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Positive Relationships & Workplaces Help Foster Youth Voice
Many studies that examine potential solutions to complex problems highlight youth voice as a key component of success. Research shows us that including young people in decision-making processes about everything from climate change mitigation to addressing homelessness can lead to innovative solutions and more compassionate responses. It can feel risky to hand over leadership roles to youth, and it can also be challenging in practice. Even so, young people have so much to offer that, in many cases, we can’t afford to exclude them if we want to make real progress on the most pressing issues facing us today. Fortunately, we have data to guide us, and the research points to two critical ingredients for fostering youth agency and voice.
First, youth-focused programs that create structures for positive relationships between youth and adults are more responsive to youth input. When youth perceive that they have a meaningful relationship with an adult in the program, it helps them feel comfortable speaking up and, in turn, leads to more productive developmental outcomes. Youth who feel they are heard when sharing their opinions perceive more benefits from program participation and also carry their sense of efficacy forward to other experiences. When young people have formative experiences that reinforce the value of their ideas, they are more likely to build a sense of efficacy and continue to share their voices.
Second, workers in youth-facing roles are more likely to foster youth voice when they themselves feel a sense of efficacy in their organization and are empowered to make decisions related to their work. For example, staff in an afterschool program who are given autonomy to choose activities that meet the needs of a given context or group of youth are more likely to listen and respond positively when program participants offer feedback. When leadership fosters agency among staff, they are better equipped to build agency among the youth with whom they work.
These two components can come in all shapes and sizes. Countless ways exist to help youth form positive relationships and to encourage youth-facing staff to be empowered decision-makers. Regardless of what it looks like in a specific organization, it is essential that we foster efficacy among youth by responding productively to their input and ideas. Young people will carry that confidence with them and may just help us create a healthier and more just world if we take the time to listen.