Empowering Tomorrow’s Leaders: MIYO Conference to Showcase Youth Impact Findings at the European Parliament

4 minutes
A scout leader and a Scout cut wood while sitting on the floor.
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Zuzana Havlinova
Brussels, 15 February 2024 - Youth organisations are at the forefront of shaping tomorrow's leaders, empowering young individuals with essential life skills and fostering resilience. As we recognise the pivotal role of youth work, the MIYO (Measuring Impact of Youth Organisations) project culminates in a groundbreaking conference set to take place in Brussels at the European Parliament on February 22.
 
Scheduled towards the project's culmination, the MIYO conference will convene policymakers, academics, researchers, and youth civil society organisations in Brussels. The event aims to comprehensively summarise the project's findings, highlighting key insights and presenting actionable policy recommendations.
 
At the heart of the conference lies the unveiling of the MIYO Impact Measurement toolkit, a pioneering methodology designed to accurately evaluate the impact of youth programs. Developed through a collaborative effort between the youth sector and academia, the toolkit promises to reinforce the links between research, policy, and practice.
 
The conference will feature a panel discussion comprising consortium representatives, offering national and European perspectives on youth impact measurement, with an expected attendance of 100 stakeholders, including Karen Vandeweghe, Deputy Head of Unit, B.3 Youth and Volunteer Solidarity, DG EAC, and European Parliament representatives, such as the MEP Michaela Šojdrová. The event will serve as a platform for knowledge exchange and strategic dialogue.
With youth organisation impact research, we can finally put anecdotal evidence in a research context, measuring it quantitatively and qualitatively. As a result, we can amplify the voices of youth organisations, ensuring their contributions are recognised and valued. By assessing impact, we empower youth organisations to demonstrate their pivotal role in driving societal progress and shaping a brighter future for future generations.
Lana Husagic
Impact of Scouting, Lead
The European Parliament session, slated from 09:30 to 12:00, will showcase the MIYO Impact Measurement toolkit, featuring presentations from six member organisations and study results. A panel discussion hosted by MEP Michaela Šojdrová will delve into insights from toolkit designers and youth organisation representatives.
 
The latter part of the day will feature hands-on workshops, allowing participants to explore the practicalities of the methodology, data collection, and analysis instruments. Attendees will be able to engage in open market presentations, exchanging ideas and best practices for implementing the toolkit within their respective organisations.
 
The MIYO conference promises to be a pivotal event in advancing the discourse on youth empowerment and impact measurement, charting a course for more informed policies and practices in the years to come.
 
For media inquiries and registration details, please contact brussels@scout.org.

Background

The 'Measuring Impact: with, for, and by Youth Organisations’ (MIYO) project seeks to strengthen the interconnection between research, policy, and practice by augmenting the empirical evidence of the impact of youth programs. This initiative, funded by the Erasmus+ programme, is a collaborative effort spanning diverse sectors, spearheaded by the World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM) and YMCA Europe in conjunction with the academic expertise of the Maynooth Department of Applied Social Studies. The collaboration ensures the methodology's academic validity while aligning it with youth organisations' needs and capacities.
 
The culmination of the project is the development of an impact assessment toolkit, meticulously tested in six member organisations—Les Scouts in Belgium, Junák in Czechia, the Scout Association of North Macedonia, Scouting Ireland, Scouterna in Sweden, and YMCA Netherlands. This toolkit is now publicly accessible, allowing over 300 youth organisations affiliated with YMCA and WOSM networks and others to explore, test, and delve into the methodology, research guidelines, and resources provided.
 
By granting youth organisations full access to data collection and analysis tools, MIYO empowers them to evaluate better and enhance their educational offer. The project strongly emphasises dissemination, aiming to forge synergies among policymakers, youth associations, and the research community. This linkage between participatory and inclusive research and evidence-based decision-making is vital for fostering informed and impactful youth programs. For further details, please refer to the project's landing page here.