Engaging the next generation of youth

Youth engagement is about youth voice and choice; it’s when youth set goals, make plans and reflect on experiences. Youth are challenged, have a growth mindset and deepen their learning.  One could say youth engagement is positive youth development. 

A couple of terms to consider when talking about youth engagement are:

• Youth and adult partnerships are relationships in which there is shared power between youth and adults, and all parties have equal opportunities to contribute, make decisions, use their skills and learn from each other.
• Youth voice is defined as the active, distinct and concentrated ways young people represent themselves throughout society. Youth voice is the actions, attitudes, wisdom, ideas, opinions and all the ways young people express themselves.

Determining your level of youth engagement

In my work with the Minnesota 4-H program, I have used the visual of Hart’s Ladder of Participation to determine the level of youth engagement within a program. Hart’s Ladder has eight rungs that are divided into three sections. 

The top of the ladder is what the University of Minnesota 4-H Youth Development program strives for — youth and adults working together to develop and carry out planning. 

The middle is advisory, where youth are involved in sharing input and leading, but it is still the adults making decisions. 

The bottom rungs are examples of non-participation, where youth are placed into roles without any power in decision making. 

Looking at the ladder, where would you place your youth program?

Keep in mind that it is important to recognize that the level of youth engagement does depend on the age of youth. Younger youth may be in a participatory role or asked for their input, but the goal should be building their skills to be in full partnerships with caring adults as they develop. 

Youth development programs are perfect learning environments for youth to build skills and have the support of caring adults if they fail.   

Ideas to improve youth engagement

Here are ideas gathered from trainings across the state to improve youth engagement in 4-H clubs and programs—they should work for any youth development program: 

• Include youth in planning the meeting or activity
• Pair up newer members with more experienced members
• Provide youth opportunities to have voice in making decisions that matter to them
• Have a meeting where adults only talk when asked