The Power of Youth: Developing Youth Advocates

1. The Power of Youth:Developing Youth Advocates Bonnie Favero Katie Connelly VTSF Conference October 7, 2009

2. Young people want to be engaged as change-makers in their lives, their families and their communities. They are disproportionately involved in and affected by the problems that beset communities�drugs, violence, poor education, lack of jobs� and they must be part of the solution. Read quoteRead quote

3. YOUTH EMPOWERMENT Go over Youth Empowerment Continuum�continued on next page Go over Youth Empowerment Continuum�continued on next page

4. YOUTH EMPOWERMENT Go over chart: continued on next pageGo over chart: continued on next page

5. YOUTH EMPOWERMENT Go over chartGo over chart

6. Power Continuum Table in Youth/ Adult Partnerships Partnership Mentoring Representation Consultation Tokenism No Youth Participation Adapted from Roger Hart�s Ladder of Participation Go over Power Continuum Dr. Roger Hart is a professor in the Ph.D. Psychology Program of the Graduate Center of the City University of New York and is co-director of the Children�s Environments Research Group.Go over Power Continuum Dr. Roger Hart is a professor in the Ph.D. Psychology Program of the Graduate Center of the City University of New York and is co-director of the Children�s Environments Research Group.

7. Degrees of Participation � 1) Manipulation. Happens where adults use young people to support causes and pretend that the causes are inspired by young people. This rung of the ladder reflects adultism. 2) Decoration. Happens when young people are used to help or "bolster" a cause in a relatively indirect way, although adults do not pretend that the cause is inspired by young people. This rung of the ladder reflects adultism. 3) Tokenism. When young people appear to be given a voice, but in fact have little or no choice about what they do or how they participate. This rung of the ladder reflects adultism.� �4) Assigned but informed. This is where young people are assigned a specific role and informed about how and why they are being involved. This rung of the ladder can be embodied by community youth boards. �5) Consulted and informed. Happens when young people give advice on projects or programs designed and run by adults. The young people are informed about how their input will be used and the outcomes of the decisions made by adults. This rung of the ladder can be embodied by youth advisory councils. �6) Adult-initiated, shared decisions with young people. Occurs when projects or programs are initiated by adults but the decision-making is shared with the young people. This rung of the ladder can be embodied by participatory action research. 7) Young people-initiated and directed. This step is when young people initiate and direct a project or program. Adults are involved only in a supportive role. This rung of the ladder can be embodied by youth-led activism. 8) Young people-initiated, shared decisions with adults. This happens when projects or programs are initiated by young people and decision-making is shared between young people and adults. These projects empower young people while at the same time enabling them to access and learn from the life experience and expertise of adults. This rung of the ladder can be embodied by youth/adult partnerships. � Degrees of Participation � 1) Manipulation. Happens where adults use young people to support causes and pretend that the causes are inspired by young people. This rung of the ladder reflects adultism. 2) Decoration. Happens when young people are used to help or "bolster" a cause in a relatively indirect way, although adults do not pretend that the cause is inspired by young people. This rung of the ladder reflects adultism. 3) Tokenism. When young people appear to be given a voice, but in fact have little or no choice about what they do or how they participate. This rung of the ladder reflects adultism.� �4) Assigned but informed. This is where young people are assigned a specific role and informed about how and why they are being involved. This rung of the ladder can be embodied by community youth boards. �5) Consulted and informed. Happens when young people give advice on projects or programs designed and run by adults. The young people are informed about how their input will be used and the outcomes of the decisions made by adults. This rung of the ladder can be embodied by youth advisory councils. �6) Adult-initiated, shared decisions with young people. Occurs when projects or programs are initiated by adults but the decision-making is shared with the young people. This rung of the ladder can be embodied by participatory action research. 7) Young people-initiated and directed. This step is when young people initiate and direct a project or program. Adults are involved only in a supportive role. This rung of the ladder can be embodied by youth-led activism. 8) Young people-initiated, shared decisions with adults. This happens when projects or programs are initiated by young people and decision-making is shared between young people and adults. These projects empower young people while at the same time enabling them to access and learn from the life experience and expertise of adults. This rung of the ladder can be embodied by youth/adult partnerships. �

8. Where do your youth activities fit on the continuum? Activity�20 minutes Participants place sticky notes on the wall under the designated title. Discuss Activity�20 minutes Participants place sticky notes on the wall under the designated title. Discuss

9. What do youth bring to the table? Brainstorm a list of attributes that youth bring to the table. Ie. interest, curiosity, excitement, intelligence,etc.Brainstorm a list of attributes that youth bring to the table. Ie. interest, curiosity, excitement, intelligence,etc.

10. Tips for Youth/Adult Partnerships Know Thyself. Speak By Listening. Make It Meaningful. Spread the Wealth. Check Yourself.� Take Practical Steps. Take a Look Inside. Tips The following includes tips and information that can help YOU create lasting and sustainable Youth-Adult Partnerships. � 1. Know Thyself. � When youth and adults work together, they must face some key questions about themselves: Do I appreciate different perspectives?� What stereotypes do I have about others?� Do I judge people based on their clothes rather than their abilities?� Why should I be open to working with youth/adults?� Adults and young people must be willing to honestly address their stereotypes and preconceptions to work together effectively. � 2. Speak By Listening. � All people, regardless of age, have the potential to be both teachers and students.� Unfortunately, we are often too pressed for time, overly task-oriented, or limited by traditional roles, so we neglect to really communicate with one another.� Young people must take a stand for positive change and demand that their voices be heard.� Adults should step back and listen � really listen � to the concerns of young people.� � 3. Make It Meaningful. � All people - youth & adults - need to feel that they are contributing to their communities.� Young people and adults can work together to create meaningful and challenging opportunities to change our communities.� Respect both youth and adults, by thinking about schedules, transportation needs, and other commitments when planning meetings and gatherings.� And don�t forget to recognize everyone�s efforts! 4. Spread the Wealth. � Young people, when involved in the decision-making that will affect their lives, grow more capable, responsible, and trusting of adults.� By working with young people, adults become more energized, creative, and insightful.� Adults and youth who recognize the benefits of working together are great ambassadors to their own peer groups.� Spread the work � youth and adults who work as allies develop a broader base of support and build stronger communities. � 5. Check Yourself. � Read through these questions and ask yourself if you're really ready to create partnerships with young people?�Young people, are you really ready to work with adults? ��������� DO I respect and value the opinions of others no matter how old they are? ��������� DO I seek to involve a diverse group of people in my programs and projects? ��������� WHAT IS my motivation for working with youth/adults? ��������� DO I expect one person to represent the opinions of all youth or all adults? ��������� AM I willing to let go of some of my own control in order to share responsibility? ��������� WHY DO I want to work with adults/youth? WHAT CAN ADULTS DO? ��������� Offer moral support, encouragement, and a little bit of wisdom- with restraint ��������� Help make connections with other supportive adults in the community ��������� Recruit young people to help recruit other young people ��������� Provide a telephone, copier, fax machine, computers, etc. ��������� Supervise events ��������� Share wisdom and experience ��������� Allow young people to find the answers and make mistakes ��������� Make sure that activities are safe and appropriate ��������� Provide training ��������� Help locate funding sources ��������� Provide transportation to projects, community organizations or other locations ��������� Communicate with parents From YAC Tracks: A Step-By-Step Guide for Organizing Community Action Coalitions � the Kansas Office for Community Service and the Points of Light Foundation, 1995 � 6. Take Practical Steps. ��������� Build a team of young people and adults working together with a common purpose ��������� Respect is essential: without basic respect and trust, youth leadership cannot help ��������� Back up young leaders with care and support� young people lack the experience to know that a failure is not the end of the world: they need encouragement and support to learn from mistakes ��������� Structure opportunities for reflection through writing and discussion: a key factor in effective leadership is the ability to learn from experiences and to apply them ��������� Utilize program veterans or older peers in training roles ��������� Avoid tokenism: one or two students on a board may be intimidated or feel inadequate representing all their peers ��������� Establish and maintain accountability ��������� Set responsibilities at appropriate levels � too high: failure is guaranteed; too low: you insult their intelligence and risk boring them. ��������� Involve young people in the process of delegating responsibilities ��������� Model the behaviors you expect from youth leaders ��������� Listen to each other! ��������� Have fun! Based on information from The Generator, Fall 1992, p. 24, The National Youth Leadership Council, Minneapolis, MN. � 7. Take a Look Inside. � Ultimately, we all have to ask ourselves "What is the purpose of youth-adult partnerships?" If we answer that we honesty and integrity, we may find that there are great motivations for this action. We may also discover that we have ulterior motives that aren't so great. Either way, the moral of the story is that we have to be sincere in our desire to engage in partnerships, or else they are bound to fail. Meet the task. Make change now. � � The Freechild Project. (2002). Youth-Adult Partnerships Tip Sheet. Olympia, WA: CommonAction. Tips The following includes tips and information that can help YOU create lasting and sustainable Youth-Adult Partnerships. � 1. Know Thyself. � When youth and adults work together, they must face some key questions about themselves: Do I appreciate different perspectives?� What stereotypes do I have about others?� Do I judge people based on their clothes rather than their abilities?� Why should I be open to working with youth/adults?� Adults and young people must be willing to honestly address their stereotypes and preconceptions to work together effectively. � 2. Speak By Listening. � All people, regardless of age, have the potential to be both teachers and students.� Unfortunately, we are often too pressed for time, overly task-oriented, or limited by traditional roles, so we neglect to really communicate with one another.� Young people must take a stand for positive change and demand that their voices be heard.� Adults should step back and listen � really listen � to the concerns of young people.� � 3. Make It Meaningful. � All people - youth & adults - need to feel that they are contributing to their communities.� Young people and adults can work together to create meaningful and challenging opportunities to change our communities.� Respect both youth and adults, by thinking about schedules, transportation needs, and other commitments when planning meetings and gatherings.� And don�t forget to recognize everyone�s efforts! 4. Spread the Wealth. � Young people, when involved in the decision-making that will affect their lives, grow more capable, responsible, and trusting of adults.� By working with young people, adults become more energized, creative, and insightful.� Adults and youth who recognize the benefits of working together are great ambassadors to their own peer groups.� Spread the work � youth and adults who work as allies develop a broader base of support and build stronger communities. � 5. Check Yourself. � Read through these questions and ask yourself if you're really ready to create partnerships with young people?�Young people, are you really ready to work with adults? ��������� DO I respect and value the opinions of others no matter how old they are? ��������� DO I seek to involve a diverse group of people in my programs and projects? ��������� WHAT IS my motivation for working with youth/adults? ��������� DO I expect one person to represent the opinions of all youth or all adults? ��������� AM I willing to let go of some of my own control in order to share responsibility? ��������� WHY DO I want to work with adults/youth? WHAT CAN ADULTS DO? ��������� Offer moral support, encouragement, and a little bit of wisdom- with restraint ��������� Help make connections with other supportive adults in the community ��������� Recruit young people to help recruit other young people ��������� Provide a telephone, copier, fax machine, computers, etc. ��������� Supervise events ��������� Share wisdom and experience ��������� Allow young people to find the answers and make mistakes ��������� Make sure that activities are safe and appropriate ��������� Provide training ��������� Help locate funding sources ��������� Provide transportation to projects, community organizations or other locations ��������� Communicate with parents From YAC Tracks: A Step-By-Step Guide for Organizing Community Action Coalitions � the Kansas Office for Community Service and the Points of Light Foundation, 1995 � 6. Take Practical Steps. ��������� Build a team of young people and adults working together with a common purpose ��������� Respect is essential: without basic respect and trust, youth leadership cannot help ��������� Back up young leaders with care and support� young people lack the experience to know that a failure is not the end of the world: they need encouragement and support to learn from mistakes ��������� Structure opportunities for reflection through writing and discussion: a key factor in effective leadership is the ability to learn from experiences and to apply them ��������� Utilize program veterans or older peers in training roles ��������� Avoid tokenism: one or two students on a board may be intimidated or feel inadequate representing all their peers ��������� Establish and maintain accountability ��������� Set responsibilities at appropriate levels � too high: failure is guaranteed; too low: you insult their intelligence and risk boring them. ��������� Involve young people in the process of delegating responsibilities ��������� Model the behaviors you expect from youth leaders ��������� Listen to each other! ��������� Have fun! Based on information from The Generator, Fall 1992, p. 24, The National Youth Leadership Council, Minneapolis, MN. � 7. Take a Look Inside. � Ultimately, we all have to ask ourselves "What is the purpose of youth-adult partnerships?" If we answer that we honesty and integrity, we may find that there are great motivations for this action. We may also discover that we have ulterior motives that aren't so great. Either way, the moral of the story is that we have to be sincere in our desire to engage in partnerships, or else they are bound to fail. Meet the task. Make change now. � � The Freechild Project. (2002). Youth-Adult Partnerships Tip Sheet. Olympia, WA: CommonAction.

11. Authentic Youth Engagement Collective Connected Empowering Equitable Focused Healthy Learning Mutually Beneficial Relevant Responsible Substantive Self-motivated Authentic Youth Engagement is� o������� Collective Activities are led by youth and adults together � not individually o������� Connected Activities embody interdependence and model it among youth and adults o������� Empowering Youth voice is a driving force throughout activities o������� Equitable Adults recognize young people have differing backgrounds that require different approaches o������� Focused Activities are appropriately outcome-driven o������� Healthy Respectful disagreement, speaking up, and other avenues that equalize disparities between youth and adults are at the core of the activity o������� Learning Young people gain skills, knowledge and tools to be effect agents of change o������� Mutually Beneficial Young people and adults acknowledge each other�s dreams, actions, outcomes and reflections o������� Relevant Activities are responsive to the lives of young people o������� Responsible Adults and youth develop and sustain their capacity to be �response-able� o������� Substantive Activity design and outcomes are designed to impact individuals, organizations, communities and society Self-Motivated Young people feel driven to participate Authentic Youth Engagement is� o������� Collective Activities are led by youth and adults together � not individually o������� Connected Activities embody interdependence and model it among youth and adults o������� Empowering Youth voice is a driving force throughout activities o������� Equitable Adults recognize young people have differing backgrounds that require different approaches o������� Focused Activities are appropriately outcome-driven o������� Healthy Respectful disagreement, speaking up, and other avenues that equalize disparities between youth and adults are at the core of the activity o������� Learning Young people gain skills, knowledge and tools to be effect agents of change o������� Mutually Beneficial Young people and adults acknowledge each other�s dreams, actions, outcomes and reflections o������� Relevant Activities are responsive to the lives of young people o������� Responsible Adults and youth develop and sustain their capacity to be �response-able� o������� Substantive Activity design and outcomes are designed to impact individuals, organizations, communities and society Self-Motivated Young people feel driven to participate

12. Youth Development Assertions Problem free is not fully prepared Preventing problems does not necessarily promote development Youth development is the best strategy for problem prevention Youth development is the best strategy for achievement The goal is not to fix youth but to develop them. Youth Development Assertions�click one out at a time and read; The new philosophy of youth development has three basic tenets: First, problem-free does not mean fully prepared- preventing high-risk behaviors is not enough. Our expectations for young people must be high and clear. Second, academic skills are not enough- young people are engaged in the development of a full range of competencies (social, vocational, civic, health). Third, competence, in and of itself is not enough. Skill building is best achieved when young people are confident of their abilities, contacts and resources. This means that young people need to be nurtured, guided, empowered, and challenged. They have to be engaged in constructive relationships with peers and adults Continue the discussion by aking: How does this fit into what you learned today? Parting quote on last slide--nextYouth Development Assertions�click one out at a time and read; The new philosophy of youth development has three basic tenets: First, problem-free does not mean fully prepared- preventing high-risk behaviors is not enough. Our expectations for young people must be high and clear. Second, academic skills are not enough- young people are engaged in the development of a full range of competencies (social, vocational, civic, health). Third, competence, in and of itself is not enough. Skill building is best achieved when young people are confident of their abilities, contacts and resources. This means that young people need to be nurtured, guided, empowered, and challenged. They have to be engaged in constructive relationships with peers and adults Continue the discussion by aking: How does this fit into what you learned today? Parting quote on last slide--next

13. Empowering Youth �We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future.� FDR ReadRead

14. References Innovation Center for Community and Youth Development, www.theinnovationcenter.org � Community Toolbox http://ctb.ku.edu.tools � The Forum for Youth Investmentwww.forumforyouthinvestment.org � Alternatives, Inc., www.altinc.org � Youth Service America, www.ysa.org � AED/Center for Youth Development and Policy Research � Youth Leadership Institute, www.yli.org � National Association of Teen Institutes, www.teeninstitute.org � Youth to Youth International, www.y2yint.com The Freechild Project http://www.freechild.org/ladder.htm National Research Council/Institute of Medicine, 2002, Community Programs to Promote Youth Development, National Academy Press, Washington, DC

15. Contact Information Katie Connelly 276-632-7969 Email: kconnelly@piedmontcsb.org Bonnie Favero 276-632-4037 Email: bfavero@piedmontcsb.org