scholarly journals Toward an understanding of youth in community governance: Policy priorities and research directions

2012 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 77-95 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shepherd Zeldin ◽  
Linda Camino ◽  
Matthew Calvert
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Youth Development ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Youth Engagement ◽  
Youth Organizations ◽  
Negative Stereotypes ◽  
Community Governance ◽  
Advisory Boards

For more than a decade, many researchers and practitioners have endorsed a “positive youth development” approach, which views adolescents as active contributors to their own development and as assets to their communities. As part of this shift, youth are increasingly being invited to engage in community governance. In youth organizations, schools, community organizations, and public policy arenas, youth are making strong contributions to advisory boards and planning councils, and are integrally involved in key day-to-day functions such as program design, budgeting, outreach, public relations, training, and evaluation. State and local policy-makers are also beginning to endorse the engagement of youth in community governance. This policy endorsement, however, has largely occurred independent of scholarship on adolescent development. In this Social Policy Report, our aim is to help bridge this gap. We discuss the cultural context for youth engagement, theoretical rationales and innovative models, empirical evidence, and priorities for policy and research. Why involve youth in community governance? Three main theoretical rationales have been established: Ensuring social justice and youth representation, building civil society, and promoting youth development. Moreover, across the country, innovative models demonstrate that the theory can be effectively translated into policy. Finally, a strong research base supports the practice. When youth are engaged in meaningful decision-making – in families, schools, and youth organizations – research finds clear and consistent developmental benefits for the young people. An emerging body of research shows that organizations and communities also derive benefits when youth are engaged in governance. Several directions need to be pursued for youth engagement to exert a maximum positive impact on young people and their communities. We recommend three areas for policy development. First, public awareness of the practice needs to be better established. Societal expectations for youth remain low and negative stereotypes remain entrenched in the mass media. Second, more stable funding is needed for youth engagement. It will be especially critical to support community-based youth organizations because these places are likely to remain the primary catalysts for youth engagement in the civic life of communities. Third, it is necessary to build local capacity by supporting outreach and training through cross-sector community coalitions and independent, nonprofit intermediary organizations. These entities are best positioned to convince stakeholder groups to chart, implement, and sustain youth engagement. It is equally important to broaden the scientific context for youth engagement in community governance. Priorities for scholars are to focus research on understanding: the organizational and community outcomes that emanate from engaging youth in governance; the competencies that youth bring to governance; and how the practice of youth engagement can be sustained by communities.

Youth Development in Europe

2009 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 372-375 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katariina Salmela-Aro ◽  
Ingrid Schoon
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Relationship Quality ◽  
Youth Development ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
Transition To Adulthood ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Integrative Framework ◽  
Reciprocal Interactions ◽  
The Family ◽  
Key Players

A series of six papers on “Youth Development in Europe: Transitions and Identities” has now been published in the European Psychologist throughout 2008 and 2009. The papers aim to make a conceptual contribution to the increasingly important area of productive youth development by focusing on variations and changes in the transition to adulthood and emerging identities. The papers address different aspects of an integrative framework for the study of reciprocal multiple person-environment interactions shaping the pathways to adulthood in the contexts of the family, the school, and social relationships with peers and significant others. Interactions between these key players are shaped by their embeddedness in varied neighborhoods and communities, institutional regulations, and social policies, which in turn are influenced by the wider sociohistorical and cultural context. Young people are active agents, and their development is shaped through reciprocal interactions with these contexts; thus, the developing individual both influences and is influenced by those contexts. Relationship quality and engagement in interactions appears to be a fruitful avenue for a better understanding of how young people adjust to and tackle development to productive adulthood.

scholarly journals Positive Youth Development in the 21st Century: Exploring Online Environments

2013 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 16-26
Author(s):  
Mark Light ◽  
Jessica Falkenthal
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Youth Development ◽  
Positive Youth Development ◽  
21St Century ◽  
Target Audience ◽  
Youth Organizations ◽  
Mobile Media ◽  
Target Populations ◽  
Online Environments ◽  
New Strategies

The manner that young people and adults are communicating with each other is rapidly changing in society that is, in part, driven by the latest technology. As a youth-driven program, we must engage in new strategies and methods by which we communicate with youth members, volunteers, families, and the community at large. Social and mobile media are a growing and popular venue for much of our target audience and youth development practitioners must learn how to leverage these networks to create positive youth development in online environments. If we ignore and don’t engage in the opportunity to be connected to youth online, then youth are left to make their own paths online and set the online norms. As youth organizations, we also must seize the opportunity to be online mentors and use the resources that are available and being used by our target populations.

Queer and Trans Youth Organizing

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Sinclair-Palm
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Youth Development ◽  
Sexuality Education ◽  
Social Inequalities ◽  
Youth Organizing ◽  
Youth Organizations ◽  
Power Structures ◽  
Civic Society ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Trans Youth

Youth organizing is a form of civic engagement and activism. It offers a way for young people to identify and address social inequalities impacting their local and global communities. Youth are provided opportunities to learn about power structures and pathways to create meaningful change to support their communities. In formal institutional approaches, youth organizing is understood as part of positive youth development and a strategy to train young people about civic society and democracy. Youth organizing is also seen as a way for young people to seek support, empowerment, and resources and to develop their leadership capacity. Central to the field of youth organizing are questions on the role of youth within youth organizing. Researchers examine the leadership structure within youth organizations, the acquisition of resources for the organization, the process for identifying issues that the organization will address, and how youth experience their involvement. Youth organizing has been especially important for young marginalized people who may feel isolated and face harassment and discrimination. Researchers have extensively documented how youth organizing by people of color and lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer and questioning (LGBTQ) young people in North America have played a large role in fights for social justice. However, it was not until the mid-20th century that queer and trans youth started organizing in groups connected by their shared experiences and identities related to their sexuality and gender. The development of Gay–Straight Alliances (GSAs) in schools and debates about sexuality education in schools provide examples for exploring LGTBQ youth organizing in the 21st century.

scholarly journals Components of Camp Experiences for Positive Youth Development

2007 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 15-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karla A. Henderson
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Youth Development ◽  
Positive Youth Development ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Essential Elements ◽  
National Study ◽  
Youth Organizations ◽  
Religiously Affiliated ◽  
For Profit ◽  
Program Components

Youth development specialists advocate that well designed, implemented, and staffed youth centered programs result in positive outcomes for young people. Youth organizations have provided opportunities for young people to participate in camping experiences for over a century. The purpose of this paper is to describe what program components were related to camp environments and positive youth development. We describe these program components related to positive youth development based on a large scale national study of ACA (American Camp Association) accredited camps that included independent, religiously affiliated, government, and not-for-profit organizations. Based on the responses given by camp directors, contact and leadership from trained staff and the supportive relationships they provided were essential elements of camp. Other aspects leading to positive youth development in camps were program mission and structure along with elements of accountability, assessment of outcomes, and opportunities for skill building.

scholarly journals Voluntary Youth-Serving Organizations: Responding to the Needs of Young People and Society in the Last Century

2011 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 137-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzanne M. LeMenestrel ◽  
Lisa A. Lauxman
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Youth Development ◽  
Youth Organizations

As many national youth-serving organizations have either celebrated their 100th anniversaries or are approaching their centennials, we take a step back to celebrate these organizations’ accomplishments, but also to examine how youth organizations have responded positively to the youth development philosophy and approach to programming. The focus of this paper is on those organizations in which participation by youth is voluntary.

scholarly journals Volunteer Training Needs for Successful 4-H STEM Programs

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 97-109
Author(s):  
Karen L Franck ◽  
Joseph L Donaldson
Keyword(s):  
Focus Groups ◽  
Youth Development ◽  
Stem Education ◽  
Youth Engagement ◽  
Youth Organizations ◽  
Volunteer Training ◽  
Limited Knowledge ◽  
Stem Programs ◽  
Career Pathway ◽  
Science Building

Informal STEM education programs through youth-serving organizations like 4-H have the potential to help youth prepare for future STEM careers. Volunteers continue to be an important way to mentor and provide programs for youth with support and guidance from professionals working for youth organizations. 4-H STEM programs present challenges for 4-H professionals and traditional 4-H volunteers who often have limited knowledge and confidence in their ability to teach STEM skills. Recruiting science experts as volunteers to lead 4-H STEM programs is one way to provide these programs, but some experts have limited knowledge about youth development and how to engage youth. Findings from the 4-H Science: Building a 4-H Career Pathway initiative are discussed here related to volunteer training, volunteer recruitment and retention and resources needed for 4-H professionals and volunteers to successfully implement 4‑H STEM programs. A process evaluation was conducted that included focus groups and interviews in 3 states that participated in the initiative. Focus groups and interviews were conducted with youth, parents, volunteers, and 4-H professionals involved in 4-H STEM programs. Themes included the need for volunteer training focused on increasing STEM knowledge and skills as well as pedagogy and youth engagement, the need for training for 4-H professionals related to STEM skills so they could support volunteer efforts, and the need to use diverse methods to recruit science experts and other volunteers for these programs.

scholarly journals Kazakhstan Youth Associations through the Prism of Public Opinion of Young Generation

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhadyra Kaliyeva ◽  
Altynay Zhurasova ◽  
Nadezhda Shakhmatova ◽  
Salima Uzakova
Keyword(s):  
Public Opinion ◽  
Young People ◽  
Political Life ◽  
Young Generation ◽  
Youth Engagement ◽  
Youth Organizations ◽  
Social Mechanism ◽  
The Public ◽  
Social Instability ◽  
Sociological Studies

Results of the sociological studies, performed by means of a questionnaire (quota-area sample), are provided by the authors in the article. It is noted that youth organizations in the modern Kazakhstan are actively developing, playing an increasing role in life of the young generation. Meanwhile, every third young Kazakhstan was undecided during the questionnaire, and this confirms a significant level of inactivity of the most part of the youth. It is emphasized that a disparity between two components of the integration mechanism – youth engagement in one or other structure and identification with them – is observed in terms of social instability and uncertainty. Consequently, integration becomes necessary, more equivalent to mechanical integration than organically established interrelation. There are three approaches in the public opinion of the youth on the development of youth organizations – as a political and ideological structure (dominant), as a social mechanism of socialization, and responses to problems, needs and demands of the youth. Conclusions on a flexible ambiguity and a synthetical nature of the modern youth organizations of Kazakhstan, integrating traditional and paternalistic, and innovation-democratic beliefs and practices, were made on the basis of the performed analysis. And the first dominates over the second ones. At the same time, the youth associations were divided in those, which were created and controlled ‘from upstairs’ (more according to the youth opinion), and those, which were created upon the initiative ‘from below’. It was noted that in the case of orientation to (in the estimation of most people) youth engagement into political life of the society, many organizations solve problems of the society, but not of the youth. Moreover, nowadays most of the modern youth of Kazakhstan considers that the need of young people in public youth organizations has always been a priority. It means applicability and need of modern youth organizations during a troubled period of the society transformation, when young people need support of the society, solution of social problems and assistance, in order to implement themselves and their positive personal qualities, perfect themselves intellectually and spiritually, and to impact on public processes. Also this confirms that the Kazakhstan youth has a considerable potential of public activism.

scholarly journals Selecting a Name for a 4-H Club

EDIS ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 2006 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marilyn N. Norman ◽  
Joy C. Jordan
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Youth Development ◽  
Geographic Area ◽  
Youth Engagement ◽  
Working Together ◽  
Common Goals ◽  
Wise Choice ◽  
Development Department

Each 4-H club is a unique group of young people working together toward common goals. A club name should reflect the purpose(s) of the club, and often relates to the project(s) the club participates in, the geographic area where members live, or where the club meets. One of the first ways to develop a sense of belongingness and youth engagement is allowing all of the members to participate in selecting a name for the club. Information in this sheet may help guide members in making a wise choice. This document is 4HS FS101.7, one of a series of the 4-H Youth Development Department, UF/IFAS Extension. Published May 2006. 

RAISE IT UP!! Youth Arts and Awareness

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Natasha Thomas-Jackson
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Social Justice ◽  
Young People ◽  
Social Transformation ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Community Leaders ◽  
Youth Engagement ◽  
Literary Arts ◽  
Systemic Oppression ◽  
Creative Self

RAISE IT UP! Youth Arts and Awareness (RIU) is an organization that promotes youth engagement, expression, and empowerment through the use of performance and literary arts and social justice activism. We envision a world where youth are fully recognized, valued, and supported as artist-activists and emerging thought leaders, working to create a world that is just, intersectional, and inclusive. Two fundamental tenets shape RIU’s policies, practices, and pedagogy. The first is that creative self-expression and culture making are powerful tools for personal and social transformation. The second is that social justice is truly possible only if and when we are willing to have transparent and authentic conversations about the oppression children experience at the hands of the adults in their lives. We are committed to amplifying youth voices and leadership and building cross-generational solidarity among people of all ages, particularly those impacted by marginalization. Though RIU is focused on and driven by the youth, a large part of our work includes helping adult family members, educators, and community leaders understand the ways in which systemic oppression shapes our perceptions of and interactions with the young people in our homes, neighborhoods, institutions, and decision-making bodies.

YOUTH POLICY IN MODERN RUSSIA. ABSENTEEISM AND POLITICAL PROTEST

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
G.I. AVTSINOVA ◽  
М.А. BURDA
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Political Stability ◽  
Political Agenda ◽  
The Political ◽  
Political Protest ◽  
Youth Organizations ◽  
Youth Policy ◽  
The Government ◽  
Russian Politics ◽  
High Level

The article analyzes the features of the current youth policy of the Russian Federation aimed at raising the political culture. Despite the current activities of the government institutions in the field under study, absenteeism, as well as the protest potential of the young people, remains at a fairly high level. In this regard, the government acknowledged the importance of forming a positive image of the state power in the eyes of young people and strengthen its influence in the sphere of forming loyal associations, which is not always positively perceived among the youth. The work focuses on the fact that raising the loyalty of youth organizations is one of the factors of political stability, both in case of internal turbulence and external influence. The authors also focus on the beneficiaries of youth protests. The authors paid special attention to the issue of forming political leadership among the youth and the absence of leaders expressing the opinions of young people in modern Russian politics. At the same time, youth protest as a social phenomenon lack class and in some cases ideological differences. The authors come to the conclusion that despite the steps taken by the government and political parties to involve Russian youth in the political agenda, the young people reject leaders of youth opinion imposed by the authorities, either cultivating nonparticipation in the electoral campagines or demonstrating latent protest voting.

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