Meaningful participation
I've been reading a very interesting article by Wendy Podd ( Link to download) and it got me thinking about how young people participate in our meetings. Wendy's background is in youth work but she does a great job of exploring participation in its widest sense.
Some of her conclusions really struck a chord with me and I'd be interested to hear what you think we can take from her analysis.
The fact that there isn't a shared definition or understanding of what we mean by 'participation' is certainly an obstacle to getting things done and I think we have all encountered cases where there's a big disconnect between how an agency 'does participation' and the ways that young people want to be engaged.
In her research, for example, Wendy found that local authorities often define participation in ways that mimic their own democratic decision making, with committees, agendas and time consuming processes. How, she asks, do we make that the opportunities for participation we offer are meaningful to young people in their terms?
If I'm doing a LAC review then the first thing I try to do is to create a space to learn and understand what changes a young person wants to see and then I need to make that the most important thing to deal with at the meeting. During the rest of the meeting I also try to give the young person the first chance to speak on each topic as well as having a chance to comment when everyone else has spoken.
There are some young people who really respond to being the centre of attention and they grasp their opportunity to hold the floor with both hands. And there are others who find it very challenging to talk about difficult aspects of their lives with a roomful of adults. Nevertheless I make a point of using every part of the agenda a chance for them to speak even if they choose not to take it at that time.
So what's your experience? What can we do to give young people meaningful opportunities to challenge the ways that decisions are made about their lives and to do so in ways that encourage them to use their power responsibly?
