Setting a Prominent Place for Youth at the Table of Community Planning

Topic area: Youth as Contributors

Type: Keynote or workshop

Too often youth are perceived as customers, clients, recipients of services, or problems to be fixed; they are the passengers and adults are the drivers. Youth are 'kept busy' as opposed to being engaged in the planning and execution of community problem solving efforts. In fact, involving youth at the core of these efforts is essential for their success.

In this presentation, participants will:

• Learn why youth involvement is vital, and how it benefits the community
• Identify key steps in successful youth involvement efforts, including recruiting, training, role design, supervision & support, assessment, and recognition
• Understand the challenges of youth-adult partnerships, and how to build effective ones
• Examine visible and 'invisible' barriers to youth involvement, and how to overcome them
• Develop plans for increasing the breadth and depth of youth involvement in the community and its organizations

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