| 4-H
provides young people with many opportunities to learn and
develop important life skills such as responsible citizenship.
Part of being a responsible citizen is making your voice heard.
This can include voting, signing petitions, writing letters
to the editor of the newspaper, lobbying your legislators,
and other activities.
One
way to be engaged in your community and have your voice heard
is to serve on a board or committee that makes decisions about
issues that concern you. When young people work in equal partnership
with adults on boards, committees, coalitions, commissions,
or other governing structures, it is called youth
in governance.
Young
people may work on boards of directors, sanctioned committees,
planning bodies, and advisory groups. The youth are voting
members and equal stakeholders in all decisions that come
before the group, including such issues as budget, staff,
and strategic planning.
Youth
in governance is also referred to as youth on boards
and youth as decision makers. This includes
a variety of efforts to engage young people in determining
outcomes or decision making related to an issue, a project,
a program, or an organization.
Many
boards and committees already value the input of young people.
Others may not yet understand the ideas, energy, and enthusiasm
that young people have to offer. This Web site is designed
to provide youth and adults
with some helpful steps, tips, resources,
and links for more information on
involving youth in governing roles on boards and committees.
Be sure to take a few minutes to report
how young people are serving in governing roles in your community! |
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