This best practice describes how we integrated the Ladder of participation (Hart, 1997) in our Erasmus+ youth programmes. We started at rung six which is described as adult-initiated, shared decision making with young people and via rung 7 “Young people lead and initiate action” we aimed at reaching the level of collaboration in which adult and young people share decision making.
Moreover, we focus on describing which processes enabled young people to take this more active role and engage gradually in more responsibilities, from participation to leading and initiate actions, to full ownership and responsibility for a specific programme.
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Throughout the six Erasmus+ programmes our goal was to support young people’s empowerment and learning using the Ladder of Participation. Eventually this should be leading to the highest rung of participation; shared decision making between young people and adults. This journey resulted in beautiful learning stories describing the personal and professional development of young people and youth workers involved. Above all, in some of the multi-activity programmes we have already reached the level in which young people and adults are taking shared decisions and share the ownership. l We identified the essential elements of working in coherence with the Ladder of Participation during the implementation of the six multi-activity programmes. Starting from the very beginning of a programme: the chosen topics. How can young people honestly feel engaged in the programme? When the programme addresses an issue, they feel connect to and can identify with and feel truly inspired to work on during and beyond the programme.
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While selecting a topic and constructing the educational framework, the relevance for young people and local realities was essential. Each activity’s programme structure was constructed together with young people. This means they could build on their own and group talents and interests.
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We paid careful attention that staff/mentors/youth workers involved in these multi-activity programmes had shared working principles and gave space to young people, but at the same time, they also offered their expertise/experience related to the implementation of non-formal learning activities.
4
Each of us made sure in best of our abilities to offer support for the continuation of young people’s involvement beyond the programmes, by helping with organising local activities, have follow-up and evaluation gatherings. This support contributed to ensuring that participants could take more responsibilities and a different role during follow-up editions and local activities.
5
We accepted that things can go wrong and that making mistakes is an essential part of learning for all involved, young people and adults. Building trust in the group and between individuals was an essential step in order to create a learning environment in which mistakes and failures are seen as valuable. Vice versa, mistakes were a vital impetus to support each other and start building relations and the group.
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We build up different “brands” of programmes in which young people and adults could experiment with different roles and responsibilities, supporting each other along the way. This approach eventually also has led to groups of young people taking over a full “brand” such as the Stay Human! Programme.
That the highest ladder of participation could be reached throughout the six multi-activity programmes, can be thanked to:
Young people
- Young people participated voluntarily and showed motivation to take ownership of the programme, increasing the initiatives led by themselves.
- Young people eagerly took the space that was offered to take on more responsibilities; for example leading groups, project management, logistics management, financial management, communication, developing full new programmes, setting up informal networks supporting peers and facilitation.
- They brought their cultural background, talents and interests in order to support the learning of their peers.
- After young people gained experience in Erasmus+ youth activities, they used their knowledge to help to raise other young peoples’ awareness about specific topics.
- Young people were in many cases critical in a constructive way, taking on the invitation to actively start to co-construct the activities and programmes and sharing the decision making process.
Youth workers
- Youth workers played a central role in empowering youth throughout these programmes, and their values/attitude/knowledge strongly influenced the success to support youth initiatives;
- Throughout the programmes, they had willingness, knowledge and experience in supporting youth initiatives and have shared decision-making;
- They knew how not to overstep with their role, but could recognise when support was needed;
- They could listen to young people, be inclusive and empathetic and work collaboratively with their co-workers;
- They saw beyond the programme dates and supported youth on developing in different roles;
Youth work organizations
- Had common understandings on the ways how Erasmus+ youth programmes can empower youth to the possibly highest extent from the very beginning
- Organisations had a shared understanding that these youth programmes should have a strong focus on the process rather than on predefined final outcomes. This was an essential agreement when aiming for shared decision making between young people and adults.
- Organisations used the input, ideas and wishes of young people as a starting point, listened well and learned from it. This process required often moments of critical reflection if all still work reaching the same goal; young people and adults sharing the decisions and ownership.
- Organisations supported youth workers in their role before, during and after the activities. Again here the process of critical reflection was needed to understand if we all still serve the same goal and act according to it.
Context: Youth participation and the concepts of the Ladder of Participation can be integrated into any Erasmus+ KA1 mobility project (youth exchange or training/seminar project, multi-, single activity programmes) and is of course of use in any local youth work activity.
Partnership: You need to establish a partnership that shares same/similar working principles when it comes to youth involvement, empowerment and decision-making. If the working principles are not yet shared or agreed upon taking the time to do so with your partners.
You need partners with a long-term perspective regarding programme continuation, both on European and local level, and this enables youth to try themselves out in different roles throughout months and years.
Human capacity: It is essential to understand and acknowledge the critical role that youth workers play in empowering youth throughout these programmes. Their values, attitude, knowledge and experience strongly influences the success of programmes or activities in which young people are in an initiating and leading role and take part in the decision making processes. To build your knowledge and experience as a youth work organisation or youth worker you can further explore the following resources;
SALTO-YOUTH Resource Centres have a variety of publications that describe the process of youth participation in non-formal learning in more detail. You will also find an online toolbox with methods supporting youth participation, and you can also look for training courses discussing this the topic of youth participation.
If you are interested in understanding more about the contextualisation of Harts’ (1997) Ladder of Participation and youth participation you can also look for other sources of information on the web using the following keywords; Ladder of Participation, Hart, youth participation.
Time capacity: To ensure that people in all roles of the programme are on the same page in regards to the participation and involvement of young people you will need time. Time for communication with young people, youth workers and your European partners. The social-cultural and historical context of our country and organisation is of influence on how we, consciously or unconsciously, reproduce these context in our work. A context more characterised by a hierarchical social organisation will bring in different perspectives on youth participation, equality and ownership than a country context that is more horizontal and has less hierarchical structures to take into account.
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Dedicate time and capacity to develop a more strategic plan in your organisation regarding youth participation. How are you going to reach the levels of youth participation that you aim at? While developing your strategic plan it would be pretty important to include young people and youth workers. Not all young people are the same, and they have different needs, abilities and aspirations. Defining a proper group profile and checking this with your group will provide you with the answer to which extent the group wishes and can participate.
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Discuss in your European partnership how you will establish the programme to give as much space to youth as possible and involve young people from the start to the programme creation.
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Erasmus+ youth programmes are characterised by structures that should enable youth to run activities. Give space but support this process with clear guidelines which principles these activities need to include, the use of language, how to keep in account the groups physical and emotional safety, etc. Youth workers have an essential role in supporting young people in this process.
4
Make sure that you have well-trained youth-leaders and youth workers available in your organisation that can support young people. These youth-leaders and youth workers should have the ability to work in a non-hierarchical and transparent way, based on the needs of the group and the ability to give as much space to youth as possible, enable youth to make decisions, but also steps in when help is needed.
5
In most Erasmus+ youth programmes leaders and facilitators have daily meetings to discuss the progress of the groups. Keep in mind that during these meetings there is space to reflect on how the youth’s role is evolving throughout the programme and if the activity is following the Ladder of Participation mindset.
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Make sure you will have time and space to reflect with young people, youth workers and organisations on the participatory level of a programme or activity that you organise. Since it concerns the participation of young people, it would be a missed chance if they, as experts of their participation, are not included.
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Embed these reflections on a structural basis in your organisation, allocate time and capacity. Life, deadlines and organisational interests sometimes will form a limiting factor when you want to reach true youth participation and shared decision making.
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Make sure that each organisation has the capacity in staff members that can help young people to use their experience further during for instance via local activities and guide them in developing in a new role and taking on new responsibilities.
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The most difficult challenge might be to be supportive when young people have developed enough self-confidence to function independently. Let them make mistakes, although you can already see them coming, let young people find their solutions and only offer help when requested. It would be recommended to make a risk analysis together with these young people and agree when you need to step in as an organisation, according to your safety protocols, child protection regulations and any large scale financial damage that could occur.
This story was coordinated by MES (Lithuania) in collaboration with the ImpACT+ project partners.
Find out more about the organization at jaunimo-centras-mes.lt .
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