, 25 MAR 2010

Joelle Badman leads Alberta Acts' youth initiatives

Engaging youth in community decision making is a highly effective way to ensure civic participation, increase appreciation for community and reduce crime, and yet very few organizations actually do it. 

According to the 2006 Census, Canadians under the age of 19 make up nearly a quarter of the total Canadian population. As our country's future leaders, decision makers, parents, community activists and individuals, these young people play an important part in deciding how to improve society. This notion of youth engagement and involvement is certainly not new and may be widely accepted as a "strategy" organizations should employ (though few do) to better serve their mandates and their communities. Consequently, it is important to focus more intently on the impact youth engagement has not only on the youth themselves, but also on organizations, adults and our society as a whole.

Community involvement and civic engagement is an excellent opportunity for youth to gain both educational experience and real world experience. When youth take part in the community's decision making process, they gain new relationships with adults and peers alike, which often leads to a deeper connection to the community. This deeper connection enhances the knowledge and understanding youth have of their community and its diversity; this deeper connection also increases the likelihood that youth will develop a sense of pride and ownership of their surroundings. By developing an appreciation for community, youth are more likely to continue this involvement into adulthood. Just as importantly, youth then experience themselves as participants in the community and not just as recipients of services or adult attention. Youth that are civically engaged have increased senses of autonomy and self-esteem, relative to their unengaged peers. Engaged youth also demonstrate to their peers that youth have the power to affect the world in a positive way.            

So how does society benefit when youth become engaged? The benefits begin with a few engaged youth, whose involvement sends a ripple effect throughout the community, inspiring more youth to participate in positive ways. The benefits continue when engaged youth become adults and expand the pool of adult volunteers who serve and improve their communities. Individuals who are engaged in community participation at a young age are also more likely to vote and take part in the democratic process as adults. Thus, engagement at a young age translates into a greater likelihood of empowerment and civic engagement in adulthood.

Youth who are involved in community activities are also less likely to commit crimes. The Center for Research on Youth at Risk argues that we can "reduce occasional and temporal offending by young people by [...] finding ways of involving young people in useful and meaningful activities."

Robert Putnum, whose research on social capital entitled "Bowling Alone" formed a premise for the movie "Bowling for Columbine", writes that " researchers in such fields as education, urban poverty, unemployment, the control of crime and drug abuse, and even health have discovered that successful outcomes are more likely in civically engaged communities." What better way to ensure adults are civically engaged than to have them develop that passion at a young age?

If I haven't convinced you of the value of youth engagement with all of the above reasons, have a look at the YouthActivism website which lists a number of organizational and developmental benefits to including youth, including the fact that youth

1. serve as role models and peer educators, 
2. diagnose problems and provide a reality check,
3. challenge conventional thinking,
4. influence their parents and other adults,
5. attract news media and coverage,
6. capture the attention of decision-makers,  and
7. pursue unorthodox tactics and circumvent roadblocks.          

Youth are a large part of the population and, as a result, deserve a voice and to be heard. Like most things, the outcome is not always as important as the process and in this case, the process is essential for creating stronger, more engaged future generations of Canadian citizens who care for their peers, their communities, their society and their planet.