A scoping review of youth advisory structures in the United States: Applications, outcomes, and best practices

Abstract

Although youth advisory structures (YASs) have proliferated internationally to facilitate the voice of young people, little is known about the practices of such groups, especially in the United States. To address this gap of knowledge, this study describes the findings of a scoping review of scholarly research on YAS in the United States. The review found that although the use of YAS is increasing, current scholarship offers little information about YAS processes or how youth are engaged. Most YAS in the review partnered with marginalized young people to inform research and programming around sensitive health topics, such as human immunodeficiency virus prevention. Youth who participated in YAS experienced positive outcomes such as leadership and skill development, healthier decision‐making, and confidence. Although most studies involved youth in minimal ways, there is a growing body of literature where youth are engaged in long‐term partnerships that support positive youth development. This review details other key characteristics of YAS and provides recommendations for best practices, such as building consensus around terms used to refer to YAS and promoting the dissemination of process details around YAS facilitation.

Youth engagement to achieve health equity: Are healthcare organizations and leaders prepared?

“…To our knowledge, there are no studies focused specifically on implementing YAB's comprised of youth of Color. While research shows that youth are ready and willing to engage in consequential work to improve their communities (Canas et al, 2019; Sprague Martinez et al, 2020; The Annie E. Casey Foundation, 2014), there is a need for adults and organizations to evaluate their individual and organizational readiness to engage with youth in health equity work (Haddad et al, 2022; Nalani et al, 2021).…”

“…In the realm of healthcare, YPAR has been used to understand the contexts and structures that underlie health equity and implement responsive interventions to address them (Ozer et al, 2022). YABs and YPAR are complementary approaches to engaging youth in healthcare organizations and systems but do not constitute the only options for engaging young people in tackling issues of health equity (Haddad et al, 2022). Healthcare organizations must examine their own organizational structures and processes to determine how to best incorporate youth engagement strategies, particularly for youth of Color who have been not been adequately represented in healthcare decision‐making.…”

Partnering with Current and Former Foster Youth: Current Practices and Future Directions

“…As Havlicek et al (2016b) highlight, understanding and addressing young people's experiences within the system are vital to ethical reform in the child welfare system. Yet, despite the mandate of youth involvement in child welfare practices and the subsequent widespread utilization of YA within the system, there remains a paucity of research exploring YA experiences within these youth-adult partnerships and scant literature examining the efficacy of these initiatives (Haddad et al, 2022). Furthermore, current practices often struggle to utilize YA appropriately even when institutions identify and reportedly endorse the use of collaborative dimensional models of youth-adult partnerships (Forenza & Havlicek, 2021;Taft & Gordon, 2013), and there is little research exploring the discrepancies between endorsed values and the application of these values within the child welfare system (Arunkumar et al, 2018).…”

‘Just because we're younger doesn't mean our opinions should be any less valued’: A qualitative study of youth perspectives on a Youth Advisory Council in a mental healthcare context

“…9,21,22 Youth Advisory Councils (YACs), sometimes called Youth Advisory Boards, Committees, Coalitions or Groups, represent one way that healthcare organizations can structure youth engagement to lift youth voices within healthcare systems to identify youth priorities for the MHA sector. 18,[23][24][25][26] YACs have been increasing in popularity in the healthcare field over the last two decades. 27 YACs help organizations find ways to reduce barriers and create pathways to more meaningful client engagement.…”

“…There is increasing evidence of the benefits of youth engagement within healthcare organizations for both the youth and the organization through providing opportunities for participating youth to grow personally and professionally 15,18–20 and encouraging the development of community‐specific and contextually relevant organizational programming 9,21,22 . Youth Advisory Councils (YACs), sometimes called Youth Advisory Boards, Committees, Coalitions or Groups, represent one way that healthcare organizations can structure youth engagement to lift youth voices within healthcare systems to identify youth priorities for the MHA sector 18,23–26 …”