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Question
Review of literature and identification of case studies for evidence on youth mobilisation and technology. What mobile phone interventions or social media have been used by young people effectively to improve development outcomes for: a) accountability and transparency such as through the collection, monitoring and use of data b) improving delivery of essential services for young people (such as education or SRHR) c) promoting positive lifestyle choices and behavioural change, and d) supporting humanitarian service delivery in crisis situations.
Summary
This rapid review identifies recent literature and lessons learned from interventions that leverage mobile phone technology and social media to improve youth development outcomes.
Information and communication technologies (ICT) have had a profound impact on the political, economic and social sectors of many countries. The increasing ability of communities to access information via mobiles can be used to address political or social concerns, with youth playing a leading role. Young people are often ‘first adopters’ of new technologies particularly broadcast technologies such as mobile phones. Mobile phones create channels of cooperation, dialogue and information exchange between young people and their communities.
This report particularly draws on case studies from Kenya, Uganda, Nigeria and West Africa. In order to put the lessons learned into context, each section provides a brief overview of the situation in the reviewed countries and a snapshot of mobile phone or social media interventions that have been initiated. The review draws on reports and evaluations published by international institutions, evaluations of projects, reports by think tanks and research centres, and papers from academic journals.
Despite widespread support for the utilisation of mobile phone technology and promising early findings from various projects, there has been little comprehensive research or rigorous evaluation of the causal influence of mobile phones and social media on youth development outcomes. Similarly, few evaluations of youth programmes in developing countries unambiguously identify the causality from policy to programme to effect with many (youth) programmes falling into the promising but unproven. There is a need for more dedicated research in this area alongside the provision of mentoring and training for those keen to exploit the potential of ICTs, particularly mobile phones. Further to this, more exploration is required on how best to mitigate issues regarding access and the potential role advances in data collection can play in facilitating responsive, adaptive and participatory policy making and programming.