1. Youth Engagement Engaging Youth as Partners in SUN Community Schools Julie Petrokubi, jpetrokubi@portlandcampfire.org Camp Fire Portland Metro Council/University of Wisconsin Joshua Todd Multnomah Commission on Children, Families & Communities SUN Community Schools Training January 13, 2010

2. Workshop Goals  Discuss promising practices and models for engaging youth as partners in programs and communities  Explore strategies for promoting youth voice and choice in community schools  Reflection and action planning around how you may incorporate youth engagement strategies into your own practice.

3. What is Youth Engagement?

4. Youth Engagement  Youth-Adult Partnership: A group of youth and adults working together on important community, organization and program issues  Assumes youth have the right and capacity to participate in decisions that impact their lives.  Assumes mutual learning between youth and adults  A set of principles and practices, rather than a specific program model

5. Youth-Adult Partnership (Y-AP) Communication & Media Research & Evaluation Service & Philanthropy Governance & Policymaking Training & Outreach Organizing & Activism ( Adapted from Zeldin, Petrokubi & MacNeil, 2007) Opportunities for Youth Engagement in Organizations & Communities Program Planning & Implementation

6. County/City Youth Engagement Opportunities  Youth Bill of Rights  Multnomah Youth Commission  Youth Planner Program  Youth on boards and committees

7. Why Engage Youth as Partners? An Issue of Youth Development…  Recognition of youth capacity, youth as resources  Youth need opportunities for new roles and responsibilities  Youth need opportunities for active learning An Issue of Civil Society…  Youth need opportunities to develop the knowledge, skills, attitudes and habits of citizenship  Youth offer unique insight on design of policy/programs An Issue of Social Justice…  Youth are isolated from public decision making/work  Youth have distinct interests

8. Research Support for Youth Engagement in Out-of-School Time  OST programs are critical settings for youth civic development, especially for marginalized youth (O’Donoghue & Kirshner; Schneider-Munoz & Politz; Westheimer & Kahne).  Youth report peak experiences of of “flow” in OST settings. Opportunities for voice, choice and youth-adult partnership increase youth motivation & interest (Denton; Lerner; Shernoff & Vandell; Smith & Hohmann )  Youth-Adult Partnerships have the potential to enhance school climate (Battisoni; Jocelowsky; Mitra) & offer other benefits to organizations & communities (Delgado & Staples; Lewis-Charp et al; Zeldin & Petrokubi)

9. Benefits for Out-of-School Time Programs  Ensure program offerings match youth interests  Increase youth recruitment and retention  Enhance program quality and innovation  Build new youth-adult relationships  Increase adult engagement & job satisfaction  Promote positive youth development

10. Thinking about Youth Engagement in Out-of-School Time Programs MOTIVATION CHOICE VOICE

11. Building a Culture of Youth-Adult Partnership Organizational Culture of Youth-Adult Partnership Partnership Values Partnership Structures Public/Civic Action Multi-Level Impacts Youth Adult Staff Community Leaders Community Institutions