. By aligning with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and national policies, the project contributed to fostering resilience and sustainable development in climate-vulnerable regions of Bangladesh.

The core objective of this assignment was to develop a robust and comprehensive evaluation framework that aligns with the ‘Building Agency for Youth in Climate Action’ project’s goals. The overarching aim was to assess the efficacy and impact of the project in empowering the youth of Bangladesh to become proactive agents in climate action and leadership. Specific objectives included:

• Assessing Engagement and Capacity Building: Evaluating how effectively the project engages youth and enhances their knowledge, skills, and agency regarding climate action.
• Measuring Impact: Quantifying the project’s impact on youth awareness, knowledge, participation in climate mitigation and adaptation activities, and their leadership in climate discourse and action.
• Evaluating Sustainability and Coherence: Ensuring that the project’s efforts are sustainable and coherent with national policies and international climate action frameworks.

The scope of this assignment encompassed the following key areas:

• Framework Development: Crafting an Evaluation Plan based on the project’s result metrics, including establishing appropriate indicators and outcomes.
• Tool Review and Development: Analyzing existing monitoring tools and developing new instruments as needed, ensuring they are tailored to effectively capture data related to the project’s objectives.
• Data Collection: Implementing a mixed methods approach to collect qualitative and quantitative data from young participants, stakeholders, and beneficiaries.
• Impact Analysis: Applying theory-based and significant change methodologies to analyze data and interpret the project’s success in achieving its intended outcomes.
• Reporting: Crafting a comprehensive evaluation report with anonymized findings, including an executive summary, impact stories, and a presentation slide deck.

Key Highlights of the Assignment

DM WATCH LIMITED undertook a structured approach to evaluate the “Building Agency for Youth in Climate Action” project, ensuring comprehensive analysis and impactful reporting. The key services provided included:
Inception and Desk Review:

• Collaborated with the British Council to agree on the evaluation framework, ensuring alignment with project goals and OECD-DAC criteria.
• Developed audience-type-specific data collection tools tailored to gather relevant insights.
• Prepared a comprehensive data collection and reporting plan, ensuring seamless implementation.
• Designed a data quality assurance and analysis plan to maintain accuracy and reliability.
• Developed an evaluation risk mitigation matrix to address potential challenges during the evaluation process.

Data Collection and Field Mobilization:

• Conducted extensive field data collection using Computer-Assisted Personal Interviewing (CAPI) to ensure data accuracy and quality.
• Engaged with diverse stakeholders, including youth participants, community leaders, and implementing partners, through surveys, interviews, focus group discussions (FGDs), and case studies.

Capacity Building:

• Trained enumerators and field teams on ethical data collection practices, tools, and methodologies.
• Facilitated stakeholder consultations to ensure inclusive representation in data collection

Data Analysis and Impact Assessment:

• Utilized advanced statistical tools such as SPSS for quantitative analysis and NVivo for qualitative analysis.
• Assessed project outcomes against set indicators, focusing on youth leadership, climate action initiatives, and gender-sensitive results.
• Prepared a detailed evaluation report, integrating quantitative findings and qualitative insights to provide a holistic view of project impacts.

Deliverables and Reporting:

• A topline executive summary with a two-page infographic highlighting key findings.
• A copy-edited and proofread project impact evaluation report.
• Four impact stories (three aligned with outcome areas and one focused on gender outcomes).
• A slide deck for presenting findings to stakeholders.
• All data transcripts and datasets, ensuring transparency and accessibility.
• Compliance with the British Council’s evaluation checklist.

Validation and Dissemination:

• Organized and facilitated validation workshops to present findings and gather stakeholder feedback.
• Incorporated feedback to finalize deliverables, ensuring stakeholder alignment and actionable recommendations.

This detailed evaluation process highlights DM WATCH LIMITED’s expertise in designing and executing robust evaluations for large-scale, multi-stakeholder initiatives, contributing to evidence-based decision-making and impactful program improvements.