Promoting Youth Development in Saudi Arabia
For Mohammed Bin Salman (Misk) Foundation
The Challenge
An emerging concern in Saudi Arabia is the limited involvement and low awareness of youth in and regarding national goals and policy-making processes coupled with insufficient platforms for them to voice their opinions. To address this, the Youth Impact Council Assembly (YICA), an initiative by the Misk Foundation, seeks to empower Saudi youth to actively contribute to shaping the nation’s future. YICA is working to bridge these gaps by providing a structured platform for youth engagement, fostering greater awareness of national objectives, and facilitating their involvement in policy discussions.
To maximize its impact, YICA needed strategic support to refine its approach in ensuring meaningful youth participation, engaging key stakeholders, and encouraging robust policy recommendations; to be able to effectively transform the insights and aspirations of Saudi youth into actionable policies that drive significant change and align with the country’s broader goals.
Our Approach
- Conducted a thorough review of the pilot YICA to assess its impact and effectiveness, recommending enhancements and introducing the Smart Policy Design and Implementation (SPDi) policy framework to refine the approach and better align with strategic goals.
- Conducted various post-assembly research activities to evaluate the impact of the Assembly and build on its strengths and weaknesses. These activities included key informant interviews with policy experts, focus group discussions with participants, and surveys to understand the youth’s opinions and validate the policy agenda.
- Planned and executed a successful two-day event, providing comprehensive training for youth on policy-making using the SPDi framework, and facilitating their development of a well-defined policy agenda.
- Refined selection criteria and developed and delivered a condensed course on the SPDi framework to help participants before the Assembly.
What We Delivered
In addition to the successful execution of a two-day event, we delivered a range of key outputs to ensure thorough documentation and effective implementation. These included:
- Tailored slide decks for each phase of the project to enhance awareness and inform decision-making.
- Comprehensive internal reports for all research activities and a final report covering all aspects of the Assembly, from event design to policy agenda utilization.
- A forward-looking model for future youth assemblies, incorporating feedback and lessons learned to guide future efforts.