Youth Input, Leadership, and Direction

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Programs and activities should provide youth with opportunities to affirm their sense of self, identify with others that are similar and different to themselves, and take action. Program staff should not decide how to best reflect the young people’s interests; rather, they need to get youth input. Youth who feel they are contributing to the development of the programs and activities will feel ownership of the programs and a sense of purpose, and programs that reflect the diversity of the youth will be more successful.^{40, 18, 15} Organizations that allow youth to participate in program design and development not only build strong, positive adult-youth relationships, but also an environment where youth feel welcome and safe.^{39, 331, 4}

Getting youth input can be formal (e.g., youth advisory boards, focus groups, etc.) or informal (e.g., in-person). Program staff should consider how groups of youth interact with these strategies, especially youth who may not feel included or safe in the program.^{23, 39} The point of getting youth input is to learn about the interests of the youth who participate in the program and then develop activities that align with those interests.^{43, 16}

This does not mean consulting youth regarding decisions that have already been made or with only token options.³⁹ The influence youth have on decisions in the program needs to be real and meaningful in order for it to contribute to a positive, welcoming, and safe environment.¹⁸ In cases when it is not possible to involve youth in decision-making, it is helpful to explain why they were not included and how the decision was reached.³⁹ Each youth program should include a structure for youth input that fits within the overall arrangement of the program.

Note, youth input should not only focus on programs and activities but also be part of the process of developing systems and rules that govern the youth program space (see section on Rules, Systems, and Language).³⁹

To further support youth input, direction, and leadership, youth program staff need to understand the concerns of the youth in the program.²³ To do this, staff should educate themselves and other program staff about the issues faced by youth. In particular, they should increase their understanding of youth who may see themselves as different due to social class, ability, sexuality, gender identity, citizenship, race, ethnicity, or culture. This understanding allows staff to see the humanity of people from different groups^{46, 24} and contributes to their capacity for creating programs for all youth.