15 points

1. 15 Points
Successfully
Involving Youth in
Decision-Making

2. Point 1 – Define Decision-
Making
 Making choices about
action
 Give young people the
chance to participate in
the decisions that affect
their lives
 Making Decision
involves:
1. Planning activities
2. Researching alternatives
3. Recruiting people
4. Directing action
5. Evaluating experiences
6. Advocating for change
7. Mentoring one another

3. Decision-Making is Changing
 In the past, organizational decision-making
was a formal process, voting when the
chairperson called for a vote.
 Involving youth in decision-making the
process can be more dynamic, involving
internet surveys and discussion groups.
 Decisions-making can be big and small –
they happen everyday, everywhere.

4. Decision-Making Can be Big &
Small
 Examples of Decision-making
1. E-mail to a supervisor
2. Involvement in planning a town hall
meeting
3. Participation in a hiring committee
 “There is no surer way to teach responsible
decision-making than to involve young people in
decision-making that is bigger than themselves –
that is, community decision-making. That
community can be a youth group, a classroom, an
organization, a neighborhood, a city, or a nation.”

5. Does Every Person Have a
Voice?
 Four Types of Decision-
Making
1. Consensus – everyone must
agree
2. Top-down – A “chain of
command”, delegates to
make decisions, take action
3. Majority Rule – greatest
number of people makes the
choice for the group
4. No Structure – decisions
are made with no specific
process, people make
individual decisions

6. Decision-Making Model
1. Define the
opportunity or
problem
2. Identify the possible
alternatives/choices
3. Select a preferred
course of action
4. Implement the action
5. Evaluate the results

7. Basic Assumptions about Youth in
Decision-Making
 Involvement should strive
towards equal partnership
 Create a culture that honors
youth as full members of
our community
 Involvement should
include:
1. Right to raise issues
2. Challenge assumptions
3. Provide input
4. Conduct research
5. Vote on decisions
6. Reflect on experience

8. Basic Assumptions…
(continued)
 Decision-making
doesn’t just happen in
meetings
1. Between meetings
2. In subcommittees
3. In social gatherings
4. Phone conversations
email, text messages

9. Ways to Involve Youth
 Budgets: How activities
are funded
 Policy-making: Youth
perspective for rules,
legislation that affect youth,
families, communities
 Research: Youth identify
issues that affect them
 Curriculum design: What
will meet their needs?
 Technology: Youth assets,
web design, technology
assistance
 Evaluation: Offer youth
perspective
 Grant-making: Offer youth
perspective; learn valuable
skills

10. Point 2 – Know Why You
Want to Involve Youth
 Involving young people
in decision-making…
1. Helps them feel more
connected with their
communities
2. Leads to positive feelings
about belonging
3. Promotes community
ownership
4. Encourages civic
engagement and dedication
to others
Youth today…leaders
tomorrow

11. Common Motivations for
Involving Youth
 Youth are uniquely
qualified to say what
works for young people
 Programs become more
effective when youth
are involved (teaching,
mentoring)
 Youth energy/action
brings groups to life!
 Young people demand
action (discussion,
brainstorming, skill
building)
 Often decisions are
made by adults – youth
deserve to have their
voice heard!
 Meaningful
opportunities offer
learning experiences for
youth & adults
 Youth excitement can
energize the community
 Youth involvement
leads to community
engagement, more
young people may stay
and work in your
community

12. Develop a Vision, Goals &
Objectives
 Involve youth in the process
 What is the Vision for youth
involvement?
Example: “ABC organization will work to
sustain democracy in our community by
engaging youth as leaders in all our
activities.”
 State your Goals
1. Goals sets a benchmark for your
organization
2. Goals should be realistic and attainable
 Define your Objectives
1. Specific steps to reach your Goals
2. Create specific objectives for each activity

13. Here’s an Example…
 Goals: The Board of Directors of ABC organization will be
restructured to ensure that one-quarter of its members are
young people.
 Objectives:
1. Adults will be trained in how to partner with youth as equals
by October of this year.
2. All youth members will be conferred with full membership on
the Board.
3. The organization coordinator will devote 1/10th
of her time
monthly to supporting youth members.
4. The agency will commit 2.5 percent of the annual budget for
board and staff development in this area.

14. Point 3 – Assess Your
Organization
 Conduct an Organizational Assessment
based on the 15 Points (p. 39-42)
 Do you have “Buy-In” from your members to
involve youth?
 Consider conducting youth-adult
one-on-one conversations
 Discuss member’s hopes & fears about
involving youth

15. Point 4 – Determine Your
Approach
 Two General
Approaches
1. Involve young people
directly in an existing
adult body.
 Add board positions for
youth members
2. Set up an adjunct body
consisting of young
people only.
 How will the group provide
input to the primary
governing body?
 What staff support is
available to keep the youth
group functioning well?

16. Determine Your Approach
(continued)
 Discuss the pros and
cons: whether to add youth
to an existing group or
create an adjunct youth
body
 Involve youth in the
decision
 Remember to consider the
group’s Vision and Goals
 Be open to making changes
in group’s structure

17. Point 5 – Overcome Organizational
Barriers
 Are there limiting attitudes & logistical challenges
that prevent youth from fully participating in your
organization?
 Define the Barriers – what barriers will likely pop up?
 Do you need to adjust your by-laws?
 Do members hold stereotypical views about youth?
What are your beliefs?
 Is the meeting schedule and location for meetings
flexible?
 Language – do you use jargon, abbreviations?
 Does your group have a recruitment plan?

18. Point 6 – Overcome Personal
Barriers
 What do we expect from young people?
 Do we expect excellence & initiative or do we coddle
or control them?
 The Role of Power – adults have more power &
resources than youth
 “Adultism” – Behavior, action, language or
limitation placed on youth people’s rights that does
not afford them the respect they deserve.
 Could you see a young person as a partner or only
someone to mentor? Are there things you could
learn from a young person?

19. Point 7 – Address Legal Issues
 Does your organization
have any legal
limitations for involving
youth?
 Does your organization
need to rewrite by-laws,
goals and objectives to
include youth members?
 Will youth members be
voting members?

20. Point 8 – Recruit Young
People
 Steps for Effective
Recruitment:
1. Be clear about what
you want and develop
a job description
2. Define a recruitment
process
3. Recruit candidates
4. Select candidates
5. Notify those accepted
and rejected
6. Document and
evaluate your process

21. What Should You Look For?
 Watch for over-committed youth, do they have the
time to give to your organization or are they only
looking for a resume building opportunity?
 Readiness for your organization
 Confidence, assertiveness to speak up among adults
 Readiness for responsibility
 Willingness to work
 Motivation for the job, passion for the cause
 Connections with other youth, can help with
recruitment

22. Point 9 – Create a Strong Orientation
Process
1. Create a letter of
agreement, including
responsibilities
2. Offer an orientation
session
3. Create opportunities for
ongoing
orientation/training
4. Conduct orientation for
parents/guardians
5. Find an Adult Ally for
youth members
6. Encourage youth to ask
questions or ask for help
if needed

23. Point 10 – Develop Young
Leaders
 Essentials of
Supporting Young
Leaders
1. Identify the basic
skills needed to do the
job
2. What training is
needed? Create a
training plan
3. Choose
learning/training
methods
4. Reflect, evaluate
lessons learned
5. Sustain interest

24. Point 11 – Provide Intergenerational
Training
 Bridge the gap between
adults and young people
so they can work more
effectively together
 Help adults remember
what is was like to be a
young person
 Helps youth respect where
adults are coming from
 Helps people really listen
to each other
 “What do we have in
common” rather than “how
are we different?”

25. Point 12 – Facilitate Successful
Meetings
 Create interactive
agendas, how can
we incorporate
interactive activities
in the agenda?
 What roles do we
want specific young
people and adults
to play during the
meeting?

26. Making Meetings More
Interactive
 Consider time, space,
materials
 Get off to a good start
with check-in questions
 Brainstorm
 Talk in pairs
 Use small groups
 Go-around at closing
 Reflect how the meeting
or an activity went
 Meet as committees

27. Point 13 – Foster Youth/Adult
Partnerships
“Young people are learning about life in
everything that they do, including the work
they do with you. Your work together will be
more successful if you get to know the
whole young person – the one he or she is
outside of his or her role with your
organization. Strong, respectful
relationships with adults and with each other
give young people the safety and confidence
to lead in their communities and transform
their own lives.”
(15 Points: Successfully Involving Youth in Decision Making)

28. It’s About Relationships…
“All successful
community change
programs work
because of people’s
relationships with
each other.”

29. Tips for Cultivating
Partnerships
 Let young people
be in charge – the
best way for young
people to learn is
by doing.
 Remember that you
do not always know
better
 Remember the
importance of
involving parents
 Be consistent and
follow through with
what you say
 Never believe that
young people don’t
have an opinion
 Speak to young
people with respect
 Remember to have
fun!

30. Point 14 – Develop a Mentoring
Plan
 Mentors as Allies –
Allies support and learn
from the person they
mentor
 Mentoring is a necessity
for new members
 Designate current
members for new youth
members to help
coordinate, troubleshoot
and facilitate the young
person’s involvement
 Follow-through

31. Point 15 – Sustain Youth Involvement
 To Sustain Youth
Involvement:
1. Ongoing Support
2. Reflection – what’s
working
3. Evaluation –
survey,
observation,
conversation
4. Celebration &
Appreciation

32. For more
information…
 Information for this presentation
obtained from:
 15 Points, Successfully
Involving Youth in
Decision-Making.
For more information:
Youth on Board
58 Day Street
Somerville, MA 02144
(617) 623-9900 x1242
info@youthonboard.org
www.youthonboard.org
 For more information in Iowa contact:
 Iowa Collaboration for Youth
Development
www.icyd.org
Presentation prepared with permission from
Youth on Board
by Marilyn Alger, MSW