Support, develop, empower: The co-development of a youth leadership framework

Abstract

Engaging young people in organisational leadership offers opportunities for them to contribute and make a positive difference to their communities, benefitting both the young people and the organisations with which they are involved. However, best practices for engaging and supporting young leaders in cancer support organisations remain unclear. This article reports on the co-design and implementation of a Youth Leadership Framework within a national not-for-profit youth cancer organisation. Staff and young people worked together to develop a Framework which includes a model of youth leadership, defined roles and pathways, a resource toolkit and a suite of age-appropriate leadership development programs. This Framework better enables the organisation to fulfil its long-held goals of supporting, developing and empowering young leaders. This account of the Framework’s development and the insights gained in the implementation process serves as an exemplar to other community organisations and health services seeking to engage and support young leaders, expanding the evidence base on best practices in youth leadership in the cancer context.