Alaska Statewide YIG Initiative

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Alaska Statewide YIG Initiative

• Presentation to
• Arctic Alliance for People
• Presenter Andre Layral
• Assets for Interior Alaska Youth
• assetsforyouth_at_alaska.net

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Audience Quick Survey

• Do you currently work for a non-profit board?
• Do you currently serve on a non-profit board,
  commission or other advisory group?
• Have you had experience working with youth on a
  board?

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Objectives for this presentation

• Raise awareness about YIG initiative
• YIG basics - What, Who, Why
• What YIG looks like
• Importance of providing YIG opportunities
• Acknowledge barriers for youth adults
• Highlight and refute some legal issues
• Share elements of YIG training workshop
• Understand AIAYs role supporting YIG
• How you can help and participate

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What is the YIG initiative?

• Several statewide organizations who have formed a
  partnership to promote, train, and provide
  technical assistance to local community
  organizations who are ready to meaningfully
  involve youth in organizational decision making

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Statewide YIG Partners

• Association of Alaska School Boards - Alaska ICE
• Alaska Division of Behavioral Health
• Alaska Youth Environmental Action Network
• Alaska Boarding School Resiliency Project

• Alaska ICE - Faith Communities Project
• 4 H of Alaska
• Anchorage Youth Development Coalition
• Advancing Our Youth (Sitka Coalition)
• Assets for Interior Alaska Youth - Fairbanks
  Coalition

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Fairbanks YIG Pilot Organizations

• FNSB Youth Assembly
• Literacy Council of Alaska
• Interest in supporting others

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Other StatewideYIG Pilot Organizations

• Anchorage Waterways Council
• Yukon Flats School District
• Campfire Anchorage
• Spirit of Youth
• Shepherd of the Valley-Lutheran Church
• Tongass AK Girl Scouts Council

• Mat-Su/Copper River 4-H
• Anchorage 4-H
• First Alaskans Institute
• North Slope Borough
• Umyuartuyaaraq (Akiak)

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Objectives of the YIG Initiative

• Increase the number of organizations that provide
  opportunities for YIG
• Increase the number of opportunities for youth to
  be engaged
• Increase the number of youth who are engaged in
  YIG

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What is YIG?

• Youth in Governance is a process of meaningful,
  voluntary participation of people 12 to 24 years
  in the decision making and governance of
  organizations and programs.

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YIG Terminology

• Youth Involvement
• Youth Engagement
• Youth in Governance
• Youth in Decision Making
• Roles for Youth
• Opportunities for Youth

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Our vision for YIG in Fairbanks

• to transform the way the Fairbanks community
  looks at, engages and believes in its young
  people so that youth are empowered, are respected
  and feel valued

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Looking at the benefits.

• Benefits to youth
• Benefits to adults
• Benefits to organizations
• Benefits to community

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Engaging Youth Results in

• An impact or contribution towards change ??
• An increase in youths understanding of what
  impacts them
• Shared power between youth and adults
• Youth opinions, perspectives valued
• youth building their vocabulary of experiences

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Why involve youth?What does the research say?

• Youth who are actively involved in the
  organizations they care about (serving in
  leadership, decision-making, and governance
  roles) will develop responsibility and acquire
  the skills and Assets they need to succeed as
  adults.

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Benefits to Youth

• Developmental opportunity for youth
• Development of self-esteem, responsibility and
  problem solving skills
• Builds communication skills, critical thinking,
  and acceptance of others

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Why involve youth?

• Adults who work with youth in these settings will
  gain insights about youth, broaden their own
  perspectives and have a more positive perception
  of youth. 2

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Benefits for adults

• The opportunity to learn new skills
• Gain a more positive view of youth
• Become better at working in groups and teams
• Improvement of coaching skills

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Why involve youth?

• Organizations that have incorporated youth into
  decision making roles (through youth-adult
  partnerships) will be improved by youthful
  energy, perspective and insights (programs and
  services will be improved as a result).

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Benefits to organizations

• Potentially more funding for the organization
• Better decisions will be made
• Integration of new ideas, commitments,
  possibilities and actions
• Become more connected and responsive to youth in
  the community

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Benefits to communities

• Youth community involvement produces countless
  community improvements
• Promotes healthy communities

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How is YIG different?

• With adults
• Involved in a range of decision making roles with
  adults in the organization.
• Involved in planning with and implementation
  roles with adults in the organization.
• This is distinguished from youth participation in
  specific programs and projects offered by an
  organization for youth.

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Shifting Paradigms

• Instead of youth being involved as recipients of
  services youth are viewed as resources to be
  developed
• Providing roles and opportunities for youth
  voice, participation, engagement
• Fully involved is not fully prepared
• Fully prepared is not fully engaged

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Levels of Youth Participation

• As a participant in a program
• As a member of an advisory committee
• As a member of a Board
• Help in planning or leading activities
• Other meaningful roles

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What are these roles?

• Youth Voice is captured through interviews,
  surveys, speak-outs, polls, forums and focus
  groups
• Youth are consultants and advisors. They provide
  input, plan and evaluate programs, provide
  recommendations examples youth advisory group,
  caucus, or commission to boards, administrations,
  legislative bodies.
• Youth participate on major organizational
  committees with voting responsibilities and
  privileges.

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What are these roles?

• Youth philanthropy - youth make funding
  decisions on youth-conceived, planned and
  led-projects.
• Youth have voting responsibilities and privileges
  in hiring, funding, strategic planning, policies
  and grant writing
• Youth have a seat on Boards of Directors, Borough
  Commissions, Tribal Councils with voting
  responsibilities and privileges.

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Organizational Readiness

• Would a youth perspective add value to the work
  of your organization?
• Do you believe that youth should be involved?
• What priority has your organization made to
  develop structure or strategies for involving
  youth?
• What role should youth play?
• Are there opportunities currently for involving
  youth?
• What challenges do you have involving youth?

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Organizational Capacity Issues

• Vision
• Leadership
• Creating a Youth Friendly structure
• Acknowledging Barriers for youth/adults
• Recruitment of youth
• Training/Mentoring
• Creating Opportunities
• Understanding legal issues of YIG

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What YIG looks like

• Formal positions, roles, responsibilities
• Youth and adults have clear understanding of
  their roles
• Opportunities for you to plan projects
• Opportunities for youth to lead or manage
  projects
• Involving youth in project/program evaluation and
  planning
• Involving youth in budget discussions
• Involving youth in presentations about your
  organizations purpose

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Some Benefits for Youth

• Opportunity to get more involved in their
  community
• Feeling better connected to their community
• Feeling they can make a difference in their
  community
• Understand importance of volunteering in social
  and community activities
• Be more open to new ideas, experiences and people
• Recognize and accept individual and cultural
  differences.

• Develop understanding of the consequences (both
  positive and negative) for each action and
  decision they make
• Develop a caring attitude towards self and others
• Develop leadership, communication and social
  skills
• Understand how to work better along with adults
  and others
• Apply school based skills in a community setting.

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As a YIG Partner AIAY must

• Advocate for YIG in Fairbanks (awareness,
  training, resources, coaching) with youth when
  possible
• Track the number of current groups engaging youth
  and how youth are involved
• Track how pilot and other groups are engaging
  youth and how youth are involved
• Track the number of YIG presentations, workshops
  and assistance provided
• Track the number of youth involved and how they
  are involved
• Encourage groups (and youth) to share their
  stories

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YIG Fair

• An opportunity for groups to share what they do
  (purpose and activities)
• An opportunity to recruit youth willing to serve
• An opportunity for youth to learn about
  opportunities to serve and make a difference
• Presentations by youth about their experiences,
  what they have learned and their TIPS for adults
  working with youth
• Presentations by groups who have successfully
  engaged youth in decision making.

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As a YIG Partner AIAY can

• Make a presentation to your board or organization
  about YIG
• Provide materials that can help assess your
  groups readiness
• Assist your group to develop a plan for involving
  youth
• Provide customized workshop/training to adults
  (preferably with youth) on how to work together
• Clarify legal issues that sometimes are a barrier
  to youth involvement

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Elements of YIG Training

• Identifying the benefits and challenges of
  working in youth-adult partnerships in your
  organization
• Identifying roles for youth-adults working
  together in your organization
• Identifying the skills needed to establish,
  maintain and support successful ORGANIZATIONAL
  youth-adult partnerships in your organization

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Elements of YIG Training

• Understanding the importance, elements, and
  opportunities needed to increase youth leadership
  in formal decision making roles in your
  organization.
• Inventory and assess your organizations
  readiness to increase opportunities for youth to
  serve in a decision making and governance role.
• Developing an action plan for increasing youth in
  governance and decision making in your
  organization

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How you can participate

• Share your success stories working with youth
  (lessons learned, challenges)
• Share the names of youth in your organization who
  may be interested in attending YIG training
• Participate in our YIG Fair
• Tell others about the YIG initiative

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Help AIAY

• Share the names of other non-profits and groups
  you think would benefit or have an interest in
  learning about YIG
• Share the name of other non-profits who have
  youth leaders currently are engaged in successful
  YIG efforts
• Share the names of youth you know who may have an
  interest in participating in YIG training and/or
  making presentations to other groups about YIG

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Contact AIAY

• Andre Layral
• Community Engagement Coordinator
• Assets for Interior Alaska Youth
• P.O. Box 83862
• Fairbanks, AK 99708
• C - 460-7786
• H - 479-0973