TACKLING POVERTY TOGETHER Youth Contributing to Poverty Reduction

Leaders Guide 6: Strengthening the TPT Network and Its Partnerships

TACKLING POVERTY TOGETHER Youth Contributing to Poverty Reduction In this session, you will: Better understand the characteristics of a strong civil society network, one that strives to be inclusive of the diversity that exists among young people; Increase your ability to outreach and engage with organizations and young people who are interested in addressing poverty issues; Explore and evaluate the potential of partnerships to advance the work of the TPT network in our country; Reflect on how your country’s youth organizations can both contribute to and benefit from the TPT network.

TACKLING POVERTY TOGETHER Youth Contributing to Poverty Reduction Civil society organizations (including youth organisations) play an important role in a country’s development: representation (they may aggregate citizen voice) advocacy (they may lobby on particular issues) research and technical inputs (they may provide data, information and advice) capacity building (they may provide support to other CSOs, such as funding or training) service delivery (they may implement development projects or provide services) social functions (they may foster collective activities and promote social cohesion and inclusivity)

TACKLING POVERTY TOGETHER Youth Contributing to Poverty Reduction Here are some commonly cited ‘keys to success’ of influential networks: Clear governance agreements that set objectives, identify functions, define membership structures, make decisions and resolve conflicts. Strength in numbers lends greater political weight to a cause or policy issue. Being representative is a key source of legitimacy and thereby influence. Quality and packaging of evidence affects both credibility and legitimacy. Persistence over a period of time is often required for policy influence. People and leadership can be critical to achieving objectives. Complementing official structures rather than duplicating them makes networks more valuable. The use of ICT (Information and communication technology) is increasingly vital for networking.

TACKLING POVERTY TOGETHER Youth Contributing to Poverty Reduction The TPT Network will be as strong as its members choose to make it…

TACKLING POVERTY TOGETHER Youth Contributing to Poverty Reduction Dialogue Questions: A few characteristics of strong networks include having clear governance agreements, being representative, providing strong evidence to back your positions, and fostering good leadership within the group. Do you agree with these qualities? What are some other characteristics of strong civil society networks? The TPT Network’s Mission, as stated in its profile materials, is to provide opportunities for youth participation in national development. How will your organization and country team help fulfill this? Generate as man ideas as possible in an open brainstorm. One of the most common problems for youth organizers is getting other youth interested and involved in events and projects. There are many different reasons for this. What are some of the reasons your organization encounters? Discuss some ideas to change this.

TACKLING POVERTY TOGETHER Youth Contributing to Poverty Reduction Ideally, a partnership should assure three principles: Equity Transparency Mutual Benefit

TACKLING POVERTY TOGETHER Youth Contributing to Poverty Reduction (Template slide – to be used to add additional material as needed).