How can we engage effectively with young people?
Why is this important?
Young people and children are an important part of our communities. Often when people try to involve communities in decision making, it is mainly adults who get involved. But it’s important to make sure that young people are able to influence decision making too. Young people can bring very valuable experience and a different perspective on the issues communities face.
How can we do it?
People – young and old alike - all like to participate in decision making in different ways. There is no one right way to work with young people. But, here are a few tips and examples to get you started:
Involve young people in identifying their own priorities Young people are often happier talking about their opinions and priorities with other young people. Using techniques like Action Research can help to gather young people’s views and identify priorities. Find out how this was done to gather views on HIV and Aids, in Ethiopia Or, empower young people to take decisions about how services and activities are run – learn from Toonspeak’s approach. |
Develop skills and experiences Young people will often need help and encouragement to become active in decision making. It can be difficult for young people to know what to expect if they haven’t been involved before. Dedicating time to building capacity and providing support is essential. Find out how Yipworld encouraged people to become active citizens. Or, think about setting up a Youth Bank to develop skills and experiences. |
Make it interesting! There are lots of really interesting methods and techniques you can use to engage young people. For example Leaps and Bounds used ballet to involve young people. Or why not try using football to encourage people to get involved? Other interesting techniques include using theatre, art or storytelling. |
Learn from others There are lots of great examples of how people have engaged young people. For example, the National Youth Agency looked at five detailed case studies in England and identified key learning points from these. |
Find out more…
The Funky Dragon resource on engaging with children and young people is extremely helpful. It was designed for organisations in Wales but is useful for anyone working with young people. It is a very user friendly, easy to use resource – including case study examples, easy checklists and good practical advice about support, safety and inclusion. |
The Re:action Consultation Toolkit includes advice on why young people should be involved and how to do this. It has lots of useful, practical advice, checklists and good practice information. |
Have a look at the range of resources available on this How To Guide about working with young people. We have direct links to a wide range of useful resources. |
