1. Youth Engagement Presentation to Coalition Council By: Sarah Stea, YMCA Tracey Burnet-Greene, SMDHU Co-chairs, Youth Engagement Core Group

2. Background On January 30 & 31, 2012 youth and youth serving professionals from 22 organizations across Simcoe County participated in the Art of Youth Engagement Training. The youth engagement core group was formed and a Harvest report was created to guide the group.

3. Functions of YE Core Group Develop a work plan for youth engagement that aligns with the Coalition’s strategic goal to “ensure the participation of youth in the planning process” Work towards the Coalition’s youth engagement outcomes Leverage youth engagement assets within our own organizations and elsewhere in the Coalition to create greater awareness of the needs of young people Identify, elevate and share best practices and principles of youth engagement through the Coalition, in the community and from other communities

4. The Plan To hear directly from youth in Simcoe County, get their feedback on what Youth Engagement and Youth Friendly means to them. Four youth groups were consulted during July and August of 2012 1.YMCA of Simcoe/Muskoka Youth Quest 2.CMHA UP Project 3.Medicine Horse Camp 4.Youth Haven A total of 40 youth participated ranging from 12-23 yrs.

5. Results – They had a positive relationship with staff/volunteers. – They felt empowered. – They felt included and not judged or stereotyped. Youth were more likely to be engaged if:

6. Results – They were given a variety of meaningful opportunities. – They had a space they felt safe. – They felt valued. – Their needs were met.

7. Results – Programs and services were accessible. – It was interesting and fun. – They were given responsibility. – They were trusted.

8. Next Steps Two main factors went into deciding what the YE core group’s next steps should be: 1.Debriefing about the formal results of the youth focus groups. 2.Listening to what the adults who were attending the YE core group meetings had to say about YE in their own organizations.

9. Conclusions We are not all on the same page. We needed to start with the basics – decide on some YE principles that all agencies can use to guide them in learning about and using YE. The YE core group could easily serve as a central YE resource center for all coalition agencies.

10. Why a shift to youth engagement? 1. It respects a young person’s right to participate – UN Convention on the rights of the child. 2.Youth engagement benefits participating youth – Being involved matters! 3.Youth engagement benefits communities! 4.Youth engagement benefits organizations!

11. What is the commitment? Many feel that in order to use a YE framework an agency must be able to dedicate large amounts of funds, huge amounts of staff time and several resources before it can be successful, but……

12. What is the Commitment? Although these things can help, and changes to agency structures/policies may be needed, they aren’t the most important factors in successful implementation of YE. It’s more about changing the way an agency chooses to look at their interactions with youth that matters i.e. viewing youth as partners with ideas to contribute vs. clients with problems that need fixing.- the rest can come in time, and the YE core group can help.

13. Agree or Disagree? Let’s do a brief activity to explore our feelings around youth engagement. After a statement has been read, please think about whether you agree or disagree with the statement.

14. Agree or Disagree? Young people know how to get things done in newer, creative, and faster way than most adults. Youth participation is vitally important, but ultimately, adults need to have the final say about how an organization is run. It would be hard for me to give up control and let youth take the lead on something. Most young people could care less about helping their youth organization. Youth should be able to evaluate the programs, staff and agencies that serve them. It is a hardship in terms of time and energy for an adult to do a project jointly with youth. Youth don’t have the experience/education needed to make decisions about how programs are developed, implemented or evaluated.

15. Where to go from here: 1.We respectfully ask that Coalition members validate youth engagement as an important approach to meeting the needs of youth, youth-serving organizations, and the community. 2.We respectfully ask Coalition members to endorse the Youth Engagement Principles and be willing explore the application of these principles within our organizations.

16. Questions?