Youth Leading Now! Securing a Place at the Table
Summer 1999, v15-3
	by Anne B. Hoover, Amy Weisenbach In order for young people to truly experience social justice, we must create a society in which young people are full citizens, empowered to contribute ideas and make decisions. Youth participation is a movement whose time has come, and organizations like Community Partnerships with Youth, 4-H, and Youth on Board are leading the way. This article offers practical suggestions in the "DOs and DONT's" in youth/adult governance, and identifies the ingredients needed to make the movement successful. The Youth Participation Movement In 1996, Community Partnerships with Youth Inc. and Youth on Board convened a national conference, funded by the Johnson Foundation, which was held at the Wingspread Conference Center in Wisconsin. The purpose of the conference was to bring together youth and adults to discuss the changing role of young people in society. The goal was to lay the groundwork for building a national movement for youth participation. The participants envisioned a society in which young people are full citizens and have a regular place at the table. In other words, wherever decisions are made that affect young people or their communities, youth are there, ready to contribute to the discussion and take part in the decision-making process. Omit the word "youth" in the Wingspread purpose, and it resembles America's Founding Fathers mission when defining the values of American democracy. John Stuart Mill writes about the importance of people being heard as follows: [1] " It is important that everyone of the governed have a voice in the government, because it can hardly be expected that those who have no voice will not be unjustly postponed to those who have." We would do well to heed these words of advice. For it may be that until young people are given a significant role in their communities, many will continue to stay disengaged-not only as youth, but when they become adults. A Movement Whose Time Has Come In many ways, the youth participation movement is not entirely different from the other civil rights movements of this century. In fact, nearly every other group that has faced being disenfranchised has demanded a place at the table. In his book The Scapegoat Generation [2], Sociologist Mike Males says, The youth participation movement is not entirely different from the other civil rights movements of this century. In fact, nearly every other group that has faced being disenfranchised has demanded a place at the table. "Young people are the last group we are allowed to systematically and openly exclude. An adult may be able to represent the issues of youth, but can they represent the spirit and interests of youth?" Their voice-the true voice spoken by youth-is still excluded from the table where decisions are made. Wendy Schaetzel Lesko of Activism 2000 writes, "Youth want to participate, and more adults are realizing the long tradition of making decisions for youth without youth has failed. Community leaders and social organizations realize their efforts to address issues such as pollution, drug abuse, drunken driving, and school violence are much more effective when young people have contributed their ideas and gotten involved to solve these problems." Community leaders and social organizations realize their efforts to address issues such as pollution, drug abuse, drunken driving, and school violence are much more effective when young people have contributed their ideas and gotten involved to solve these problems. When youth and adults from around the country came together at Wingspread in 1996 to discuss the building of a national movement for youth participation, the idea was ready to take off. Since that time, the youth participation movement has boomed. Not only have youth development organizations caught on, but others have also come to recognize the unique voice and perspective that young people bring to decision making. In the two and half years since Wingspread, these early advocates have continued to connect with one another and to add others to the connection. As a result, in 1998, the National 4-H Council agreed to house the continuation of Wingspread, with the "At the Table" initiative. A top priority was to bring together the participants who had been involved in developing the youth governance movement, and to expand it as a national force. These youth and adults met in September 1998 at the National 4-H Conference Center and spent several days sharing ideas and developing a plan of action for the initiative. 4-H has been a key player in the youth governance movement. The sidebar below, excerpted from the publication "14 Points: Successfully Involving Youth in Decision Making," describes how the National 4-H Council board expanded to include 10 young people ranging in age from 12 to 22 .
	Sidebar 1: Youth Governance and the National 4-H Council
	Adam Kendall, one of the participants and a college student at the University of Minnesota at Bemidji, was a youth movement activist in 1987 when he worked on the passage of the Youth Development Plan legislation in that state. In subsequent years he also became involved in the "Youth on Boards and Councils Network," whose purpose was to promote the concept of young people at the table. He also advocated for the passage of a Minnesota state statute, which legally allows young people to serve on boards of 501(c)3 organizations. As a result of Adam's unique and comprehensive experience in the youth movement he has identified four components that are necessary to the success of a national movement: Public policy. Promotes local legislation to allow young people to serve on non-profits boards and local governing bodies. Youth training. Encourages young people to stand up and assert themselves, and take advantage of opportunities that do exist. Adult training. Enlightens naysayers around the concept of youth involvement, and provides education on the special needs of youth, who are most often newcomers to formal organizations. Public relations. Ensures that the concept of youth "at the table" is portrayed as a positive, forward-looking movement in the media, and that its coverage gets increased. Each of these components is very important to the youth participation movement, and will be discussed in the sections that follow. Public policy In 1996, at the age of 15, Ben Smilowitz founded the International Student Activism Alliance (ISAA) to give students a united voice in issues that affect them. ISAA now has over 150 chapters with at least one in every state. Their most visible work is the campaigns they coordinate in four states to get student seats on state boards of education. In 1998, ISAA's campaign for student seats in Connecticut was successful, and two students were sworn in as members of the Connecticut State Board of Education. The campaign was not an easy one, however. Ben and his fellow ISAA members fought for almost two years to change the state law, and spent many days in legislators' offices, trying to gain support. On the day the bill was passed, CT State Representative Bob Farr addressed the House, acknowledging that ISAA-namely Ben Smilowitz-was "largely responsible for the bill that we just passed." After the Governor signed the bill, Ben said in a press release that "It's great to see hard work pay off. This goes to show that students really can make a difference." In addition to changing state laws to allow for student seats on school boards, others are working to change public policy around state laws that affect young people's ability to serve as members of nonprofit boards. While most states remain silent on the issue of age when it comes to nonprofit trustees, Minnesota and New York both have laws that allow minors to serve on boards. On December 29, 1998, Michigan followed suit when Governor John Engler signed House Bill 5906, known as the "Youth on Boards" bill, which allows young people 16 and up to serve on boards of nonprofits in his state. As more adults recognize the value of bringing youth to the table to serve as board and council members, it is likely that other state laws will change as well. If Ben Smilowitz has his way, this is the trend of the future: "Young people have so many things to add. The problem is the people who have the power to make changes in our society don't recognize that enough. It's become our job to convince them." Even as public policy changes and young people are sitting at the table, the challenges do not end-it is a often a first-time experience for young people and adults alike to serve side-by-side. This, along with many other challenges, are often remedied by an effective training program. Youth and Adult Training Barry Checkoway at the University of Michigan has written a resource book entitled Adults as Allies [3], in which he lists some key obstacles that adults can help young people understand and overcome as they begin to make important decisions for their community, organization, or school. The list includes the following points: Youth often lack the knowledge of technical community issues that are conducive to creating change Youth often have fewer resources than their adult counterparts; they often act as individuals rather than as part of a group such as a board or council Youth have experienced adult resistance to their efforts Part of the process for overcoming these obstacles is the provision of training programs for both youth and adults, that prepares young people to serve in a decision-making capacity. Community Partnerships with Youth Inc. is involved in the training aspect of preparing young people to serve in a decision-making capacity, especially at the board and advisory council levels. At CPY Inc., our experience with youth in governance-particularly working with a Board of Directors whose participants were largely under the age of 18 years-taught us that for youth to be effective board members they need education and training. Similarly, we recognized the importance of education and training in positive youth development for the adult members of the board. The Youth in Governance evaluation report [4] states that, "for youth, one of the benefits of the training and governance experience meant a greater sense of confidence in speaking up in public or speaking with adults, or a clearer sense of mission. It might also mean a greater understanding of group decision-making, or better listening and communication skills." As cited in the report, adult benefits from the training experience included seeing greater potential in youth and greater flexibility in seeing others' points of view. Youth, when asked about the most effective ways to prepare organizations for youth as decision makers, listed several very important elements: The need for adults to respect youth A willingness on the part of adults to really listen Adult development of good mentoring skills Full participation for youth The development of co-equal relationships between adults and youth
	Table 1: DOs and DON'Ts of Youth/Adult Governance
	Public relations Just as the benefits of training have led to greater confidence and understanding, a commitment to public relations-spreading the word-is an important component in the youth participation movement. The truth is that in spite of recent policy changes that have created opportunities for youth to participate, the idea of inviting youth to sit at the table is not one that all people embrace. For example, adults frequently sit together discussing young people, without even questioning the fact that youth are not part of the discussion. Entire conferences are focused around youth issues, where not one young person speaks, sits on a panel, or leads a workshop. Often, young people are not even invited to attend. Adults frequently sit together discussing young people, without even questioning the fact that youth are not part of the discussion. Entire conferences are focused around youth issues, where not one young person speaks, sits on a panel, or leads a workshop. Fortunately, this is slowly changing. The exciting thing is that once the light bulb turns on, and adults realize the benefits of including young people, word spreads quickly. The story that follows illustrates this point. Several years ago, a group of Junior League women gathered to plan an international youth conference. Late in the planning, they invited some young adults to review the agenda and offer their feedback. The young people, in turn, challenged the fact that youth had not been involved in the planning, and requested that the Junior League start over and plan the event with young people. Although reluctant, the women agreed, and each brought a young person along to the next meeting. By the time the conference rolled around, not only had young people planned the entire agenda, but they also led the conference by participating as emcees, workshop leaders, and logistic coordinators. The Junior League women saw firsthand why the conference needed to be planned with young people. A few months later, one of the Junior League members ran into one of the young people and told a story of a recent board meeting she attended at a local TV station. The board members were making some decisions about youth TV programming, when suddenly she looked around the room and realized that no youth were present. Immediately, she pointed this out to the others, demanding that they table the discussion until they could invite some youth to join the board. She understood the power of youth participation, and carried that knowledge with her. Not only is this story true, but it is also representative of what happens to many adults when they realize that youth need to have a voice in decision making. There is much work to do, however, if there really is to be a "movement." Organizations that make decisions affecting youth must not only think about how they involve youth in decision making; the media must begin to tell these success stories. "At the Table," in collaboration with organizations and individuals who share a commitment to youth governance, is helping to spread the word through a video about youth in governance. The video, entitled "At the Table: Youth Voices in Decision-Making," was coproduced by five organizations and is being distributed through all of them. Efforts like this contribute to building a movement that is national in scope. The youth governance movement is truly about changing the role of young people in society, and thus promoting social justice. This will not be an easy task: many challenges exist such as liability, reimbursement for expenses, culture-change of boards and organizations, and relationships within organizations, schools, and families. However, this is a struggle that is worth the effort. In the words and wisdom of Dorothy Stoneman, President of YouthBuild USA, "Sharing power with young people in decision-making, policy, and programming is not something you just do on principle - you really get a better product." Please join this movement; all youth and adult voices are welcome!
	Sidebar 2: Things YOU Can Do To Support Youth In Governance
	Resource List Activism 2000 Project/Resource Center P.O. Box E Kensington, MD 20895 1-800-KIDPOWER Contact: Wendy Schaetzel Lesko Community Partnerships with Youth, Inc. 6319 Constitution Drive Fort Wayne, IN 46804 Phone: (219) 436-4402; Fax: (219) 436-5354 Email: cpyinc@aol.com Web: www.cpyinc.org At the Table National 4-H Council 7100 Connecticut Avenue Chevy Chase, MD 20815 Contact: Amy Weisenbach Phone: (301) 961-2972; Fax: (301) 961-2894 Email: Aweisenbach@fourhcouncil.edu Center for Youth as Resources 1700 K Street, Suite 801 Washington, DC 20006-3817 Phone: (202) 466-6272; Fax: (202) 785-0698 International Student Activism Alliance (ISAA) 31 North Quaker Lane West Hartford, CT 06119 Contact: Ben Smilowitz Phone: (860) 232-8452; Fax: (860) 728-0287 Email: ccluf@aol.com Youth Leadership Institute 870 Market Street, Room 708 San Francisco, CA 94102 Contact: Maureen Ketchum Phone: (415) 297-2256; Fax: (415) 455-1683 Email: Mketchum@yli.org Youth On Board 58 Day Street, 3rd Floor P.O. Box 440322 Somerville, MA 02144 Contact: Jenny Sazama or Karen Young Phone: (617) 623-9900; Fax: (617) 623-4359 Email: YouthBoard@aol.com References 1. Pitkin, Hanna. The Concept of Representation, Berekeley: University of California Press, 1967. 2. Males, Mike. The Scapegoat Generation: America's War on Adolescents, Monroe, MN: Common Courage Press, 1996. 3. Checkoway, Barry. Adults as Allies, W.K. Kellogg Foundation. 4. Torres, Judith Stern, Final Evaluation Report: "Community Partnerships with Youth/Youth In Governance", Torres Associates, 1997. Author Bios (back to top) Anne B. Hoover is the Executive director of Community Partnerships with Youth, Inc., a national training and development center for youth, youth professionals, educators, and the clergy. CPY's purpose is to provide the training experiences, curricula materials, and technical assistance needed to empower youth, in equal partnership with adults, to become active citizens of the community through service. Anne has coauthored several curricula: Youth as Trustees, Youth in Governance, and the newest CPY publication, Youth as Philanthropists. She has written trustee education materials for Trustee Leadership Development and coauthored a Board Development/Nominating resource for the Robert K. Greenleaf Center. Anne has served as a consultant and trainer to the National Association for Community Leadership, the National Crime Prevention Council, the National Center for Non-Profit Boards, and the National Assembly. She is a past President of the Association of Junior Leagues International and received Indiana's highest honor, the Sagamore of the Wabash award, from the Governor for her work on behalf of youth. Amy Weisenbach graduated from DePauw University in 1998 and began her professional career in youth development. However, her passion for youth work started much earlier. Since the age of 14, Amy has been working to increase opportunities for youth to be heard. During her career at Children's Express news organization, she conducted numerous interviews with young people around the country and coauthored the book,Voices from the Future: Our Children Tell us About Violence in America. During college, Amy served on the boards of Indiana Youth Services Association and National 4-H Council. Through her work with Council, Amy helped the Board to expand youth participation, increasing the number of youth to 10 and expanding the age range to include youth as young as 12. After college, Amy resigned from the Board to pick up the campaign torch for the national youth participation movement, working with National 4-H Council as Project Coordinator for At the Table. In 1997, Amy was named a Truman Scholar and received a scholarship for graduate study to pursue a career in public service.
	NEW DESIGNS FOR YOUTH DEVELOPMENT © 1999