Youth Development Labs Inc

WE BUILD MEASURABLE AND MEANINGFUL SOLUTIONS THROUGH YOUTH-DRIVEN DESIGN.

YOUTH PROGRAMMING INCLUDING:CYBERRWANDACYBERRWANDA IS A DIGITAL PLATFORM THAT AIMS TO IMPROVE THE HEALTH AND LIVELIHOODS OF URBAN AND PERI-URBAN ADOLESCENTS (12-19 YEARS) THROUGH NARRATIVE BEHAVIOR CHANGE, STORYLINES, AN FAQ LIBRARY,AND A YOUTH-FRIENDLY PHARMACY LOCATOR. CYBERRWANDA IS BEING ROLLED OUT IN 40 SCHOOLS AND DISTRICT-LEVEL YOUTH CENTERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. THE CYBERRWANDA PROGRAM ALSO INCLUDES GAMIFIED DIGITAL AND IN-PERSON TRAINING FOR PHARMACISTS AT PARTNERING HEALTH FACILITIES THAT EDUCATE THEM ON TOPICS SUCH AS PROVIDER BIAS, YOUTH ACCESS TO HEALTH PRODUCTS, AND VOLUNTARY REPRODUCTIVE HEALTHCARE.CYBERRWANDA IS A SIX-YEAR PROJECT (2018 - 2024) IMPLEMENTED IN RWANDA BY YLABS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH SOCIETY FOR FAMILY HEALTH - RWANDA, WITH GUIDANCE FROM THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH, RWANDA BIOMEDICAL CENTER, AND THE RWANDA EDUCATION BOARD. OUR EVALUATION PARTNERS ARE THE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY, AND THE UNIVERSITY OF RWANDA.RWANDA YOUTH SEGMENTATION STUDYIN 2021, YLABS CONDUCTED A FORMAL SEGMENTATION STUDY WITH 2,060 YOUNG PEOPLE IN RWANDA. THE STUDY INFORMS THE MASTERCARD FOUNDATION'S YOUNG AFRICA WORKS STRATEGY, WHICH IS PROJECTED TO SERVE 30 MILLION YOUNG PEOPLE ACROSS AFRICA IN SECURING DIGNIFIED AND FULFILLING WORK. THE SEGMENTATION ANALYSIS RESULTED IN FOUR DISTINCT YOUTH SEGMENTS. THE DIMENSIONS COMPRISING THESE SEGMENTS INCLUDED ASPIRATIONS AND GOALS, MOTIVATIONAL DRIVERS, PERCEIVED BARRIERS TO ACHIEVEMENT, AND MOST PRESSING NEEDS. WE ALSO LEARNED ABOUT EACH SEGMENT'S PREFERRED SECTORS AND SKILLS TO DEVELOP. EACH SEGMENT HAD A DIFFERENT PERCEPTION OF WHAT CONSTITUTED DIGNIFIED AND FULFILLING WORK, AND WHAT SUCCESS IN LIFE LOOKS LIKE. THIS RESEARCH IS HELPING GUIDE MASTERCARD FOUNDATION'S FUTURE PROGRAMMING, BOTH FOR YOUTH IN GENERAL AND FOR EACH SEGMENT. RECOMMENDATIONS INCLUDED HOW TO IDENTIFY KEY SKILLS GAPS, ACCELERATE BROAD-SCALE FINANCIAL INCLUSION, INCREASE EQUITY IN ACCESS TO INFORMATION, ADDRESS GENDER INEQUITY, AND SUPPORT BOTH REFUGEE YOUTH AND YOUTH LIVING WITH DISABILITIES.ASKDOKI CHATBOTFAYA, ANOTHER PROJECT DESIGNED WITH YOUNG PEOPLE IN KENYA, CREATED AN EASY-TO-USE, FREE WHATSAPP CHATBOT CALLED ASKDOKI. IT PROVIDES AN ALTERNATIVE TO ACCESS INFORMATION AND SERVICES WITH OR WITHOUT PHONE DATA. OUR MULTI-DISCIPLINARY TEAM OF PUBLIC HEALTH SPECIALISTS AND DESIGNERS WORKED IN KENYA IN PARTNERSHIP WITH YOUNG PEOPLE TO ENSURE THAT THESE DIGITAL HEALTH INTERVENTIONS REFLECT THE LATEST EVIDENCE AND STANDARDS IN AGE APPROPRIATE COMPREHENSIVE SEXUALITY EDUCATION (AACSE), WHICH ARE GENDER-TRANSFORMATIVE, AND ROOTED IN BEHAVIOR CHANGE METHODOLOGY. WITH AMREF'S SUPPORT, OUR DESIGN TEAM SUCCESSFULLY CREATED A DESIRABLE, FEASIBLE, AND SCALABLE DIGITAL LEARNING PLATFORM FOR KENYAN ADOLESCENTS.OTHER PROGRAMSIN UGANDA, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH KUJA KUJA AND ALIGHT, WE WORKED ALONGSIDE MENSTRUATORS TO DESIGN AND PILOT THE COCOON MINI, A SEMI-PERMANENT LATRINE AND BATHING AREA THAT IS BUILT WITHIN HOUSEHOLD COMPOUNDS IN THE BIDI BIDI SETTLEMENT OF UGANDA TO CREATE A SAFE SPACE FOR MENSTRUATORS TO MANAGE THEIR PERIODS. IN RWANDA, WE STARTED BUILDING A COMBINED DIGITAL AND IN-PERSON PLATFORM WITH GRAND CHALLENGES CANADA, WHERE TRAINED YOUTH AGE 10-19 HELP THEIR PEERS TALK ABOUT MENTAL ILLNESSES AND PROVIDE TIPS FOR MAINTAINING WELLBEING TO INCREASE MENTAL HEALTH LITERACY AND PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT FOR YOUNG PEOPLE. IN KENYA, WE PARTNERED WITH MEN AGAINST AIDS YOUTH GROUP AND HEALTH OPTIONS FOR YOUNG MEN ON HIV/AIDS/STI TO DEVELOP BEHAVIOR-CHANGE MESSAGING THAT IMPROVED THE HIV TESTING RATE BY OVER 200% FOR MEN HAVING SEX WITH MEN. IN ETHIOPIA, OUR TEAM WORKED DIRECTLY WITH UNACCOMPANIED ADOLESCENTS TO DESIGN AND TEST A CASH AND VOUCHER ASSISTANT (CVA) PILOT PROGRAM THAT WILL MINIMIZE HARM AND UNLOCK OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE. WE WILL THEN CREATE GUIDANCE AROUND SAFE, ETHICAL CVA PROGRAMS FOR UASC AND SHARE THEM WITH THE GLOBAL COMMUNITY. IN ADDIS ABADA, ETHIOPIA AND KOLKATA, INDIA, YLABS DESIGNED SIX UNIQUE CURRICULUMS FOR BOYS, PARENTS, AND OLDER PEERS TO FOSTER A MORE ENABLING ENVIRONMENT FOR MENSTRUAL PRACTICES FOR GIRLS. FINALLY, YLABS WORKED TO ESTABLISH A QUALITY AND STANDARDS FRAMEWORK IN COLLABORATION WITH HCDEXCHANGE, WHICH CONVENED YOUNG PEOPLE AND EXPERTS USING HUMAN-CENTERED DESIGN WITHIN ADOLESCENT SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH TO DEVELOP CONSENSUS-DRIVEN QUALITY STANDARDS FOR THE APPLICATION OF THIS DESIGN METHOD TO FUTURE PROJECTS.