Involving Youth in Program Decision-Making: How Common and What Might it Do for Youth?

Abstract

The strategy of sharing program decision-making with youth in youth programs, a specific form of youth-adult partnership, is widely recommended in practitioner literature; however, empirical study is relatively limited. We investigated the prevalence and correlates of youth program decision-making practices (e.g., asking youth to help decide what activities are offered), using single-level and multilevel methods with a cross-sectional dataset of 979 youth attending 63 multipurpose after-school programs (average age of youth = 11.4, 53 % female). The prevalence of such practices was relatively high, particularly for forms that involved low power sharing such as involving youth in selecting the activities a program offers. Hierarchical linear modeling revealed positive associations between youth program decision-making practices and youth motivation to attend programs. We also found positive correlations between decision-making practices and youth problem-solving efficacy, expression efficacy, and empathy. Significant interactions with age suggest that correlations with problem solving and empathy are more pronounced for older youth. Overall, the findings suggest that involving youth in program decision-making is a promising strategy for promoting youth motivation and skill building, and in some cases this is particularly the case for older (high school-age) youth.

Youth-Adult Partnerships in Work with Youth: An Overview

“…Youth's involvement has been measured quantitatively, through youth report (e.g., Ramey et al, 2017). Quantitative dimensions typically include youth voice or, similarly, youth input or ownership , as well as collaborative relationships with adults (e.g., Akiva et al, 2014). At times, researchers have separately described youth's program engagement as a third dimension, involving youth's perceptions of the work as valuable and of themselves as active participants (Ramey et al, 2017).…”

“…At times, researchers have separately described youth's program engagement as a third dimension, involving youth's perceptions of the work as valuable and of themselves as active participants (Ramey et al, 2017). Youth involvement in youth-adult partnerships also has been measured quantitatively through adult report although and at least one study has indicated that youth and adult reports of youth voice 42 in program decisions were relatively well aligned (Akiva et al, 2014). Qualitative studies of youth involvement have similarly entailed interviews with youth and adults to uncover youth voice and engagement in the target program (e.g., Akiva & Petrokubi, 2016;Dawes & Larson, 2011).…”

“…However, Akiva et al (2014) conducted a survey of almost 1000 youth attending after school programs (average age 11.4) in the United States, in part to explore the prevalence of youth involvement in decision making. They found that almost 80% of these young people identified that they were involved in decision-making activities in their program.…”

“…Youth-adult partnerships are hypothesized to benefit youth's development, as youth are engaged in structured activities; developing skills; adopting new roles and responsibilities; building relationships with peers and adults; learning about values and ideals; and taking action on behalf of others (Akiva et al, 2014;Hardy, Pratt, Pancer, Olsen, & Lawford, 2011;Zeldin, Krauss, Kim, Collura, & Abdullah, 2015). Lawford, Ramey, Rose-Krasnor, and Proctor (2012) found that youth voice in an activity context, specifically, was related to increases in youth's overall positive development.…”

“…Youth involvement in youth-adult partnerships also has been connected to young people's beliefs that they are able to express their thoughts and feelings to others, and to their level of empathy (Akiva et al, 2014). Youth also appear to gain connections at a community level.…”