CASE STUDY

Using Impact Evidence to Shape the Next Phase of Youth Leadership

Ten-year programme evaluation and development of a five-year strategic roadmap

OUR SERVICES

• Impact Strategy
• Impact Measurement, Valuation & Performance
• Impact Data & Systems
• Capacity Building & Training

SECTOR

Youth Leadership, Civic Participation

LOCATION

South Africa

THE CHALLENGE

Since its inception, the Nelson Mandela Children’s Parliament had not undergone a comprehensive evaluation of its impact and operational efficiency.

After ten years of implementation, there was an opportunity to use evidence from the programme’s first decade to inform its next phase — understanding what had worked, where progress had been made, where limitations remained, and how implementation could be strengthened going forward.

embedding impact was engaged to undertake an evaluation of the programme and translate the findings into recommendations and a five-year strategic roadmap for future implementation.

OUR APPROACH

We used a mixed-method impact measurement approach to understand the programme’s impact, effectiveness and implementation over its first ten years.

Understanding the organisation and programme’s impact goals.
Scoping the evaluation and mapping key stakeholders.
Co-developing and validating the Theory of Change with the core team.
Consulting stakeholders to validate intended outcomes.
Developing an Impact Measurement & Management framework.
Designing a data collection plan.
Conducting qualitative research through one-on-one interviews and focus group discussions.
Conducting quantitative research using stratified sampling and a 95% confidence level.
Analysing and synthesising findings.
Developing recommendations to strengthen operational implementation.
Facilitating feedback sessions on the draft findings.
Developing a five-year strategic roadmap to inform the programme’s next phase.

KEY DELIVERABLES

Ten-year programme evaluation.
Theory of Change co-development and validation.
Impact Measurement & Management framework.
Stakeholder consultation and engagement.
Qualitative and quantitative data collection.
Analysis of programme effectiveness, relevance, coherence, efficiency, sustainability and impact.
Recommendations for improved operational implementation.
Five-year strategic roadmap.

VALUE CREATED

The evaluation provided an evidence base for understanding the programme’s first decade of implementation and identifying priorities for its next phase.

The findings highlighted both areas of progress and opportunities for improvement. The programme demonstrated gains against Outcome 1 and significant progress against Outcome 3, while limited progress and insufficient evidence constrained assessment of Outcome 2.

The evaluation also identified implementation challenges, including overlapping partner responsibilities, inefficient institutional arrangements and fragmented implementation across diverse partners. At the same time, the programme had established an environment that enabled children to participate actively in political processes.

Theory of Change in Practice

Theory of Change was used to connect the evaluation of past programme implementation with the design of its future direction.

embedding impact co-developed and validated the Theory of Change with the core team and consulted stakeholders to test the programme’s intended outcomes. The evaluation identified that an evaluative case-study approach at programme inception could have supported a more refined Theory of Change for future programming.

This created an important link between learning from the past and designing for future impact – using evidence from ten years of implementation to strengthen the programme’s strategic direction and measurement approach.

Ready to move beyond measurement?