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InvolveYouth 2:
A guide to meaningful youth engagement |
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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.
Forward by Mayor David Miller
September 2006
In making the transition to adulthood young people need support, guidance and the opportunities to gain new skills and experience. All across our city, community organizations, in addition to the City of Toronto, are providing programs and services that help youth make that transition.
These programs are a cornerstone of the City's Community Safety Plan because they offer positive options and experiences for young people. They provide alternatives to involvement with criminal activity and other anti-social behaviour. They are vital in helping build leadership and citizenship skills.
The most effective of these programs are those that fully engage youth in all aspects of their operation. These are the programs that reach out to our most marginalized young citizens and involve them in designing and running activities and implementing solutions that contribute to building strong neighbourhoods. These are youth engagement programs in the truest sense of the word. The staff who facilitate such programs play a critically important role in shaping the lives of young people.
InvolveYouth2: A guide to meaningful youth engagement was written to provide advice and support for organizations and staff who work with youth. It's a practical manual which draws on the experience of youth workers and others. It provides strategies on how organizations can help young people gain new skills by creating welcoming environments, supporting youth to make decisions and designing program activities and approaches that meaningfully engage youth.
This guide is testament to the value the City of Toronto places on youth programs and the people who provide and participate in them. I hope it is a useful tool in creating more effective programs and enhancing the safety of our communities.
Mayor David Miller 
Introduction
Youth can make tremendous contributions to the communities in which they live. They can bring new perspectives to citizenship and service. Their ideas and energy can invigorate projects and organizations. But not all Toronto's youth feel heard or valued.
When young people feel neglected, overlooked or discounted by society, they can become susceptible to negative influences and anti-social behaviour. Recent incidents of violence demonstrate the important role that the social and civic inclusion of Toronto's youth plays in enhancing community safety.
Everyday all across Toronto scores of programs in community and recreation centres, libraries, youth employment service agencies, drop-in facilities and health centres are engaging young people, providing them with the services, programs and opportunities to develop the life skills they need to become successful adults.
Like its community partners, the City of Toronto offers many programs for youth. Through initiatives like the InvolveYouth campaign and the Toronto Youth Cabinet, the City has focused on promoting inclusive and effective youth engagement.
The City believes meaningful youth engagement that emphasizes access, equity and social justice (the elements of anti-oppression) leads to positive youth development. Research has shown that civic engagement increases resiliency and protects young people from at-risk environments and behaviour. Positive youth development eases their transition into adulthood.
All youth benefit from opportunities to have a voice, access and shared power with adults but there is a particular urgency to engage youth of colour. Because of changes in our economy many youth of colour are no longer finding well-paying permanent jobs.
Many youth of colour - particularly newcomers - are living on very low incomes with limited opportunities for advancement. Some of these young people become enmeshed in the criminal justice system.
Youth engagement programs and approaches within an anti-oppression framework are especially effective with older, marginalized youth of colour who have not been reached by traditional youth-serving agencies.
When young people learn to identify and understand the systemic factors that affect their lives, they are able to move forward in positive, constructive and conscious ways. True inclusion and empowerment of Toronto's youth begins with providing young people with the opportunity to gain tangible skills, make real decisions and contribute to their community.
Not all youth programs are youth engagement programs
Whether it is visiting the library, attending an after-school program, or volunteering at the local community centre, there is a wide range of programs, services and opportunities for young people. Each contributes in a different way to positive youth development.
Youth engagement programs and approaches contribute to the development of youth by fostering active citizenship. They instil a sense of social responsibility that will follow youth into adulthood. Programs achieve these aims by providing opportunities for capacity building and leadership, and by encouraging youth to develop a sense of self-awareness that is connected to a broader social awareness.
While all positive youth development opportunities enable youth to acquire and advance a range of life skills, youth engagement programs deliver the added value of active citizenship and social responsibility. However, the structure and form of youth engagement may vary widely between organizations. For example, establishing a youth council or starting a youth engagement program are very visible ways of involving youth. But a youth engagement approach can also be applied to other programs and services - such as drop-in centres or literacy programs - by involving youth in determining how they are run.
This guide is an introduction to effective youth engagement programming as a strategy for healthy and safe youth development. It identifies some of the key elements and common challenges, as well as offering possible solutions and strategies. We hope that it will prove useful in your work and that it will support our common efforts towards a safe, vibrant and inclusive Toronto.
>>>> Chapter 1
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.
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