When you’re trying to engage youth in volunteering and service learning programs, it’s important to respect the skills and viewpoints that they can bring to the table. Positive relationships depend on mutual respect.

Respect – Respect means that adults respect youth and youth respect adults for their ideas, skills, experiences, and resources. When people are respected, they are freed to take risks and to act on their dreams.

Engage – Kids and teenagers need opportunities to engage in meaningful work in their communities. While administrative chores are a necessary part of most service projects, the ‘grunt work’ shouldn’t fall solely on the kids and teens while adults assume all of the major responsibilities.

Support – Agencies need to invest in youth just as they would invest in any volunteer effort. That investment may include training, supervision, supplying materials and other needs. In return, youth should support the agency and program by being dependable, participating in training opportunities and acting and speaking responsibly on the agency’s behalf.

Partner – Youth leadership is really a partnership between youth and adults who work side by side to plan, manage, serve, and evaluate based on a common goal. Both youth and adults are colleagues in the process, each brining particular strengths and perspectives to decision making, priorities, and project management.

Evaluate – Young people, along with adults, need regular opportunities to evaluate their own efforts in terms of the services being offered and what they are learning from their involvement. Continuous evaluation allows for improvements based on what has been learned.

Communicate – Regular communications of expectations, needs, concerns, and affirmation by both adults and young people create a healthy environment and can prevent problems.

Train – Although some people have natural leadership ability, no one is expected to become a leader without preparation and training. Young people are no different. They need training before they begin their service, and they need ongoing training and refelction to improve their knowledge and skills. They also need to be given an opportunity to make mistakes and to learn from them.