Oxfam International sought the services of Bodmando Consulting Group to carry out a baseline evaluation of the Youth Voices Lab – Power of the Collective (PoC) initiative. The main goals of the baseline assessment were:

• To determine key baseline indicators and benchmark data, and to collect general information about youth engagement, participation, and empowerment across the 14 African countries and Belgium, including youth-led organizations and networks.
• To provide general benchmark information on the current situation regarding institutional responsiveness to youth, existing policies and practices for youth inclusion, and the level of collaboration between youth and governments, civil society, private sector actors, and AU-EU institutions.
• To understand the facilitators and barriers faced by young people and youth-led groups in advocating for their priorities and participating meaningfully at local, national, continental, and cross-continental levels.
• To understand the facilitators and barriers faced by institutions, governments, and partners in becoming more youth-centred and in implementing youth-inclusive decision-making and policy processes.
• To assess the status of intergenerational partnerships, collaborative networks, and processes that foster youth movement building and inclusive AU-EU collaborations.
• To create a clear understanding of the needs, risks, and priorities of young people to inform project planning, monitoring, and evaluation and support effective youth-led advocacy and engagement initiatives.