This post is targeted to Scouting, however other similar organizations that work with Youth will find this helpful.
What is Youth Involvement?
There are two main ways in which voluntary organizations can engage in youth participation:
• Internally, ensuring that young people are listened to and involved in decision-making and planning within their own organizations;
• Externally, supporting the young people they work with to get involved in public decision making and address issues that are of concern to them.
In scouting we can take three areas where youth should be encouraged to be involved:
1. At level of the group/unit; it is important to include young adults in the functioning of the units or groups. Adult with more experience should mentor the young adults keeping their activities on the tight path, in accordance with the scout method, purpose and principles.
2. Within the movement at other levels; Young adults should be involved while taking major decisions in the local, provincial, regional and national level in scouting. It should be remembered that the scout movement is a movement FOR the young people and it should be of their interest and of themselves rather than an adult show. An equal share of adults and young people should be there in all decision making levels.
3. Within the community; Scouting is a movement which strives to create a better world, to create this better community scouts as young adults take up leading roles in upholding leadership roles and work in different social initiatives. Positive youth involvement in the community leads to a creation of a better society.
Why Involve Young people in Decision Making?
1. Young People’s rights; Young people have a right to be involved and to have their voice be heard in decisions that involve them. Participation is a fundamental right of all people, regardless of age. As far as young people are concerned, this right is enshrined in the UN Convention of Rights of the Child; Article 12. UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Article 12: 1. “States Parties shall assure to the child who is capable of forming his or her own views the rights to express those views freely in all matters affecting the child...”
2. Democracy and equal representation; For a healthy democratic society it is essential to have participation in decision making by all concerned people. In scouting that includes both the Adults as well as Young Adults. In an organization such as scouting where the movement is FOR the young people, it is important to have their say in their decisions.
3. Youth perspective; Young people have the ability to contribute new and fresh ideas to traditional ways of operating. Young people’s ideas can be more effective and benefiting as those ideas would be genuine and more creative. After all our founders motto was “Ask the boy”.
4. Skills development; Young people can gain huge amount of confidence and experience if provided with the opportunity to contribute directly to the movement initially leading to positive involvement of youth in the community. Many skills are developed in young people, which can lead directly to improved educational performance and better employment prospects.
5. Scout Method; In Scouting it is important to understand that the scout method itself is based on Youth Involvement. A scout system should not work like a Military unit but like a small democratic state with its provinces, i.e. the teams; its constitution, i.e. the scout law; its government i.e. the council or executive body; its parliament i.e. the groups and their councils where all scouts can participate in selecting activities. This is the real definition of the “PATROL SYSTEM”
“The Patrol system has a great character-training value if it is used alright. It leads each boy to see that he has some individual responsibility for the good of his Patrol. It leads each Patrol to see that it has definite responsibility for the good of the troop… Through it the scouts themselves gradually learn that they have a considerable say in what their troop does. It is the patrol system that makes the troop and all of the scouting that matter, a real co-operative effort” Aids for Scout mastership - B.P.
Youth involvement is only possible when Adults realize that the young person should not only follow in their tracks but also go further and improve the society. Adults should involve young people in decision making and give them real responsibilities. In scouting, adults and young people should work together to built and create a better world, a better society. How can young people be trained in citizenship without giving them opportunity to share responsibilities and make decisions.
Advantages of Youth Participation and involvement:
· Young people are empowered to be self directed
· Young people make responsible choices
· Young people participate as group members in making decisions that influence them
· Young people are given the opportunity to learn group leadership skills and to assume leadership roles in planning activities and projects.
· Young people experience a sense of belonging.
· When young people participate in planning and implementing, the program becomes more aligned with their interests.
· New ideas brought in can result new and exciting activities.
· As young people become more involved in articulating what is important to them, program goals and objectives can become more youth centered.
· Adults role become more as of supervising than facilitating.
· Young people can begin to take on leadership and teaching roles and work in partnership with adults to maximize the opportunities for learning and growth for all members of the movement.
Adults serve as mentors and facilitators for developing the skills of the young people, they share power in real ways with young people, which means by providing them with the opportunities for problem solving, decision making, planning, goal setting and helping others.
Comments