Youth in Community Decision-Making: A Study of Youth-Adult Partnerships

Shelley Murdock,Mary Claire L Gatmaitan,Carole Paterson

doi:10.5195/jyd.2008.334

Shelley Murdock, Mary Claire L Gatmaitan + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.5195/jyd.2008.334

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Abstract

Involving youth in community and organizational decision-making is widely believed to lead to stronger communities. A promising strategy to foster decision-making is youth-adult partnerships in which youth and adults work collaboratively, sharing their strengths, collective knowledge, and decision-making power. A qualitative study of eight youth organizations showed that those organizations employing youth-adult partnership strategies were most effective in increasing youth's contributions to their communities. This article explores the elements of youth-adult partnership that were evident among successful organizations including: mutual respect, meaningful roles for youth, unique contributions of adults and youth, and shared decision-making and implications for youth development programs.

Highlights

During our agricultural era, youth learned about adult life and their roles in communities by working side-by-side with adults at home and through apprenticeships
Young people spend most of their time in age-segregated schools and after-school leisure activities involving relatively few adults (Zeldin, McDaniel, Topitzes, & Calvert, 2000)
The positive youth development paradigm recognizes that most adolescents are "self-directed learners and critical thinkers who are able to make positive contributions to society and the environment” (Zeldin, et al, 2000, p.6)

Summary

Introduction

Youth learned about adult life and their roles in communities by working side-by-side with adults at home and through apprenticeships. As our society shifted to an industrial base, youth and adults spent significantly less time together. Young people spend most of their time in age-segregated schools and after-school leisure activities involving relatively few adults (Zeldin, McDaniel, Topitzes, & Calvert, 2000). As age-segregation evolved many adults began to perceive youth negatively. In the 1960’s and 70’s a variety of deterrence programs, followed by prevention programs, were initiated to address adults' increasingly negative perceptions of youth. Many adults still believe youth are incapable, aggressive, and lazy (Males, 1999), current program emphasis has shifted from correcting potential poor or “at-risk” behavior to positive youth development. The positive youth development paradigm recognizes that most adolescents are "self-directed learners and critical thinkers who are able to make positive contributions to society and the environment” (Zeldin, et al, 2000, p.6)

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