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Young people don't speak with one voice

By Thom Woodroofe - posted Friday, 3 July 2009


There are certainly more opportunities than ever for young people to be involved in their communities, and most Australians would probably think they have been given an effective voice. But that's not the case. "Young people" is a buzz term thrown around about as much as "the disadvantaged" or "marginalised" - and not always for the right reasons.

Ironically, since the International Year of Youth in 1985, Australia has been increasingly driven by a culture of tokenism when it comes to youth participation. That year, young people went from being teenagers or adults participating in society as individuals, to being part of a social category that labelled them until they turned 25.

From this came pressure for corporations and government to be seen to be engaging with young people. Tokenistic programs popped up everywhere designed to tick off flashy corporate social responsibility strategies or to fill pages of glossy annual reports with young smiling faces.

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But the result has rarely been meaningful participation. Few such programs have delivered genuine dividends. Meaningful youth participation doesn't result from corporate junkets and government consultations. Young people need to take the initiative if their contribution is to be valid. They must be treated as legitimate participants in contemporary debates, not - as government and business tend to see them - as a group that needs these special programs.But the result has rarely been meaningful participation. Few such programs have delivered genuine dividends. Meaningful youth participation doesn't result from corporate junkets and government consultations. Young people need to take the initiative if their contribution is to be valid. They must be treated as legitimate participants in contemporary debates, not - as government and business tend to see them - as a group that needs these special programs.

The categorisation of "young people" may have led to more opportunities, but it has diminished their participation at the "big table" by creating a culture of "waiting your turn at the little table".

The effectiveness of youth participation and engagement cannot be measured by the number of people involved in these special programs. It must be measured by the extent to which youth involvement can drive and influence real change.

Professor Roger Hart at the City University of New York has written of a "Ladder of Youth Participation" - dare I say in the post-Latham era, something like a "ladder of opportunity".

It starts with manipulation, decoration and tokenism in the way youth engagement takes place before reaching the dizzy heights of shared decision-making and the initiation of change.

There are obvious limits though. In the United States, Brian Zimmerman was elected mayor of Crabb, Texas, when he was only 11 years old. Zimmerman was too young to vote but old enough to be mayor. As mayor, he eventually passed a law introducing a minimum age of 18 for the office - and he died from a heart attack, aged just 24.

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Despite such aberrations, the point remains: young people should be valued as everyday citizens and given opportunities to participate in meaningful ways. And just as there is a burden of responsibility on us all to ensure the opportunities are meaningful, there is a similar burden on the young to show their involvement is worthwhile and actually producing dividends.Despite such aberrations, the point remains: young people should be valued as everyday citizens and given opportunities to participate in meaningful ways. And just as there is a burden of responsibility on us all to ensure the opportunities are meaningful, there is a similar burden on the young to show their involvement is worthwhile and actually producing dividends.

Too often the temptation is to agree to attractive titles that might disguise the tokenistic nature of the role, whether this be on a local youth council or an advisory board to a bank. The real question is: how many of these opportunities are actually about driving change?

This is not to deny the existence of meaningful activities that should be encouraged: young people running for local council, starting organisations and businesses or being involved in ventures such as setting up a local recycling campaign.

But too often the involvement of young people results in no change whatsoever (unless it is driven by the young people themselves).

This week I had the honour of being recognised as the 2009 Young Victorian of the Year for my work in encouraging meaningful youth participation across the community. In the year ahead I hope to do more than simply encourage more young people to be involved in their communities - because of the pressures of work and study, many can't be - but to refocus youth engagement towards helping young people discover their passions and create change.

I believe the young are the most powerful catalyst for change in society, whether this be in the way their schools run or in the direction their country takes. Creating meaningful opportunities for them to discover their passions and to support them in driving change is the challenge for all of us.
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This article was first published in The Age on July 2, 2009



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About the Author

Thom Woodroofe, 21, is a foreign affairs analyst combining journalism, research, teaching and community work to advance an understanding of Australia's place in the world.

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