Youth thrive when adults support and encourage “youth voice”

Michelle Neff<hydemich@msu.edu>, Michigan State University Extension - February 24, 2020

Updated from an original article written by Nancy Victorson.

Adults can help youth thrive by encouraging youth voice and establishing a positive relationship with them.

Helping youth identify and nurture “sparks,” encouraging youth voice and developing positive relationships between youth and adults are three important components of helping youth thrive identified by the Search Institute. Parents play a vital role in helping youth thrive, but all caring responsible adults can make a positive impact on helping youth express their voice. The key for adults is to listen, value the opinion of youth and take the time to really get to know them. Youth are valuable resources to their families and communities, they just need to develop self-esteem and be heard.

Youth organizations like Michigan 4-H can help young people develop life skills, provide opportunities to express their voice and make a difference in their communities. When adults step back and allow youth to take the lead in 4-H clubs, encourage and assist them to take on teen leadership roles, be a club officer, a camp counselor or plan service learning projects, they are providing opportunities to build skills and confidence. The positive relationships that can develop over time between 4-H club leaders and members can help youth ignite their sparks, develop confidence to express their opinions and make a difference by being actively involved in their clubs and communities.

Michigan State University Extension can help community develop a stronger youth voice and bring in training related to youth and adult partnerships that can help make sure youth have a voice in your community.

Michigan 4-H offers a variety of opportunities in addition to the 4-H club setting that can help youth thrive. These include 4-H Exploration Days, 4-H Capital Experience, 4-H Citizenship Washington Focus and the Michigan 4-H State Leadership Council. These and the many other opportunities through 4-H can help youth with all three of the important components needed to thrive: sparks, youth voice and positive relationships with adults.

This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit https://extension.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit https://extension.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit https://extension.msu.edu/experts, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).