A study by Ramey Youth-Adult Partnerships and Youth Identity Style, found that those youth who report authentic participation in program and organizational decision making were more likely to be developing a healthy identity and sense of self.

A study by Serido and Perkins, Moving Beyond Youth Voice, shows that the positive impacts of youth voice in decision making are accelerated when adults provide emotional and instrumental support during program activities.

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 […]

Many people want to understand the benefits of youth-adult partnership before they embark on initiatives to promote youth participation.  This short article, Youth-Adult Partnership: Impacting Individuals and Communities, is written for these persons.  It summarizes recent research showing that high quality youth-adult partnerships benefit youth, staff, organizations, and communities.  It highlights proven strategies through which organizations […]

From Dana Mitra’s 2004 article, Can Increasing ‘‘Student Voice’’ in Schools Lead to Gains in Youth Development?, comes an understanding of “student voice” or student role as a strategy for improving the success of school reform efforts. The article finds that student voice can create meaningful experiences for youth, especially for those who otherwise do […]

A study from Scot Evans, Youth Sense of Community Voice and Power in Community Contexts, concludes that young people benefit from voice and power in community contexts. They develop a sense of membership and empowerment. Janis Whitlock found the same thing in her study, The Role of Adults, Public Space and Power in Adolescent Community Connectedness .  A […]

There is strong evidence that youth-adult partnership promotes positive youth development in the United States and in western Europe. This recently published study in the Journal of Youth and Adolescence is the first to show that Y-AP is also an essential component of youth programs in southeast Asia. The authors looked at the effects of “youth participation […]