1.6 Youth participation in youth information services: A definition

1.6

Youth participation in youth information services - a definition

Eurodesk and ERYICA have developed a definition of youth participation in youth information services to support this publication.

Youth participation IN youth information services

Youth participation IN youth information services

It means enabling young people to have the right, means, space and support to:

→ Participate in the production, dissemination and evaluation of youth information, at different levels and in different forms.

→ Lead and develop peer-to-peer youth information activities.

→ Give feedback as an integrated part of the ongoing development of youth information services.

→ Take an active role in the co-design and leadership of youth information services.

The goal of youth participation in youth information services is to enable young people to influence the content and types of youth information that young people have access to, as well as the way that youth information services undertake their work.

Youth participation IN youth information services sits alongside the vital role that having access to quality youth information plays in enabling young people to actively participate in democratic and civic life.

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Youth participation in youth information services can take place through a variety of different models and formats, and new ones are developing all the time. Some of the most common formats include:

1Creating youth information with young people

This group of methods focuses on how young people can influence decisions about the type of youth information that is created. It enables them to influence the topics, formats, content and platforms used for youth information. It can also allow them to be directly active in the creation of youth information.

These methods can involve:

→ Working with young people as content creators. → Young people co-designing information campaigns and material with youth information professionals. → These methods are explored in Chapter 3 of this guide.

2Involving young people as peer-to-peer educators

3Young people co-steering youth information services

4Evaluation, assessment and feedback

This method enables young people to be active in the delivery of youth information. Young people practice their active citizenship and experiential learning by taking on roles in disseminating youth information to other young people. These methods are explored in Chapter 4 of this guide.

This method enables young people to be active in the delivery of youth information. Young people practice their active citizenship and experiential learning by taking on roles in disseminating youth information to other young people. These methods are explored in Chapter 4 of this guide.

This group of methods involves putting in place simple, systematic approaches that can enable any young person to express their views on the quality of the information they receive. They sit lower down on the ladder of participation but are a vital part of enabling a youth information service to listen to the views of young people and to adapt the service accordingly. These methods are explored in Chapter 6 of this guide.

No one model or format is more effective than another. They each achieve different goals and serve different purposes. A quality youth information service is likely to use a range of different models to support youth participation. Different models and formats might even be used in the same project. All of the models are supported by the same principles and approaches to youth participation, which are explored in Chapter 2.