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Youth-driven innovation: learning how a business incubator can optimally support in youth-drive design.
- Thomas
- Ghana, Sierra Leone
- Plan International
- February 20, 2026
- Start: October 2022 End: June 2023
Situation
The Education Uninterrupted Incubator in Ghana and Sierra Leone aimed to keep learning going despite repeated disruptions. Youth-driven design was central, yet it was unclear how young participants and other actors actually experienced the incubator across its stages.
Assignment
Proportion Global was asked to lead a full 360 evaluation and learning process. The goal was to understand how youth experienced each phase of the incubator and how country offices, Y-Labs and global teams perceived their own roles, expectations and challenges.
Approach
Through in-depth interviews, observation and synthesis, Proportion built a rich picture of youth engagement from research to prototyping and pilot planning. The evaluation also captured how all other actors worked with or around youth, where ownership shifted, and what conditions enabled or limited meaningful participation.
Result
The work resulted in an improved incubator blueprint designed for maximum youth engagement. It clarifies safeguarding needs, strengthens the role of country offices and ensures young people can take real decisions throughout innovation cycles.