We support IDEA to promote youth participation in civic life in Central Asia.
The Partner
International Debate Education Association Central Asia (IDEA CA) is a regional youth-led organisation that uses debate to empower young people in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan through the development of their analytical and critical thinking, improvement of their public speaking skills, and the creation of public platforms to promote youth voices. The organisation also promotes the inclusion of youth and their needs in decision-making and policy development, including of marginalised and vulnerable youth, which is an important factor for social cohesion and change in Kyrgyzstan and neighbouring countries.
Our Support
IDEA CA was selected through the Call for Proposals 2016 as a PeaceNexus organisational development partner. Through a participatory assessment, we jointly identified the following priorities to increase IDEA CA’s impact:
- Adapt the debate methodology to the needs of underprivileged youth to effectively enable them to participate in IDEA CA’s activities
- Increase the team’s ability to engage with the vulnerable and disadvantaged youth
- Identify and measure the impact of the IDEA CA programme.
- Diversify funding to ensure long-term financial sustainability, including through commercial services which reduce donor dependency.
The Results
With PeaceNexus’ support, IDEA CA further developed its methodology, established monitoring and evaluation practices and increased its capacity to work with all youth, including those who are disenfranchised and hard to reach. The team developed new skills and transformed their own attitudes and practices to better understand the needs of marginalised peers. Their updated strategy and monitoring and evaluation systems reflect their newfound focus and approach. The partnership also led to significant changes in the organisational culture and practices; as a consequence, IDEA CA has become more sustainable and it has secured three multi-years grants.
In 2019, we are helping IDEA CA to further improve its financial sustainability and social impact by developing commercial services related to its mandate of youth empowerment.