Are Basic Principles about Youth Participation being Respected?

1)  Do youth feel safe to speak?

2)  How are the opinions of youth

     a) solicited?
     b) respected?
     c) applied?

3) Have the youth determined (not the adults) what constitutes youth participation and empowerment?

4) Have the youth identified

    a) their own issues and problems?
    b) possible solutions/goals?

5) Do the youth feel fully informed about what matters to them?

6) Do the adults feel fully informed about youth issues, policies, programs, services, and activities?

7) Did the youth initiate the project ideas and activities?

8) Is the process of decision-making driven

    a) by youth?
    b) by the needs of the adults?
    c) by external factors?

9) Are youth involved in

    a) problem /needs identifications, surveys
    b) problem formulation, analyzing findings, focus groups
    c) creating the policy agenda
    d) adopting the policy
    e) approving the programs, services, and activities to implement the policy
    f) monitoring the implementation
    g) evaluating the impact of the policy and associated programs and activities

10) Do youth decide equitably (compared to adults) on spending priorities?

11) Are youth involved equitably (compared to adults) on allocating budgets and staff?

12) Are youth involved in training other youth to participate?

13) Is there an active process to recruit replacement youth?

14) Are youth satisfied with their participation? How do you know?

15) What steps have been taken to ensure that the level of participation is appropriate to the normal level of development of the youth?

16) Describe the ways that the developmental characteristics of the youth are taken into account, particularly for young children.

    a) skills training in decision making and problem solving
    b) skills training in task completion and self-management
    c) skills training in team building
    d) enhancement of self-image and confidence
    e) "rehearsing" the routine with an adult

17) Does the participation plan allow for varying levels of involvement from youth?

18) How does the organization provide for formal and informal feedback from youth on the process of participation?

19) How does the organization assess the youth involvement?

    a) record the events, activities and numbers of youth involved
    b) monitor and report on the level, nature and impact of youth participation
    c) conduct formative evaluations
    d) conduct summative (impact) evaluation of the impact
    e) collect and publish youth views on the process

Are the barriers to youth involvement being addressed?

1) What steps are taken to ensure that the youth participation is meaningful?

    a) the intentions of the decision/process are understood by youth
    b) the youth know who made the decisions about their involvement and why
    c) their input is recorded and reported in writing
    d) the youth receive a report (verbal or in writing) on the decisions made in the light of their input.

2) What steps were taken to overcome youth apathy and fluctuating involvement?

3) Were false and negative assumptions about youth's abilities to participate offset by

    a) being clear about the organization's intent to involve youth
    b) supporting youth in making presentations
    c) providing good examples of youth involvement

4) How was youth inexperience overcome? Were any of these techniques used?

    a) working on issues that youth clearly identify as important?
    b) starting with short-term goals and activities
    c) identifying and correcting negative youth experience in participation

5) What steps were taken to reduce the resistance from adults

    a) a written policy statement from the governing body
    b) a memo/document from the CEO
    c) the chair or CEO has introduced the topic at a meeting
    d) social events have been organized to increase youth and adult interaction
    e) joint workshops with youth and adults have been held
    f) a plan is in place to bring youth into the mainstream, core activity of the organization.

6) What steps have been taken to help youth fit into adult structures?

    a) youth are not placed on an adult decision-making body without support from a designated adult
    b) someone meets with youth before the meeting to help them clarify their objectives for the meeting
    c) young people are made to feel comfortable about asking for clarification

7) What steps have been taken to make the location and times of meetings convenient to youth?

    a) consulting with the young people involved about times/dates of meetings
    b) choosing locations that are accessible to youth and public transportation

8) Are there any other initiatives or changes going on in the organization (new programs, restructuring, etc.) that will compete for attention with the youth participation goals and process?

9) How are the youth leaders selected so that they are credible to the youth audience? How do you know that they are credible?

10) How often have there been problems when youth volunteers have not been able to complete their assignment on time? What steps were taken to avoid these problems in the future?

Are the enabling factors in place to support the young peoples' participation?

1) Are different types of youth motivated/encouraged to participate? How?

•     disabled

•     troubled youth

•     poor

•     different youth sub-cultures ( rockers, jocks, preppies, granolas, activists, etc. )

•     minority youth

2) Is there an active recruitment program?

3) Are current youth leaders encouraged to nurture their successors?

4) Are the youth given training in leadership skills? in procedural matters?

5) Are young people visible in leadership positions in activities, programs, services and policy-making?? How?

6) Are mentors assigned to coach the youth representatives?

7) What resources does the sponsoring organization provide to support youth participation?

    a) travel budgets
    b) telephone/ fax /e-mail budget or access
    c) budget to conduct consultations

8) Are youth actively encouraged to speak at meetings?

9) Are there active measures within the organization to promote a positive image of youth among adults? What are those measures?

10) Are youth issues addressed from a positive, prevention, future perspective?

11) What steps are taken by the program to prepare for turnover among youth participants? eg-staggering the terms of involvement.

12) Describe the ways in which the process was made more flexible to accommodate the participation of youth.

13) Describe the ways in which the time lines/deadlines were adjusted to allow time for youth to participate.

14) Describe the ways in which the current process of youth participation was built upon existing youth involvement.

15) Is there an elected/appointed official responsible for encouraging youth participation?

16)  Is/are the staff assigned to ensure that the youth participation is meaningful?

17) Are adults asked to volunteer to mentor individual youth in the decision-making process?

18) Are there any parallel aims or programs of your organization that can be assisted by youth participation in decision-making? Describe them.

Are the needs of youth being met in the process?

1) What steps are taken to make the issues relevant to youth?

2) How are the youth participants recognized?

3) What competencies are being explicitly developed among the youth participants?

4) What steps/actions are taken to ensure the process is fun for youth?

5) What opportunities are provided for youth to form friendships?

6) What procedures are used for youth to check-in and to be accounted for? (security and safety issues)?

How and For What are the Youth Accountable in the Process?

1) How do they consult other youth? How often? On what?

2) How do they seek guidance from adults? How often?

3) Do they have

    a) clearly stated goals?
    b) a plan of action?
    c) time limits /deadlines?

4) Do the youth leaders make representations on behalf of the whole group, even though they might not entirely agree?

5) How are youth ensuring that their health /family /schoolwork/ friends/ do not suffer because they are involved?

6) How are the youth leaders elected? selected?

7) How do the youth leaders report to other youth?

Are the adults prepared, willing and able to support the young people participating?

1) How many adults and how many times do adults speak on behalf of the youth leaders to other adults in the system to persuade them to listen to youth/return phone call/ etc.

2) Do the adults promote youth participation in a way that:

    a) is fun or pleasant
    b) promotes recognition for positive reinforcement to youth
    c) does not marginalize youth to a limited role or set of issues
    d) allows youth to make mistakes
    e) demonstrates trust in youth
    f) provides time to listen to youth as part of their jobs

3) Do adults provide emotional support to youth participants by:

    a) paying attention to youth feelings
    b) caring about their personal issues
    c) helping them with their problems
    d) discussing sensitive topics.

4) Do adults provide guidance to participating youth by:

    a) offering suggestions at meetings
    b) providing youth with a range of options to stimulate their ideas
    c) helping youth organize their activities
    d) helping youth facilitate at meetings
    e) providing timely information
    f) presenting information in real, concrete terms

5) Do adults teach youth about

    a) preparing agendas and taking minutes
    b) creating teams
    c) depersonalizing conflict

6) Do adults help youth to understand

    a) the politics and personalities
    b) the bureaucratic structures and organizational constraints
    c) the reasons why youth (and other groups) are excluded from decisions
    d) any underlying reasons for personal conflict at meetings