It has been my privilege to be an Ohio adult ally for youth-led programming for the past five years. I have been a part of three adult ally study groups, working to define and refine the framework of youth-led programming in Ohio and being an example of the benefits of youth-led programming throughout the state and country.
Youth-led programs, implementing the SPF (Strategic Prevention Framework) and the YECF (Youth Empowerment Conceptional Framework), have brought structure to my passion for a deliberate approach to community organizing. As a prevention consultant whose work is primarily in the urban community, the YECF facilitates the systematic development of the youth voice. The U.S. culture is experiencing fundamental changes at its foundations – century old assumptions are being questioned and the young people are leading the way. Hence, youth engage in a dialogue with peers by leveraging their live experiences, hip-hop music, and ethnic affiliation to address social issues impacting youth. Youth-led programs have the potential to be culturally relevant at the local level since the youth initiate and implement the activities to fulfill the adage “NAMWM (Not About Me Without Me)”, thus creating lasting change. The Ohio Adult Ally workgroup of 2020 developed the following universal message.
Universal Message
Youth-led programs provide young people a platform to effectively leverage their voices and be equipped with the skills to positively impact their surroundings. Working together with adults, youth-led programming provides communities an opportunity to invest in leadership development today and for the future.
Key Points
- Youth participants gain personal and professional development
- Adults identify their strengths to effectively engage young people
- Evidence-based process provides structure and support for youth and adults to work collaboratively
Supporting Narrative
Youth-led programs are an incubator for leadership development on the community level. As we experience a furthering of the culture divide in our country, leadership development on the community level will become more critical. Youth-led programs provides a framework for authentic leadership development. The YECF is a proven evident-based strategy that gives young people the tools and opportunities to develop their voice and implement community change.
Youth-led programs provide young people a platform to effectively leverage their voices and be equipped with the proper skills. Working together with adults, youth-led programming provides an opportunity to positively impact their surroundings today and invest in leadership development for the future.
Youth-led prevention is many things to many different groups. To parents, it is a reassurance that their child is making the right choices. To teachers, it may be a way to document success. To lawmakers, it is a way to interact with those under 18 years old. These are just the surface level of youth-led prevention. Youth-led prevention meets young people where they are and allows them to strategically work on issues they see in their environment/community. By engaging with young people in this manner, it starts to build a sense of inclusion in their environment and help them grow as individuals. The difference between youth-led prevention programs and other youth program is simple to put on paper, but difficult to demonstrate without understanding a few key terms.
Youth-led prevention programs are strategic. This means that the young people were the ones directing the conversations, not the adults. The young people involved have engaged in conversations that have challenged their thoughts on these issues and have worked to identify evidence which supports their claims.
Youth-led prevention is sustainable. For effective youth-led prevention programs, there must be continued work. Sustainability means that it is cost effective, and that cost translates to more than just dollars. By investing in youth-led programming, our young people begin to see themselves as active members in their community, identify with community leaders, and build and recognize skills for the future.
For more information, I encourage you to visit the “Ohio Adult Allies” website and join the movement!
