Youth engagement
Encyclopedia
Youth engagement is the sentiment young people
feel towards a particular person, activity, place or outcome. It has been a focus of youth development, public policy
and social change
movements for at least forty years.
defines youth engagement as, "involving young people in the creation of their own destinies," and suggest that in social work
that means "genuinely involving them in case planning and encouraging them to advocate for themselves." This sentiment was best summarized by youth who said, "Nothing about us without us. The concept of youth engagement has emerged in recent years as a leading-edge, broad-based approach and best practice to meet the needs of youth, including youth at risk. It is a process that offers meaningful participation for youth—that is, participation with passion—and opportunities for youth to take responsibility and leadership while working in partnership with caring adults who value, respect and share power with them.
Research suggests that a supportive family
background, mentor
s or role model
s, involvement in cooperative activities, cultivation of intrinsic interest, awareness of moral
and political issues, and traits such as moral sensitivity and optimism
are among the central factors that support youth engagement. A separate study explores "the roles of adult support, a youth-friendly environment, the completion of meaningful tasks, and the learning and utilization of new skill
s" as key supports. Other studies suggest that youth council
s, youth-led media
, youth advisory boards, youth organizing
and other self-advocacy and community youth development
activities are the best avenues for achieving youth engagement. Traditional activities such as youth conference
s have also been cited. Consulting on public policy
, involvement in community coalitions, involving youth in organizational decision-making, and school-based service learning have all also been cited as effective venues.
Both the philosophy and activities within a program or activity need to be a "good fit" for the young people participating in them. In the United States, activities and campaigns including those by the National Commission on Resources for Youth
and Youth Communications
have been cited for their effectiveness in engaging young people.
outside of the program or organization itself. Other points in this spectrum can include:
Each has value, and where a program or groups sits depends on the degree to which youth are engaged in the program with meaningful participation, and the degree to which the organization offering the program has policies and infrastructures to support youth involvement in a meaningful way.
, and involve young people
in addressing community needs. The Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation
in Canada
supports youth engagement because it believes young Canadians, "already tend to think globally; take advantage of opportunities to expand their understanding of global challenges; want to contribute new ideas and perspectives to the discussion about Canadian international policy and; are creative in their use of new technologies to further their engagement in the world." The Ontario Trillium Foundation
recognizes youth engagement as a best practice and has been developing a framework to support youth engagement in its grantmaking and encourage applications that include a youth engagement approach. Hands On Learning Australia
implement youth engagement programs as an integral part of secondary education in Australian schools. These programs attempt to reengage school age youth through building strong relationships within the context of practical activities, and also address literacy and numeracy issues.
Youth engagement has been identified as a key measure in promoting adolescent health programs. Increasing the likelihood of young people voting has also been an outcome of said programs.
It is also seen as central to developing "inclusive participation" in civil society
. Numerous national initiatives have utilized that belief to rationalize a variety of programs, including efforts focused on civic engagement
, social justice
and education reform
. In the latter field, student engagement
is used to specifically address this issues within school
environments. Several researchers, such as Barry Checkoway
, Peter Levine and Shawn Ginwright
, as well as advocates including Karen Pittman and Adam Fletcher
have been acknowledged for their efforts to promote youth engagement.
and civic engagement
has also been cited as a leading barrier.
Youth
Youth is the time of life between childhood and adulthood . Definitions of the specific age range that constitutes youth vary. An individual's actual maturity may not correspond to their chronological age, as immature individuals could exist at all ages.-Usage:Around the world, the terms "youth",...
feel towards a particular person, activity, place or outcome. It has been a focus of youth development, public policy
Public policy
Public policy as government action is generally the principled guide to action taken by the administrative or executive branches of the state with regard to a class of issues in a manner consistent with law and institutional customs. In general, the foundation is the pertinent national and...
and social change
Social change
Social change refers to an alteration in the social order of a society. It may refer to the notion of social progress or sociocultural evolution, the philosophical idea that society moves forward by dialectical or evolutionary means. It may refer to a paradigmatic change in the socio-economic...
movements for at least forty years.
About
A study exploring foster youth and aging outAging out
Aging out is American popular culture vernacular used to describe anytime a youth leaves a formal system of care designed to provide services below a certain age level.There are a variety of applications of the phrase throughout the youth development field...
defines youth engagement as, "involving young people in the creation of their own destinies," and suggest that in social work
Social work
Social Work is a professional and academic discipline that seeks to improve the quality of life and wellbeing of an individual, group, or community by intervening through research, policy, community organizing, direct practice, and teaching on behalf of those afflicted with poverty or any real or...
that means "genuinely involving them in case planning and encouraging them to advocate for themselves." This sentiment was best summarized by youth who said, "Nothing about us without us. The concept of youth engagement has emerged in recent years as a leading-edge, broad-based approach and best practice to meet the needs of youth, including youth at risk. It is a process that offers meaningful participation for youth—that is, participation with passion—and opportunities for youth to take responsibility and leadership while working in partnership with caring adults who value, respect and share power with them.
Research suggests that a supportive family
Family
In human context, a family is a group of people affiliated by consanguinity, affinity, or co-residence. In most societies it is the principal institution for the socialization of children...
background, mentor
Mentor
In Greek mythology, Mentor was the son of Alcimus or Anchialus. In his old age Mentor was a friend of Odysseus who placed Mentor and Odysseus' foster-brother Eumaeus in charge of his son Telemachus, and of Odysseus' palace, when Odysseus left for the Trojan War.When Athena visited Telemachus she...
s or role model
Role model
The term role model generally means any "person who serves as an example, whose behaviour is emulated by others".The term first appeared in Robert K. Merton's socialization research of medical students...
s, involvement in cooperative activities, cultivation of intrinsic interest, awareness of moral
Moral
A moral is a message conveyed or a lesson to be learned from a story or event. The moral may be left to the hearer, reader or viewer to determine for themselves, or may be explicitly encapsulated in a maxim...
and political issues, and traits such as moral sensitivity and optimism
Optimism
The Oxford English Dictionary defines optimism as having "hopefulness and confidence about the future or successful outcome of something; a tendency to take a favourable or hopeful view." The word is originally derived from the Latin optimum, meaning "best." Being optimistic, in the typical sense...
are among the central factors that support youth engagement. A separate study explores "the roles of adult support, a youth-friendly environment, the completion of meaningful tasks, and the learning and utilization of new skill
Skill
A skill is the learned capacity to carry out pre-determined results often with the minimum outlay of time, energy, or both. Skills can often be divided into domain-general and domain-specific skills...
s" as key supports. Other studies suggest that youth council
Youth council
Youth councils are a form of youth voice engaged in community decision-making. Youth councils exist on local, state, provincial, regional, national, and international levels among governments, NGOs, schools, and other entities.-About:...
s, youth-led media
Youth-led media
Youth-led media is any effort created, planned, implemented, and reflected upon by young people in the form of media, including websites, newspapers, television shows and publications.-Movement:...
, youth advisory boards, youth organizing
Youth activism
Youth activism is when the youth voice is engaged in community organizing for social change. Around the world, young people are engaged in activism as planners, researchers, teachers, evaluators, social workers, decision-makers, advocates and leading actors in the environmental movement, social...
and other self-advocacy and community youth development
Community youth development
Community youth development, or CYD, is a philosophy emphasizing the uniquely symbiotic nature of youth development to community development by situating the two practices in a common framework...
activities are the best avenues for achieving youth engagement. Traditional activities such as youth conference
Youth Conference
Youth Conference is a large scale three-day Christian event held in numerous places around the world. The originating event, YC Alberta, is held in Rexall Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada...
s have also been cited. Consulting on public policy
Public policy
Public policy as government action is generally the principled guide to action taken by the administrative or executive branches of the state with regard to a class of issues in a manner consistent with law and institutional customs. In general, the foundation is the pertinent national and...
, involvement in community coalitions, involving youth in organizational decision-making, and school-based service learning have all also been cited as effective venues.
Both the philosophy and activities within a program or activity need to be a "good fit" for the young people participating in them. In the United States, activities and campaigns including those by the National Commission on Resources for Youth
National Commission on Resources for Youth
The National Commission on Resources for Youth was an American program established in 1970. The Commission was charged with identifying and promoting youth participation in schools and communities across the United States, and was largely funded by the U.S...
and Youth Communications
Youth Communications
Youth Communication is a 501 nonprofit youth media organization based in New York City that promotes youth literacy and civic engagement through youth-led media...
have been cited for their effectiveness in engaging young people.
Spectra of activities
Research has identified a spectrum of approaches to youth engagement, beginning with training for adults that work with youth. These range from traditional programs that treat youth as clients to organizations that are led by youth and for youth. There are also groups who foster engagement among traditionally non-involved youth by working to foster more significant youth participationYouth participation
Youth participation is the active engagement of young people throughout their communities. It is often used as a short-hand for youth participation in any many forms, including decision-making, sports, schools and any activity where young people are not historically engaged.-Coinage:Youth...
outside of the program or organization itself. Other points in this spectrum can include:
- Youth-serving: The program targets youth as consumers of service
- Youth input: Youth evaluate or provide feedback on the program
- Youth-engaged: Youth are involved in program development and/or delivery and
- Youth-led: The program concept and/or organization came from youth
- Youth-connecting: The activity facilitates youth interaction and builds connections through social mediums
Each has value, and where a program or groups sits depends on the degree to which youth are engaged in the program with meaningful participation, and the degree to which the organization offering the program has policies and infrastructures to support youth involvement in a meaningful way.
Outcomes
A number of foundations recognize youth engagement as a best practice in programs for young people. For example, the Paul Allen Foundation promotes youth engagement as an avenue to achieving early reading proficiency, expand opportunities for experiential learningExperiential learning
Experiential learning is the process of making meaning from direct experience. Simply put, Experiential Learning is learning from experience. The experience can be staged or left open. Aristotle once said, "For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them." David A...
, and involve young people
Youth participation
Youth participation is the active engagement of young people throughout their communities. It is often used as a short-hand for youth participation in any many forms, including decision-making, sports, schools and any activity where young people are not historically engaged.-Coinage:Youth...
in addressing community needs. The Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation
The Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation
The Walter and Duncan Foundation was founded in 1965 by Walter L. Gordon, his wife, Elizabeth , and his brother, Duncan Gordon. It continues today as a private charitable foundation trying to improve public policy in Canada. Walter Gordon was a Canadian businessman and politician...
in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
supports youth engagement because it believes young Canadians, "already tend to think globally; take advantage of opportunities to expand their understanding of global challenges; want to contribute new ideas and perspectives to the discussion about Canadian international policy and; are creative in their use of new technologies to further their engagement in the world." The Ontario Trillium Foundation
Ontario Trillium Foundation
The Ontario Trillium Foundation , is an agency of the government of Ontario and one of Canada’s leading grantmaking foundations. It was created in 1982...
recognizes youth engagement as a best practice and has been developing a framework to support youth engagement in its grantmaking and encourage applications that include a youth engagement approach. Hands On Learning Australia
Hands On Learning Australia
Hands On Learning Australia is a not-for-profit organisation listed as a Harm Prevention Charity by the Australian Government. The charity was assisted to come into being by Social Ventures Australia and became an Australian company in 2008 with a board of directors providing governance and...
implement youth engagement programs as an integral part of secondary education in Australian schools. These programs attempt to reengage school age youth through building strong relationships within the context of practical activities, and also address literacy and numeracy issues.
Youth engagement has been identified as a key measure in promoting adolescent health programs. Increasing the likelihood of young people voting has also been an outcome of said programs.
It is also seen as central to developing "inclusive participation" in civil society
Civil society
Civil society is composed of the totality of many voluntary social relationships, civic and social organizations, and institutions that form the basis of a functioning society, as distinct from the force-backed structures of a state , the commercial institutions of the market, and private criminal...
. Numerous national initiatives have utilized that belief to rationalize a variety of programs, including efforts focused on civic engagement
Civic engagement
Civic engagement or civic participation has been defined as "Individual and collective actions designed to identify and address issues of public concern."-Forms:...
, social justice
Social justice
Social justice generally refers to the idea of creating a society or institution that is based on the principles of equality and solidarity, that understands and values human rights, and that recognizes the dignity of every human being. The term and modern concept of "social justice" was coined by...
and education reform
Education reform
Education reform is the process of improving public education. Small improvements in education theoretically have large social returns, in health, wealth and well-being. Historically, reforms have taken different forms because the motivations of reformers have differed.A continuing motivation has...
. In the latter field, student engagement
Student engagement
Student engagement occurs when "students make a psychological investment in learning. They try hard to learn what school offers. They take pride not simply in earning the formal indicators of success , but in understanding the material and incorporating or internalizing it in their lives." It is...
is used to specifically address this issues within school
School
A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
environments. Several researchers, such as Barry Checkoway
Barry Checkoway
Barry Checkoway is a Professor of Social Work and Professor of Urban Planning at the University of Michigan School of Social Work. Checkoway is internationally renowned for his contributions to the field of youth studies, particularly focusing on community youth development...
, Peter Levine and Shawn Ginwright
Shawn Ginwright
Shawn A. Ginwright is an Associate Professor of Africana Studies at San Francisco State University and author. A nationally renowned expert in youth development, youth activism and youth engagement, In 2004, he joined the faculty at San Francisco State University where he works with students,...
, as well as advocates including Karen Pittman and Adam Fletcher
Adam Fletcher (activist)
Adam Fletcher is a leading advocate, author, motivational speaker, and educator focused on youth voice and student engagement, recognized for founding The Freechild Project. His work centers on youth studies, critical thinking and the development of democratic society, and has been acknowledged as...
have been acknowledged for their efforts to promote youth engagement.
Challenges
Youth engagement faces a variety of obstacles. They include a "disjunction in what adults believe is important to do with young people, and what they actually do," as well as social norms that encourage youth engagement, and the presence of strong norms the discourage youth/adult partnerships. A historical disconnect between positive youth developmentPositive youth development
Positive youth development, or PYD, refers to intentional efforts of other youth, adults, communities, government agencies, and schools to provide opportunities for youth to enhance their interests, skills, and abilities into their adulthoods...
and civic engagement
Civic engagement
Civic engagement or civic participation has been defined as "Individual and collective actions designed to identify and address issues of public concern."-Forms:...
has also been cited as a leading barrier.