Let Their Voices Be Heard: Youth Involvement in the Community

Did you know youth across the nation have reported that they don’t feel they have enough opportunities to contribute to meaningful roles in their communities? This is bewildering data considering the benefits youth voice has on community development and enhancing their own leadership skills.

Benefit #1: Youth develop important life skills

Responsibility, collaborating with a team, and planning just to name a few. Bonus: development of these skills contributes to enhanced academic achievement!

Benefit #2: Youth bring fresh perspectives to the table

Adolescence is a popular time to explore social justice and political issues. Their unique and individual ideas on these topics can bring new experiences to light which adults may not be thinking about. Young people also have a knack for challenging others when they have concerns.

Benefit #3: Opportunities for youth-adult connections

Caring adult mentors are an invaluable resource for promoting positive youth development, a framework that addresses youth as individuals with potential rather than problems to be dealt with. When youth are encouraged to work with adults on important community projects, it allows more opportunities for youth to connect with adult mentors who can provide guidance, encouragement, and emotional support.

Benefit #4: More positive attitudes toward young people

Opportunities to work more with young people and learn more about them can enhance adult attitudes toward young people. Adults develop more confidence in the abilities of youth while also developing greater enthusiasm for their own role in the community when fostering successful partnerships with youth.

A youth organization that excels when it comes to developing youth leadership and encouraging youth to get involved in their communities is the 4-H program. One goal of the 4-H program is to foster leadership opportunities for youth through various programs and leadership opportunities such as serving as youth members on county 4-H councils. These individuals receive all the same voting rights as any adult member of the council.

What are other youth organizations doing to ensure youth voices are heard?

References

Calabrese, R.L., & Schumer, H. (1986). The effects of service activities on adolescent alienation. Adolescence, 21(83), 675-687.

Huber, M.S.Q. (2001, June). Enhancing out-of-school activities in Barry County: Improvements desired by middle, high school, and alternative school students, Unpublished manuscript. (Available from the Department of Family and Child Ecology, Michigan State University, 203A Human Ecology Building, East Lansing, MI 48824-1030).

Leadership Development. (2022). Retrieved from Nebraska 4-H: https://4h.unl.edu/priorities/leadership-development

Lerner, J. V., Phelps, E., Forman, Y., & Bowers, E. P. (2009). Positive youth development. In R. M. Lerner & L. Steinberg (Eds.), Handbook of adolescent psychology: Individual bases of adolescent development (pp. 524–558). John Wiley & Sons Inc. https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470479193.adlpsy001016

Quon Huber, M. S., Frommeyer, J., Weisenbach, A. & Sazama, J. (2003). Giving youth a voice in their own community and personal development: Strategies and impacts of bringing youth to the table. In F. A. Villarruel, D. F. Perkins, L. M. Borden, & J. G. Keith (Eds.), Community youth development: Programs, policies, and practices (pp. 297-323). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Rhodes, J.E., Bogat, G.A., Roffman, J., Edelman, P., Galasso, L. (2002). Youth mentoring in perspective: Introduction to the special issue. American Journal of Community Psychology 30(2), 149-155.