Youth and Adult Partnerships How to Make Them Work

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Youth and Adult Partnerships How to Make Them
Work

• Alissa Grenawalt
• Associate Professor
• 4-H Youth Development Agent
• UW-Extension Green County
• Segments of this presentation were adapted with
  permission by Mitch Cooper, 4-H Youth, Waukesha
  County
• S. Zeldon, State 4-H Youth Development
  Specialist, UWEX

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What are Youth-Adult Partnerships?

• Relationships between youth and adults where
  there is mutuality in teaching, learning and
  action.
• The essence of youth involvement is a partnership
  between adults and young people.
• Focus is on youths contributions rather than
  their hindrances.
• Young people gain more from an experience when
  they are actively involved.

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National Quiz

• What percent of adults believe it is important
  to
• _____ Expect youth to respect adults elders as
  authority figures?
• _____Seek Youths opinions when making decisions
  that affect them?
• _____Allow Youth to work with Adults in
  meaningful leadership roles?
• Wisconsin Quiz
• What percent of adults feel strongly that
• _____They are in touch with attitudes and beliefs
  of Youth?
• _____Teens can represent the community to city
  council?
• _____Teens can serve as voting members of a
  community assoc.?
• Adapted from S. Zeldon, State 4-H Youth
  Development Specialist, UWEX-Reported 3/2003

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National Quiz

• What percent of adults believe it is important
  to
• __68_Expect youth to respect adults elders as
  authority figures?
• _48_Seek Youths opinions when making decisions
  that affect them?
• _48_ Allow Youth to work with Adults in
  meaningful leadership roles  
• Wisconsin Quiz 
• What percent of adults feel strongly that
• __4_They are in touch with attitudes and beliefs
  of Youth?
• _25_Teens can represent the community to city
  council?
• _23_Teens can serve as voting members of a
  community assoc.?
• Adapted from S. Zeldon, State 4-H Youth
  Development Specialist, UWEX. Reported 3/2003

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3 Components of Successful Youth Adult
Partnerships

• Avoid hierarchy in relationships where adults act
  as the authority and youth hold the inferior
  position.
• Communication, teamwork and coaching
• Development of a plan for community action.

Youth Adult Partnerships are built on the
assumption of cooperation with a common goal in
mind.
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How Can Communities Create Programs That Sustain
Partnerships?

• Agreement on the purpose of Youth/Adult
  Partnerships
• Engage Diverse Stakeholders
• Construct Theories/Stories of Change
• Address Issues of Role Power
• Apply Youth/Adults in New Roles

• What is the most critical????
• The group continues to vision, plan, and take
  action in involving youth as well as seeking
  youth input.

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Key Processes That Lead to Positive Outcomes

• Youth are Active Participants in Creating the
  Conditions for Their Own Learning Development
• Youth Perceive the Activity as Having a Cause (or
  Interest) of Their Own Choosing
• Adults Support Youth in Being Agents of Their Own
  Development

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Positive Outcomes of Youth-Adult Partnerships
Youth Participation, When Implemented Well, Is A
Powerful Experience. Research Shows It
Strengthens

• Confidence (Sense of Empowerment)
• Instrumental Social Skills (Knowing How)
• Cognitive Abilities (Problem-Solving
  Perspective-Taking)
• Community Connections (Social Capital)
• Identity Exploration (Perceive New Roles
  Integration of Past, Present Future Program
  Directions)

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Retaining Youth in Programming
Obviously-No Retention, No Positive Outcomes!

• Respect for Youth Voice/Competency
• Balance Guidance Power
• Create a Feeling of Belonging/Importance
• Maximize Youth Contributions (On Own Terms)
• Support Identity Development (Relationships,
  Autonomy, Self-Regulation, Goals)

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• What Accounts for Positive Outcomes?

• Finding By far, the most important predictor of
  positive outcomes is the degree to which youth
  perceive that they are respected by working in
  partnership with adults.
• Evidence of Respect
• Adults respect my ideas as a partner.
• Adults are confident in my input
  decision-making.
• Adults act on my suggestions.

This Effect Dwarfs The Effects Of Gender, GPA,
Age, Program Type, Interest.
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Why are Youth-Adult Partnerships Important?

• Youth benefit from partnerships when they are
  seen as individuals who are competent and able to
  contribute to an important decision.
• Fresh, New Ideas
• New Perspectives on decision making, including
  more relevant information about the needs and
  interests of youth.

• Open and honest responses about existing programs
  or services.
• Additional human resources due to the sharing of
  responsibilities between youth and adults.
• Greater willingness by youth to accept the
  services and messages of the program.
• Greater credibility of the program or
  organization to both youth and advocates.

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Adult Fears of Youth Involvement

• Non-Traditional and contrary to our training
• Involving and training youth could be time
  consuming.
• Loss of Control.
• Adults may have to change their, language and
  behaviors.
• Youth see things differently.

• Meeting formats, By-Laws, and policy.
• Fear of the unknown/change
• Feel threatened.
• Youth can be intimidating
• Youth get older.

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Adult Barriers to Creating Effective Youth-Adult
Partnerships

• Youth participate in any meaningful form is not
  par of the culture of most organizations.
• Adults assume that one youth voice represents all
  youth.
• Well-meaning adults often mandate youth
  participation.
• Cite liability concerns for lack of youth
  involvement.
• Adults are accustomed to making decision for the
  youth.
• Attitudinal barriers regarding the value and
  capacity of youth.

• Adults are used to conducting program planning
  without involving young people.
• Adults often put youth in positions that they are
  not equipped to handle.
• Many adults are simply unwilling to share their
  power with young people.
• Many adults find that partnerships with teens
  require adapting a new stance in terms of the
  role they play.

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Youth Barriers in Creating Effective Youth-Adult
Partnerships

• Transportation
• Youth that are sought out to be involved are
  often involved in other activities school, work
• Youth are often delegated to perform the more
  menial tasks.
• Youth feel intimidated if they are the only youth
  voice.

• Youth view adults as embodying an authority role.
• Communication
• Meeting Times
• Meetings may not be appealing to all youth.

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How do I develop Youth-Adult Partnerships in my
community?

• Have equal numbers of youth and adults on
  advisory boards, councils and committees.
• Select youth and adults who are willing and or
  able to engage in the mutuality of the process
  that Youth-Adult partnerships require.
• Give opportunities for youth and adults to
  explore what each brings to the table.

• Encourage open communication concerning mutual
  expectations.
• Emphasize the mutuality of these relationships.
• Allow youth to make significant program or
  community decisions.
• Allocate resources to youth
• Offer young people the opportunity to regularly
  schedule their work.

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Barriers Activity
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Ladder of Young Peoples Participation

• 9. Youth initiated and directed.
• 8. Youth initiated, shared decisions with adults
• 7. Youth and Adult initiated and directed.
• 6. Adult initiated, shared decisions with youth.
• 5. Consulted and informed.
• 4. Assigned and informed.
• 3. Tokenism
• 2. Decoration
• 1. Manipulation

• Maximum Youth Participation.
• Minimum youth participation

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Degrees of Participation

• Youth initiated directed.
• Youth initiated, shared with adults
• Youth/Adult initiated and directed
• Adult Initiated, shared with youth
• Consulted and informed
• Assigned but later informed
• Tokenism
• Decoration
• Manipulation

• Designed and run by youth and decisions made by
  youth.
• Designed and run by youth who share decision
  making w/adults
• Designed and run by youth and adult in full
  partnership.
• Designed and run by adults who share decisions w/
  youth.
• Designed and run by adults who consult with
  youth. Youth may make recommendations.
• Youth do not initiate, but understand and have
  some sense of ownership.
• Symbolic representation by few.
• Adults use youth to promote a cause w/out
  informing youth.
• Youth used to convey adults messages.

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Organizational Change for Youth Participation
How Can Adults Form Partnerships With Youth?

• Ask these questions
• Youth should do everything.
• Adults need to get out of the way.
• Youth are a marked category.
• Adopt a Stance of Co-Learners
• Negotiate Issue Problem Definition
• Negotiate Motivation Purpose
• Negotiate Roles Power

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Examples of Youth Run Programs

• WI 4-H State Youth Leader Council YLC
  -http//www.uwex.edu/ces/4h/youth/leadership.cfm
• http//www.youthgrantmakers.org
• http//nerstrand.charter.k12.mn.us/youth_b_service
  _l/index.asp
• https//secure.fcgov.com/boards/youth/
• http//vvv.state.ct.us/dcf/Policy/Adoles42/42-20-1
  5.htm
• http//www.youthonboard.org/site/c.ihLUJ7PLKsG/b.2
  046677/k.E09D/Examples.htm
• http//www.youthcourt.net/Youth_Resources/default.
  htm
• http//www.danecountyhumanservices.org/boards_yout
  h_commission.htm

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What Can You do?

• Be proactive in the process of working with youth
  whether you have a direct connection to them or
  not.
• When in a situation that requires youth
  input.ASK A YOUTH!!!
• Work together with mutuality and respect.

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Sources

• Center for youth development policy research.
  What is youth development? Available online
  http//cyd.ned.org/whatis/html
• Hughes, D., Curnan S.P.(2000). Community youth
  development A framework for action. CYD
  Journal, 1 (1). Available online
  http//www.cydjournal.org/
• Kinders, K, Menderweld, J. (2001). Youth
  involvement in prevention programming. Issues at
  a Glance. Publication provided by Advocates for
  Youth, August, 2001. Available online
  http//www.advocatesforyouth.org/publications/iag/
  involvement.htm
• Pagliaro, S., Khindera.K. (1999). Youth
  development Strengthening prevention
  strategies. Issues at a Glance. Publication
  provided by Advocates for Youth, May 1999.
  Available online http//advocatesforyouth.org/pub
  lications/jag/ythdevelop.htm
• Youth Development Issues, Challenges and
  Directions (Fall 2000). Public/Private Ventures
  Organization. Available online
  http//www.ppv.org/contest/reports/youthdevvolt.ht
  ml
• Comino,L. (200b). Youth-adult partnership
  Entering new territory in community work and
  research. Applied Developmental Science, 4
  (Supp.1) p.11-20.

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SourcesContinued
Youth as Agents of Adult Community Development
Mapping the Processes Outcomes of Youth
Engaged in Organizational Governance
(Zeldin) Processes Outcomes of Young Adult
Development in a Camp Setting (Mook, Zeldin) The
Effects of Youth-Adult Partnerships on Adolescent
Development in 4-H Programming (Zeldin,
Mook) Engaging Girls in Community-Based Programs
Supportive Contexts for Identity Development
(OConnor, Zeldin) Pitfalls Promising Practices
of Youth-Adult Partnerships (Camino)