Youth Voice
Stages of Youth Voice
Successfully Involving Youth
Youth Focus Group Protocol for ISY
Youth Voice Assessment
Youth Focus Group Tip Sheet
Youth Focus Group Protocol for OSY
Link to Youth Voice Websites
Ideas for Successfully Involving Youth
If we are going to devise strategies to help vulnerable youth in Massachusetts, we should ask these kids what they think. Young people need to be involved in solving society's problems because the expertise they bring to the table - the expertise of being young people who are sometimes at the heart of the problem as well as the solution - is unique and important.
Young people do not feel that they are important to the leaders of Massachusetts. Policies must respond to and reflect the realities of young peoples lives and deliver fair, just and effective initiatives and programs that are accountable to young people and their communities.
Today, more than ever, there are no limits to what youth can achieve, especially when they are equipped with the right tools, the right plan, the right support, and the right attitude.
The following are steps that organizations may consider when implementing youth voice.
- Assessing Organizational Readiness for Youth Voice--Organizations that have been most successful in implementing youth voice have put much effort in creating a safe and supportive environment for the youth. Determine your group's readiness by using a Youth Voice Readiness Assessment. Provide training for adults on how to work effectively with youth.
- Developing a Youth Voice Plan--Identify projects and activities that could fit into the organizations goals for adult-youth partnership efforts. Choose and train staff responsible for a youth orientation and training. Devise strategies to recruit youth to become involved. Part of the appeal for youth is the social aspect. It is important for the youth to have casual interaction time together, like eating and just talking.
- Implementing Youth Voice--Provide training to the adults working on the project. Provide an orientation and support to the youth. Determine your model for youth involvement. Give youth roles in which they are likely to succeed. Young people are usually more skilled in sharing their experiences than in analyzing systems. Some possible roles are:
- Create and conduct youth customer satisfaction survey
- Develop an evaluation tool
- Provide outreach and recruitment
- Develop marketing materials
- Identify needs and gaps
- Perform research
- Resource mapping
- Act as Peer Educators
- Youth in Philanthropy
- Develop a website by and for youth
Tips
- Provide stipends to compensate youth for their participation
- Ensure that someone will make calls and arrange rides for youth
- Provide food for the youth; give the youth time to socialize
- Develop a mentoring plan
- Have more than just one or two youth participate
