• Be flexible. Give participants lots of chances to improve. Former youth worker Dawood Khan observed that "flexibility is key to working with marginal youth - as long as you are getting mostly what you are looking for, you have to be willing to let the rest go. For the most part, I didn't care what happens as long as the youth meet the outcomes. But that kind of flexibility is hard to maintain in a larger organization."



• Ask, why? Why is this person late or absent? Youth participants have other responsibilities, like school or work and the program may not be a priority. In other cases, it may be the parents who prioritize responsibilities at home over the program. Consider, as well, whether there is something you could do better. Why do the youth no longer come or care to come on time? Is there a better time or place for the youth to meet? Are the youth missing particular skills that contribute to the absenteeism or lateness?



• Problem-solve, don't punish. Approach disciplinary issues from the perspective of collective problem-solving rather than punishment or blame. Discuss the problem as a group and together determine how it should be resolved.



• Encourage the youth to establish their own rules. The participants should establish ground rules and guidelines for themselves. This includes being able to determine, "What is late?" and the consequences that ensue. The youth are responsible for holding one another accountable; the success of the program is for them. But youth workers can facilitate this process by keeping the youth informed especially when there are important activities that no one should miss.



• Adjust compensation and rewards. Some programs will withhold or adjust stipends and other rewards when participants are late or absent. While flexibility is important, equity must also be a consideration. Participants are not always happy to see someone receiving the same rewards if they have done less work.

>>>> Chapter 8

InvolveYouth 2: A guide to meaningful youth engagement is broken into section chapters on the web. See the Chapters list for links to all chapters. You can also download the PDF of this document. You will need to have the latest version of the  FREE Acrobat Reader on your computer to view. To order a printed copy of the guide send an e-mail to safety2@toronto.ca or call 416-397-0442.