I’m going to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania next month! The Allegheny County United Way is bringing me in to speak at their bi-annual afterschool gathering, the APOST Conference. I will be on the scene throughout the day, presenting a keynote and a workshop for participants, as well as providing consulting throughout the day. Presented in the first part of the […]
Category: afterschool
There should never, ever be a grade, score, or test for student voice. Reading over a recent report, the researchers suggested a measurement for student voice that accounted for participation and engagement, as well as depth and awareness. I was appalled, if only because of the asinine assumption that there is any student ever who […]
How to Promote Youth Engagement in Organizations 1) Share Youth Engagement. Talk with your supervisor, Executive Director, board members, and other decision-makers. Build support by talking to staff members about youth engagement. Train young people about youth engagement, why it matters, and how they can experience it more. Research resources that might help different people […]
Creating a safe and supportive learning environment is vital to engaging student voice. A great way to do that is through reflection. Reflection is a process of looking back on an experience and deciphering the meaning of it. This post shares some activities to foster that process. Reflection Activities Here are several activities facilitators can […]
When adults are talking rude to young people, they show patronizing superiority. Many parents, youth workers, teachers, and others are not aware of how rude they are towards children and youth. Most adults would be shocked if young people were as rude towards them as they are towards young people. When we’re confronted by a brave […]
PRESS RELEASE: Youth Discrimination Is Tearing Society Apart! Olympia, WA—Every parent, teacher, and youth worker knows they aren’t as effective as they could be, but often aren’t sure why. Using willpower to force children and youth to comply, even the most well-meaning adult uses curfews, takes away toys, and bribes with rewards. There’s hope. ENDING […]
Do you want to engage, involve, inspire, motivate, or activate young people? Then order my book, The Freechild Project Youth-Driven Programming Guide! Packed with useful activities, deep insights, practical tips, and other information and resources your need to move youth voice, youth engagement, youth leadership, and youth empowerment to the FRONT of your work with […]
My friend Lori works with youth in the Midwest. She recently asked me, “In the scheme of things, how do we motivate the youth to be empowered rather than entitled?” I’ve learned that motivation comes through our own experience and example more than anything else. We have to actively demonstrate to young people our engagement, […]
Description If our goal is to engage young people in social change, there are many ways to do that. This diagram illustrates four distinct ways to engage young people: youth-driven community organizing, systemic youth involvement, situational youth voice, and service learning. It then illustrates the traditional and non-traditional approaches to doing that within these ways, […]
Things dropped by well-meaning adults still do what?!? There are several ways that adults undermine young people. I have grouped them into three main categories: well-meaning adults, indifferent adults, and hostile adults. This post is exploring the first category, well-meaning adults. They are determined to “help kids”, and can often be identified as progressive teachers, […]
