By Natalia Pastori Curbelo and Dr. Kristie Drucza
Introduction
Includovate is committed to fostering youth-led research and evaluations. It is critical to establish ethical guidelines in these cases to ensure a promising future for both youth researchers and participants. The primary goal should be to safeguard the well-being and protection of all individuals involved while also providing a supportive and empowering experience for young researchers and evaluators.
As part of our mission to support youth-led projects, we at Includovate have gained valuable experience in navigating the ethical complexities of such initiatives. In this blog post, we share some of the strategies and best practices that have helped us maintain ethical boundaries and engage with young participants meaningfully.
Insights from Includovate’s experience
Includovate attaches great importance to the ethical conduct of its research and safeguarding measures for human participants. To this end, it has established an independent Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) to review and approve project proposals that involve human participants. The HERC’s primary objective is to ensure that all research and evaluations are carried out ethically, with due consideration given to the rights and welfare of participants. In addition, the HREC mandates that team members adhere to the ethical guidelines set by regulatory bodies, such as the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).
Furthermore, Includovate’s Safeguarding Committee keeps a close eye on projects to prevent any harmful practices towards participants and to support the well-being of its researchers. These safeguarding measures serve as a guarantee that researchers are adhering to the ethical principles that govern their work. It is worth noting that in both cases presented below, obtaining ethical clearance was the first step in the process.
Case study 1
Between March and August 2023, Includovate led the evaluation of the Asmae – Association Soeur Emmanuelle Youth for Change (YFC) Programme (Phase 1). YFC, the first multi-country programme of Asmae, is carried out in three stages across urban areas in Burkina Faso, Madagascar, Egypt, and the Philippines, as well as in two refugee camps in Lebanon (specifically, the Saida and Tripoli districts). The programme aims to further the rights to education, protection, and empowerment for young people in each of the five countries by bolstering their capabilities and those of the local partners who assist them.
Includovate’s evaluation team included a young team leader, a technical advisor and five in-country data collectors. Includovate follows a ‘shift-the-power’ collegial approach, which means pairing an experienced researcher or evaluator as a technical advisor with a young team leader emerging in the field and building their skills through mentorship.
The evaluation of the YFC program required careful attention to several key factors, particularly given that the data collection process involved young individuals under the age of 18, youth with disabilities, and self-identified gender non-conforming youth. These young people were predominantly from marginalised communities situated in urban areas, making their well-being a top priority throughout the evaluation process. In addition to gaining ethical clearance, the following actions were implemented during this evaluation:
- Regular meetings were held between the team leader and the technical advisor, providing an opportunity to discuss concerns or request assistance, and to reflect on the evaluation’s approach, tool development, and analysis, consider alternative perspectives, and make necessary adjustments to ensure a respectful and ethical evaluation.
- Ethical boundaries were carefully articulated to equip the young team leader with the knowledge and understanding of ethical guidelines, informed consent, confidentiality, and the potential risks and benefits of the evaluation for participants. Such ethical boundaries were included in the training provided to the in-country data collectors.
- Training on Includovate’s ethics and safeguarding policies was conducted for enumerators, including their responsibilities towards participants and their rights. The differences in leading and probing questions and what makes a good focus group discussion versus a key informant interview were also covered and practised during the training.
- The training also covered gender, inclusion, and disabilities as topics to understand, as well as ways to collect data from these groups. Specific considerations were given to interviewing youth with disabilities to prepare data collectors to lead those conversations safely. This empowered the team to conduct the evaluation responsibly and respectfully.
- Informed consent statements were used, and enumerators were taught the importance of having these clearly communicated and signed and of the need to leave a copy with the participant in case they had later questions or wanted to find out about the final results at a later date.
- Online meetings and communications were regularly held between the team leader and enumerators, allowing them to share their experiences and reflections during the data collection process without fear of judgement or reprisal.
The study results were validated with research participants, project workers, enumerators and other stakeholders.
Case Study 2
The strategies utilised in the Youth-inclusive Needs Assessment (YNA) in Zambezia Province, Mozambique, were similar to those employed in the case study presented earlier. Save the Children is a consortium partner to the Okhokelamo ni Solha program, a Resilient Food Security Activity targeting adolescents and youth aged between 10 and 24, including those with disabilities. The assessment was comprehensive and covered various topics, including sensitive issues like sexual and reproductive health and child marriage.
Includovate’s team responsible for the assessment comprised a young team leader, two field supervisors, six enumerators (three male and three female), and note takers selected from Save the Children’s Youth Advisory Councils. Given that data collection took place in rural and remote communities, it was crucial to prepare the team to address these issues.
Supervisors and enumerators attended an iterative, adult-learning-based training process. The training covered the assessment’s objectives, ethical considerations, and data collection tools, including the types of questions and special considerations for interviewing young people with disabilities and moderating focus group discussions with youth. The training emphasised the importance of ethical conduct and safeguarding practices. This instilled a sense of responsibility and integrity in the youth, allowing them to act professionally and protect both themselves and their study participants.
Following the training, the data collection tools were tested in the field to ensure that the questions were asked ethically and to address any confusion regarding translation or comprehension. Includovate’s verbatim transcription guidelines were also shared and practised to ensure the quality of the data collected would yield useful results.
Youth enumerators were paired with young note-takers from the targeted communities. The youth enumerators could establish rapport with other youth more quickly than if adults conducted the research. During focus group discussions, young note-takers assisted the enumerators so they could focus on building rapport and creating a comfortable environment for discussion.
The youth team leader, program manager, and field team, including supervisors, enumerators, and note-takers, collaborated continuously to ensure a safe, respectful, and ethical data collection process. Additionally, regular check-ins and exchanges allowed the youth enumerators to participate in discussions around the analysis, contributing to the interpretation of findings and adding cultural nuance. This was appreciated by the external youth leader as it helped her challenge her own power, assumptions, and position so she was better able to listen to and work with other youth.
By enabling youth to be involved throughout the study, they were involved in determining their development course. This helped the project to identify key service provision gaps and the needs of youth from marginalised communities. Ultimately, this made the results more relevant and rooted in community needs.
Conclusion: A More Promising Future for Youth-led Evaluations
At its core, Includovate is a research incubator that supports and develops the skills of researchers from the Global South and promotes a localised approach to research and evaluation. Includovate is dedicated to the principle of ‘nothing about us without us.’ This commitment is reflected in the teams that we put on our assignments.
Through “building capacity by doing,” Includovate provides opportunities for young professionals to gain expertise and build their careers in this field. Taking the time to explain the connection between ethical boundaries and the participation of youth researchers ensures that they are not emotionally triggered while collecting data and can meaningfully contribute to the study and shape the findings. The primary goal should be safeguarding the well-being and protection of all individuals involved while providing a supportive and empowering experience for young researchers and evaluators.
We hope this three-part blog series on youth-led projects has inspired readers to commission youth-led evaluations or research. We thank our partners and clients for these opportunities.
