Youth voice and supportive adults are both critical: International perspectives

Two recent studies by Zeldin, Krauss, and colleagues show that Y-AP promotes positive empowerment and community connections across three countries: the United States, Malaysia and Portugal. Youth voice in decision making is the most influential developmental experience. But, youth voice does not reach its potential unless adults provide emotional support and instrumental guidance. The studies also show that the activities must be engaging to youth and that the young people feel safe. The two studies are: “Youth Adult Partnership and Youth Civic Development: Cross-National Analyses for Scholars and Field Professionals and “Pathways to Youth Empowerment and Community Connectedness.”