Teen takeovers, or large gatherings of young people in public places, have become increasingly popular in urban areas like Detroit, Pittsburgh and Raleigh. Coordinated over social media, these events are drawing concern from local law enforcement.
But why are teens gathering like this and what can city organizers do to create better opportunities for them? Krista Mehari, an associate professor in the Charles Stewart Mott Department of Public Health at Michigan State University’s College of Human Medicine, recommends that adults partner with teens to create better solutions. As an expert in youth violence prevention, Mehari works with community leaders to uncover the causes of youth violence and implement prevention programs in schools and communities. Here, she talks about the importance of elevating youth voices in leadership and what that really means.
What is the key to building productive partnerships between youth and adults?
Trust is foundational to youth-adult partnerships. In my experience, young people are used to adults who pop in and out of their lives, so they start to trust adults only when those adults prove that they will stick around and follow through on commitments.
One metaphor I use to explain this is the “trust bank.” Adults cannot make withdrawals on teens’ trust if the adults have not built up a trust account. Trust is built slowly and patiently over time.
When partnering with youth, adults are considered more trustworthy when they are warm, personable, committed and available. Trust can be promoted when at least one adult serves as a consistent coordinator and facilitator. Having one adult check in with youth advisory council members before and after meetings can provide a meaningful and sustained point of connection.
What does it mean for adults and youth to share power?
Real partnership is characterized by sharing power, including collaborative goal-setting, shared decision-making and transparency. In the case of Detroit’s youth advisory council, that also means deciding together what the problems, the causes of those problems and the possible solutions are — not just the adults assuming the root cause of the takeovers is a lack of youth spaces and then initiating their own solutions.
Power-sharing can be difficult for everyone. It is more complicated when people of different age groups are involved or when there is pressure to reach benchmarks, such as a desire to show results to funders or voters.
As an example of sharing power, one of our young adult advisory boards challenged another researcher and me to share full budget information on a grant-funded project, including salaries and overhead costs. This transparency resulted in changes in wages and incentives, following a protracted negotiation with human resources.
Paying youth partners for their time makes it possible for those who are under financial strain to participate. Wages or stipends for youth level the playing field with the adults, who are usually paid for their work.
How can organizations make it easier for youth to participate?
The most successful partnerships occur when adults meet young people where they are, both developmentally and physically. For example, expecting teens to commute to meetings may exclude those who have fewer resources or less motivation.
Instead, organizations that want to collaborate with teens can set up meetings where teens already are, such as in schools, or where they are comfortable and can easily get to, such as libraries or Boys & Girls Clubs. Those organizations could also pay for ridesharing, gas or public transportation. For example, one youth advisory board I worked with met at a park that served as an after-school site and was within easy walking distance of two apartment complexes.
What role does anti-adultism play in youth-adult partnerships?
At the core of youth participatory action is anti-adultism, which emphasizes the need to include young people in decisions that affect them and empower them to express opinions and take action.
In my experience, adults who impose rigid standards on youth advisory boards about timeliness, clothing or oral or written communications will not have a productive, mutually beneficial relationship with them. Instead, adults can become curious about young people’s expectations of themselves and others and create a climate and culture that works for everyone.
Where should a community start to partner with young people?
An evidence-based, collaborative approach to solutions aligns adults and youth together against a shared problem rather than against each other.
Teen takeovers showcase teens’ extraordinary abilities to identify collective problems and to enact creative solutions — whether or not these solutions are acceptable to adults in power.
Rather than treating young people as an invading force, cities like Detroit can build a partnership with them to devise a flexible, responsive and sustainable strategy that supports the whole community.
Responses and excerpts are from an article in The Conversation.
