New Tips on Youth Engagement

A lot is being written about youth engagement these days. However, a lot of it is retreaded from older writing. I decided to bring together some tips for young people and adults that I’ve accumulated over the years from my own experience, things that may never have been written before. Comment and let me know what you think!

• Your success engaging youth is always dependent on how successfully engaged you are within yourself.
• Instead of going to youth expecting to change them, accept them as they are and let yourself be changed.
• If you do not believe in what you’re engaging in, young people will not believe in it either.
• We get engaged in people, not activities. Only use activities as doorways to know people, not as the thing to engage in.
• You don’t have to engage every youth all the time, but it helps.

• Youth engagement is anything you feel a lasting connection with, not only what adults approve of.
• Don’t be satisfied with what adults offer you to engage in. Do your own thing.
• If your friends won’t get engaged with you, maybe they’re not your friends.
• Look to people you don’t know and you don’t connect with to engage with in your activities.
• Engage in things you’re afraid of.