The Readiness for Adolescent and Youth Engagement (RAYE) Suite of Tools is designed to help organizations reflect on their readiness for safe, meaningful, purposeful, mutually beneficial involvement of adolescents and youth, grounded in best practices. It is composed of:

1. Structural Reflection Tool

• Purpose: Assesses organizational readiness—financial, operational, and systemic factors for safe youth engagement.
• How to use: Reflect on your current policies, structures, and practices to identify areas for improvement.
• Who it’s for: Senior management, program designers, or staff responsible for strategic planning.

2. Engagement Checklist

• Purpose: Evaluates individual opportunities for youth engagement, ensuring mutual benefit for both young people and the organization.
• How to use: Use it each time you plan a new youth engagement activity to ensure safety, inclusion, and value.
• Who it’s for: Project managers, volunteer coordinators, field staff, or anyone designing youth-facing initiatives.

1. In-depth research

• Started with a review of existing assessments and frameworks.
• Mapped out key needs and gaps to guide initial concepts.

2. Youth co-creation

• Conducted interviews and focus groups with a diverse group of young people.
• Hosted co-creation workshops to shape the tool content and design in direct collaboration with youth.

3. Expert input and refinement

• Worked with our youth expert advisors to ensure practical, clear, and relevant outputs.
• Incorporated feedback from multiple stakeholders for a well-rounded toolkit.

4. Pilot testing

• Partnered with WarChild in Colombia and Jordan to test the tools in real program settings.
• Gathered on-the-ground feedback and made final adjustments before launch.

1. Structural Reflection Tool

• Download and review: Access the full tool pack, which includes detailed instructions.
• Self-assessment: Use the guided questions to evaluate your organization’s financial, operational, and systemic readiness for youth engagement.
• Identify gaps and strengths: Analyze your results to pinpoint areas of improvement and highlight existing strengths.
• Action planning: Develop a plan to address any barriers or gaps identified through the assessment.

2. Engagement Checklist

• Download and review: Open the tool pack to familiarize yourself with the checklist and instructions.
• Apply to your opportunities: Whenever you plan a youth engagement activity—whether it’s a workshop, advisory group, or research project—run through the checklist.
• Ensure mutual benefit: Check each item to confirm that the opportunity is safe, inclusive, and valuable for both the young participants and the organization.
• Refine and repeat: Adjust your approach based on the checklist findings before launching any new initiative.

3. Review and Iterate

• Ongoing improvement: Revisit both tools regularly. After completing a project or engagement activity, reflect on what worked and what can be improved.
• Integrate insights: As your organization evolves, integrate new learnings or changes into future assessments and checklists.
• Stay connected: Check back for updates, new resources, or additional guidance on the Y!Participate platform.