Youth in Governance: Supports and Resources Are Critical Components for Youth Success

This article is based on the experience of the Youth Development Initiative (YDI) of San Mateo County, California, in the United States. YDI includes four different projects: a community outreach and awareness campaign, peer mentorship and a youth advisory board at a local high school, a student governance and youth-led after school project at a local middle school, and the Youth Commission, which places youth on county commissions and non-profit boards of directors.

According to the article, involving youth in governance can be an important way to ensure that their needs are being met by the community and also an opportunity for positive development for the youth involved. However, it is proposed that young people need appropriate supports and resources, otherwise they may not be fully engaged, and can end up feeling isolated or bored. They must also feel that their input is valued, and must have meaningful opportunities for engagement.

The primary goals of the YDI project are to legitimise youths' voices and to facilitate a process whereby youth can impact their community in positive ways. Following an evaluation that showed that Youth Commissioners were learning about governance by being present at meetings, but were not participating in a meaningful way, YDI put in place several new strategies.

• Engagement - As a way for Youth Commissioners to be more fully engaged, they are now required to work on a project for their board or commission, as well as a group project with other Youth Commissioners. The projects provide a structure within which youth have an opportunity to actively engage in a subject matter that is relevant to the work of the board. Youth become familiar with the issues relevant to their board and in return offer the board a youth perspective on those issues.
• Adult Training - The Youth Commission Co-ordinator meets with mentors to discuss best practices in mentorship. Mentors are trained in ways to partner with youth, provide the supports Youth Commissioners need to be effective in their role and overcome adultism, which happens when adults negate the value of youth input or ideas simply because of their age.
• Community Resources - Participating boards and commissions are encouraged to help youth access community resources such as funding for individual projects, links to community agencies, or access to individuals who can help their projects come to fruition.

An example of the potential role of youth commissioners is explained through the example of a survey carried out to help provide input for mental health activities in the county, being funded through a new Mental Health Services Act. The Youth Commissioners drafted a needs assessment survey to assess youth perceptions, knowledge, and access to mental health services, and whether or not mental health services for youth need to be improved. Over 1000 questionnaires were collected, and the final analysis was calculated with a sample size of 980. The Deputy Director of Mental Health Services included information from the report in her report at the final planning prioritisation meeting for the Mental Health Services Act work group. The results from the Youth Commissioner survey informed the prioritisation process and influenced the recommendations for the distribution of funds within the county. The report has also been requested from a wide range of organisations and other government departments to help inform youth mental health services.

According to the article, several components made the project of the Mental Health Advisory Board Youth Commissioners successful:

• Programme Structure During the programme the youth had the support of the youth mentors and the Youth Commission Co-ordinator who ensured that deadlines were met and that youth had the advocacy they needed to access resources. The adults in this process were able to work in partnership with youth. They followed the lead of the youth and plugged in the support, resources, and guidance the youth needed in order for their project to not only come to fruition, but to have a large-scale impact.
• Youth Commitment: - The Youth Commissioners who serve on the Mental Health Advisory Board were fully committed to designing a strategy for achieving meaningful engagement. They received positive feedback from their adult partners and were offered opportunities to be engaged. They saw that their ideas were valuable and could have a significant, positive impact on their community.
• Adult Commitment - The adult partners in this project recognised the value of the perspective and energy that the Youth Commissioners could bring to this planning process. Willingness of the adults in the system to listen, ask questions, provide resources, and respect youth input as valid and necessary was essential.
• Community Resources - The project was propelled by the support of the Director of Children's Services, the support and approval of the Mental Health Advisory Board, the availability of the county’s Research and Evaluation teams, and the Office of Quality Improvement. Each of these entities, when called upon, offered professional support.

The article concludes that "effective youth development strategies must not only provide opportunities for youth influence, but must also offer supports to help youth make the most of these opportunities. Youth need access to resources such as information, funding, and professionals in the areas of interest they are exploring. They need guidance with project planning, time management, and follow-through on action steps. They need adults to set high expectations, while maintaining a realistic concept of what is achievable with the given resources and time. Youth can bring valuable and valid information, but they often lack the experience or access to have impact in higher levels of governance. In the Youth Development Initiative, and specifically through the Youth Commission, youth have a meaningful role in the development of programs and policy; at the same time, we must provide them with the resources and mentoring they need to succeed."