Youth participation means actively and continuously engaging children and young people in making decisions on issues that affect their lives and communities.
Meaningful youth participation (MYP) means that children and young people are considered the experts in their own lives, and are informed, empowered, safe and valued when they participate.
Trefoil of Youth Participation
Meaningful youth participation can happen when there is…
A culture that supports youth participation;
Opportunities for young people to participate;
Principles in place to ensure the opportunities offered are meaningful.
Culture that needs to be built to enable meaningful youth participation:
Its foundation is a safe, inclusive, empowering Brave Space.
It is a space that builds young people’s capacity and where adults respect and value young people for who they are and what they offer.
Opportunities to create for participation to take place:
Consultation – young people are asked for their input to inform decisions made by adults.
Collaboration – young people and adults work together and make decisions side-by-side.
Youth-Led – young people make decisions at all stages of a process, adults may support this, but it is driven by young people.
Principles to follow to ensure that youth participation opportunities are meaningful:
Transparent – young people are fully informed of why and how they will participate.
Accountable – young people know what the outcome and impact of their participation was.
Accessible – the participation experience is designed to support all young people to be able to fully take part.
Intersectional – young peoples’ individual needs are met to enable their full participation.
Supportive - young people are equipped with the tools and knowledge needed to participate.
Engaging – the participation experience is interesting and exciting for all those involved.
Authentic – young people have actual decision-making power.
Voluntary – young people can choose to get involved and remove their participation during the process.
