Youth Involvement in Service Planning: Advice to Youth

Increasingly, organizations in all sectors are coming to realize the power and strength of including youth in their organizational decision-making. This trend tends to raise issues for the youth and adults alike. The following is a list of “DOs” and “DON’Ts” on how youth can more effectively work with their adult counterparts.

Dos

Listen.

Be open-minded.

Build on ideas.

Be honest and authentic.

See everyone as individuals.

Show respect.

Trust.

Experiment.

Be energetic.

Offer a safe space.

Be flexible.

Share skills and information.

Engage everyone.

Provide support.

Curb your ego. 

Keep your promise.

Hold people to their commitments.

Walk the talk.

Be patient and persistent.

Be consistent and dependable.

Demonstrate your passion.

Laugh and have fun.

Schedule time thoughtfully.

Create structure.

Foster learning.

Speak up! 

Invite adults to share skills, experiences, and resources.

Seek to involve other young people.

Don'ts

Lecture.

Be close-minded.

Co-opt or redirect ideas.

Pretend to agree.

Stereotype.

Show favoritism.

Fear failure.

Stifle creativity.

Be passive.

Be judgmental.

Force anyone to participate.

Selectively share certain information.

Ignore personality conflicts.

Control everything.

Be power hungry.

Make half-hearted commitments.

Expect more from teens than from adults.

Be a hypocrite.

Act uptight.

Be unreliable.

Whine.

Be too serious.

Assume all adults will treat you like “you’re just a kid”.

Information gathered from Youth Activism Project, Youth Voice Begins with You!—A Resource and Training Manual for Young people and Adults Building Communities Together, and National Youth Service Day Toolkit.