Authentic Youth Engagement

The Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative recently released a publication titled: Authentic Youth Engagement: Youth-Adult Partnerships.

Unpacking the "Why" Behind Authentic Youth Engagement:

• "Engaging adolescents in planning and decisionmaking regarding their own lives—and the larger community—reaps critical benefits throughout the process of transitioning to adulthood."
• "Emerging knowledge in the field of neuroscience tells us that during adolescence and young adulthood the brain is undergoing extensive remodeling and that experience plays a critical role in how the brain matures."

I completely agree that:

• "Young people in foster care have often been removed from natural opportunities for decisionmaking, community engagement, and leadership and they experience a sense of powerlessness and isolation."
• "The intentional creation of leadership and community engagement opportunities is therefore particularly important for this group of young people."

Read more in this excellent resource...