TIPS For Working with Youth in Community Development Projects

Code of Ethics in Group Development

Early in its development, the group should identify some agreed upon rules or norms upon which the group can operate. Common group rules for meetings may include the following:

• always respect other people's opinions;
• speak for yourself, not others;
• speak to others directly;
• be honest;
• listen when others are speaking;
• silence is alright;
• no fighting; and
• what is said or happens in here stays in here.

Developing Adult/Youth Partnerships

Youth tend to want to work with adults who are credible, trustworthy, and able to fulfill the group's need.

Adults should make every effort to involve youth in fun ways.

Focus early on getting genuine adult commitment to the group and its objectives. It is easier for adults to recruit youth than for youth to recruit adults.

If the project goal is directed toward youth involvement in agency change, the sooner the partner agencies are invited into the process, the greater the chance of project success.

Try to create project work and processes where the needs of youth and adults are valued, openly discussed and incorporated. Youth tend to value respect, caring, opportunities to participate, choice, responsibility and security. Adults tend to value security, identity, usefulness, competence and autonomy.

At the beginning of the project, adults must play the role of starting and leading the project. As youth develop more skills and confidence, adults transfer some of this responsibility so that it is shared equally. This initial leadership role by adults should balance the needs of youth to participate and feel ownership for the process.

Many of the adult service providers who want to help with the project will not have the skills necessary to undertake community development or the power needed to make policy changes in the system. They may have to be trained in the techniques needed to accomplish the project goals.

If agency commitment to the project is desired, it should come in the form of a resolution of the board of directors and be communicated through the agency's executive director. Having an adult front-line worker involved with the group does not necessarily mean that the agency is committed to the project.

Adult group members should be aware that they provide a certain organizational and emotional steadiness to the project. This is particularly true in projects where there is a high turnover of youth membership.

Orientation and training sessions for the partner agencies should be built in as part of putting the project into action. This training should not assume that adults know how to work effectively with youth. Adults may have to be trained on how to work as true partners with youth.

To keep the project healthy, efforts should be made to continually recruit adults and youth.

The best partnerships are formed around common concerns and specific problems.

Partnerships will develop much more smoothly when "youth-friendly" adults and agencies are asked to become involved.

Success is achieved when youth and adults share both management and operational tasks.

It may be helpful to begin youth/adult partnerships by giving adults "personal discovery exercises" which will ask them about:

• their own reasons for becoming involved;
• their willingness to share control, even in their own field of work;
• their perception of their effectiveness in dealing with youth compared with the perception of the youth they are working with; and
• their ability to be a role model.

Adult members of the group must understand that the transfer of power and skills from the adults to the youth is a planned process that must take place over time.

There must be a proper balance between adults and youth and between healthy and less healthy group members. Without this balance, the group may not develop properly.

Adults must remember that their actions speak louder than words regarding attitudes and respect for youth. Adult members who do not participate send a clear message about the priority of youth concerns.

Adults provide a valuable role in youth/adult partnerships. They serve to validate youth decisions and actions in the minds of the youth. Validation is especially important for youth who have low self-esteem.