Youth Making Change

The major social and political reforms since World War II all depended on the idealism, ideas, voices and action of the young. Agree or disagree with these movements’ goals, much of the energy that powers civic life in America is generated by our youth.1

Youth are capable of making great change in their communities. This issue of Youth Worker News addresses how youth development organizations can nurture the skills of youth in order to instill habits of community engagement that will continue into adulthood.

After-school programs can provide an excellent opportunity for young people to learn and practice the skills and commitment to civic engagement. A recent study concluded that a large proportion of U.S. teenagers who participate in community-based programs will receive the skills and development to foster civic engagement through early adulthood."2 By emphasizing the importance of youth action in youth development programming, it can create needed change today and develop a sense of civic responsibility among youth that will inevitably lead to lifelong involvement in the community.

Youth are at the forefront already with their action whether it be the immigration rallies, foreign policy issues or the 2006 mid-term elections.

Youth are not only the leaders of tomorrow, but they are the leaders of today. For those who work with youth, there is no doubt that this younger population has the power to change their communities and to change the world! Read below to learn how you can be catalytic in working with youth to make change.

The most successful projects are the ones that are youth-led. - Julie Graves, Pillsbury United Communities, Youth Arts and Academic Coordinator

Youth leadership and entrepreneurship have been the spearhead in the neighborhood and family services of the Pillsbury United Communities (PUC) in Minneapolis, Minnesota. PUC originated in the late 1800’s to improve living conditions in city slums through the settlement house movement. In the past few years, they have incorporated the leadership of young people to enhance the efforts of revitalizing communities.

The Pillsbury United Communities has found that the key to youth engagement is having youth initiate projects that they are passionate about. For example, youth from PUC have worked on social justice issues by addressing immigration and comparing their community needs to those of a community in Mexico. As a result, the youth have created awareness and a movement around immigration policies in their community.

In addition, young people have identified community nutrition and health as a problem in their neighborhoods. To take action, the youth created a neighborhood harvest festival to teach families healthy low-cost recipes and to create a forum for health discussions. All health materials were developed by the youth in English and Spanish to meet the needs of their neighbors and build the capacity for the community to do for itself.

For Nashville to truly benefit from the voice and leadership potential of its youth, young people need training and preparation as leaders, support in finding their voice, as well as opportunities for real involvement in community affairs. - Oasis Center Website

Nashville, Tennessee is no stranger to the importance of youth leadership and action. A local organization, Oasis Center, helped by its merger with Community IMPACT Nashville, has evolved from a local service provider to a powerhouse for creating youth-led changes in their community. With over 36 years in experience of Oasis Center, Oasis Community IMPACT (OCI) continues to “empower youth to develop and lead educational and economic improvement in East Nashville.”3

In February 2006, the youth of OCI released a report College Access: from the Inside Out, the culmination of over 14 months of youth-led research and writing. The goal of the report is to promote student access to the support and resources they need to get them to college. The report has been circulated to thousands of people across the country and has been accompanied by local youth action through student-initiated meetings with school administrators and youth advocacy for college access.

Adults need to listen to youth and help them facilitate the development of their own ideas. At the end of the day, youth need to see how their ideas connect and work in their lives. - Anderson Williams, OCI Director

Although published as a resource for local YMCA programs, the concepts from this guide can be applied to any organization in the country. The YMCA Civic Engagement Guide was produced with a goal to develop civic engagement attitudes, skills and behaviors in young people ages 15 through 22. The publication offers the following six steps that any organization can pursue to promote civic engagement in their programs:

The Youth Policy Action Center (YPAC) is a website that provides youth (and adults) with the tools to “change policies that change young lives.” YPAC promotes opportunities for young people to contact their elected officials and the media. The website was developed in 2004 as a collaborative effort of more than 100 organizations and has been instrumental in advocating for youth issues such as the most recent passage of the Federal Youth Coordination Act. To learn more about the Youth Policy Action Center, click here.

Say Y.E.S. to Youth involves youth in the decision-making process to foster youth engagement strategies. This publication offers any organization the guidelines and tips to create decision-making roles for youth. The Pennsylvania State Cooperative Extension has developed strategies, guidelines, tips and tools, including a sample application, team building activities, a survey instrument and much more. Click here to download the publication.

Political scientists, educators, service-learning advocates and youth development specialists each have their own outlook on youth engagement. From Inspiration to Participation: A Review of Perspectives on Youth Civic Engagement successfully summarizes these different perspectives while focusing on the importance of the common ground of each viewpoint. This report also presents information on the importance of civic engagement as well as the four approaches to fostering youth civic engagement. Click here to download the report.

How engaged are the youth of today? The Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning & Engagement (CIRCLE) has just released its results from their 2006 National Civic and Political Health Survey. This survey takes an up-to-date look at the participation of young people in politics and in their communities. Some general findings from this year’s study include:

Click here to learn more about the current civic and political health of the nation.

In September 2006, two dozen youth community mobilizers (ages 15 – 20) were brought together to share strategies and advice on engaging youth in communities. A brief report was created after the meeting, addressing the importance of involving young people in community action. The report includes eight core principles to creating effective youth engagement strategies. These principles can be used by youth workers to lay the framework for youth action in their own organizations and communities. The report also describes how to make programs work for youth and other tips on promoting youth voice. Click here to read the report from the Forum for Youth Investment.

Grants supporting youth-led service-learning projects are frequently available through Youth Service America and its partners and sponsors. These grants are specifically for youth-serving organizations to plan and implement projects on National Youth Service Day and on-going service throughout the year. A range of grants are available that include low-income communities, projects addressing pediatric cancer, youth with disabilities and much more. Click here to view current awards and grants available.

Thanks to Stephanie Artman for writing and conduting interviews for this newsletter.

Contact Pam Garza at pam@nassembly.org for more information about Youth Worker News or other work of the National Youth Development Learning Network.