“Youth voice can effectively inform and inspire an afterschool, youth-development program in every phase: design, implementation & evaluation. In this section, you’ll hear strategies from youth and see tools you can use in each phase of programming. Remember, we all first must prioritize creating a culture where people feel their input will be valued.”

Teens’ Tips for Youth Voice in Programs: Click here for seven recommended strategies from teens for “easy access points” incorporating more youth voice into your programming. (If you prefer to read the teens’ tips, click here.)

Overview: Youth voice in all aspects of programming: Click here for an overview of how youth voice can inform program design, implementation & evaluation in a youth-development program.

Tools for Youth Voice in Program Planning:

• 7 Ways to Effectively Engage Youth Voice in Programming | GUIDE, Inc.
• What, So What, Now What guide – Event planning with youth from VOX ATL

Tools for Youth Voice in Program Implementation:

• A Few Favorite Community-Building Activities (youth-recommended activities guide)
• Icebreakers, Virtual and In-Person (easily youth-led/adult-supported activities)
• GUIDE Blog: Team Building and Icebreakers that inspire youth voice
• How To Co-create Group Agreements (a how-to guide)
• Evolving Teen Groups into Communities (article)
• “Prep & Debrief” Circles from GA EmpowerMEnt, the youth-led initiative of Multi-Agency Alliance for Children (MAAC), adapted from the Authentic Youth Engagement Team, Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative
• “How to Pay Young People: Considerations for Equity & Effectiveness”
  (article from The Forum for Youth Investment) All youth should be able to see themselves as valued, even those who are not serving in official leadership positions. Paying youth for their work and expertise is a best practice in youth development, and shows youth that work and expertise are valued and financially rewarded — and that they have something positive to contribute to the community.

Tools for Youth Voice in Program Evaluation:

• Formative Feedback – incorporating youth feedback for program quality (training slides)
• How to involve youth voice meaningfully in program evaluation (training slides)

Youth Voice in Community Research:

• Berkley YPAR Hub: YPAR stands for Youth Participatory Action Research. This website offers curricula and examples for supporting youth in research designed to improve their lives, communities and systems designed to serve them.
• Closer to home, Voices for Georgia’s Children teamed up with VOX ATL to present Youth Voice in Community Research at the GA DBHDD System of Care conference 2022.