Cycle of Youth Voice

By Adam Fletcher

This Cycle was created after The Freechild Project examined more than 100 youth engagement activities in K-12 schools and youth organizations across the country. It is designed to illustrate a clear process everyone can use to engage young people throughout our communities. The most important tip here is to consider Youth Voice as more than simply hearing, checking-in, or talking to young people. Youth Voice is action, and action fosters engagement.

Explore the Cycle of Youth Voice 

1. Listen to Youth Voice. You know the drill: You’re at your desk one day during class, working away at an important project when a friend comes up to you really excited, saying, “Hey, listen to this…” You tilt your head a little, and maybe lean towards them, but you keep doing whatever you were. You’re not really listening, are you? You might be hearing them talk, and you might even understand what they’re saying – but you’re not really thinking about it or feeling it. That’s the difference between listening and hearing, and that’s where Youth Voice starts – when young people have an actively engaged audience to listen to their ideas, opinions, experiences, knowledge, and/or actions. However, listening is just the first step; Youth Voice requires more.

2. Validate Youth Voice. You’ve heard adults say it, and you might have said it yourself: “Oh, that’s really nice.” We try to say “nice” in just the right way, but to young people it seems really insincere. We think we’re doing the “right thing” by encouraging young people move forward, but in our heads we really thinking about the time we fell flat on our face from the same approach. Instead of hiding our true thoughts, it’s the job of adults to honestly validate what young people say or do by honestly reacting to it, how we sincerely feel or think about it. If we think an initiative will fail, we should say so. Validation means disagreeing – or agreeing – as we honestly believe, and respecting young people enough to explain why and search for alternatives, if appropriate.

3. Authorize Youth Voice. Authority is an awesome word that can be intimidating for young people as well as adults. However, without authority, Youth Voice is just a hollow cry in a loud argument. By building the skills of children and youth to engage in Democracy, adults can provide practical steps towards actual empowerment, instead of just words. As well as the skills, adults must engage young people in activities that are actually powerful, purposeful, and rewarding. As young people apply their new skills to practical action, Youth Voice gains the authority to make a difference.

4. Act on Youth Voice. Youth Voice doesn’t just happen – it must be actively engaged. Taking action for Youth Voice requires children, youth, and adults working together to make the space, place, and ability for young people to create change. Action can – and should - look different everywhere: from identifying the challenge, researching the issue, planning for action, training for effectiveness, reflection on the process, to celebrating the outcomes, Youth Voice is totally flexible - but the purpose of engaging youth is not. The purpose of Youth Voice is always to create, support, and sustain powerful, purposeful, and meaningful communities for everyone to belong to. An important caution: action is usually seen as the most important step. However, this makes positive outcomes the most important thing. Unfortunately, for many issues, positive outcomes rarely come, or if they do, not for the current generation of youth involved. For many young people, the next step can be the most important component of Youth Voice.

5. Reflect on Youth Voice. Reflection may be the most important ongoing step to engaging children and youth. When young people and adults critically assess and analyze Youth Voice, learning becomes a vibrant, intricate, and powerful tool for change. Reflection activities used should be appropriate for diverse learners – writing, acting, creating collages, and building activities are all good examples. Once your group has finished reflecting, those lessons should be incorporated into the next listening activity, to support a cyclical approach to Youth Voice.

© 2010. Adam Fletcher owns the copyright for this material on behalf of The Freechild Project. You are welcome to print out this material for educational purposes only - you cannot make any financial gain from them without the explicit permission of the author. You may not photocopy any part of this material without explicit permission of the author. For more information write info [at] freechild.org 

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