Youth voice as tokenism?

Adam Fletcher from www.YoungerWorld.org:

"Let's stop handing out just enough rope for young people to become sacrifices on the alter of youth voice." He says:

Authentic Youth Engagement is…

• Collective Activities are led by youth and adults together – not individually
• Connected Activities embody interdependence and model it among youth and adults
• Empowering Youth voice is a driving force throughout activities
• Equitable Adults recognize young people have differing backgrounds that require different approaches
• Focused Activities are appropriately outcome-driven
• Healthy Respectful disagreement, speaking up, and other avenues that equalize disparities between youth and adults are at the core of the activity
• Learning Young people gain skills, knowledge and tools to be effect agents of change
• Mutually Beneficial Young people and adults acknowledge each other’s dreams, actions, outcomes and reflections
• Relevant Activities are responsive to the lives of young people
• Responsible Adults and youth develop and sustain their capacity to be “response-able”
• Substantive Activity design and outcomes are designed to impact individuals, organizations, communities and society
• Self-Motivated Young people feel driven to participate

This is response to the fact that when we encourage young people to voice their opinions and experiences, it is often met with empty promises by adults. Instead of reaching out to them and actually supporting the youth's endeavor, we just pat them on back for speaking out.

See Cycle of Meaningful Student Involvement.

See Accessing the Condition for Student Voice.