Home > Youth Voice Toolkit > Creating a Culture of Youth Voice

Creating a culture of youth voice is the silk that connects all the other pieces of our youth voices framework. Inviting youth voice in programming, operations and/or decision making and leadership may be meaningless without fundamentally prioritizing a culture that sincerely values youth voices. This section reinforces ways to create a culture of youth voice.

Definitions & key concepts: youth & service providers definitions of the key concepts required for creating a culture of youth voice. IG post (or use as infographic) is available here.


Creating a vibe that centers youth voice: Click this ‘zine /handout to download ideas for establishing the vibe and creating an environment that centers youth voice in a program or community.

Building Community – even in virtual or hybrid programming: A sense of belonging is essential to quality youth development and to feeling like your voice matters. In this video, the adult staff and teens of VOX ATL share how youth voice and leadership create a sense of belonging no matter where we are.

  • Culture of Belonging Jamboard: click here to see what other youth development staff
    said they experience and do to foster a culture of belonging
  • Prompts for reflection, staff development (with youth or as a team of adult guides):
    • What are the things we do to make one another feel like we belong?
    • What are the things we do or can do to make our staff feel like they belong?
    • What are the policies, practices and places that a commitment to belonging
      needs to be made more explicit?

Trauma-informed/ healing centered spaces: Trauma-informed practices support creativity, courage, and community, and ensure we support culturally reflective and inclusive spaces. This interactive training and activity shows how a healing-centered or trauma-informed environment is critical to foster a culture of youth voice.