Macro Department, Boston University School of Social Work, 264 Bay State Road, Boston, MA, 02215.
Center For Promise, Wheelock College of Education and Human Development, Boston University, MA.
J Sch Health. 2020 Dec;90(12):976-984. doi: 10.1111/josh.12960.
The benefits of youth engagement are well documented. In this paper, we examine youth engagement in America's Promise Alliance's Every School Healthy initiative, a part of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Together for Healthy and Successful Schools Initiative (THSS).
Six community acceleration sites were selected through a competitive grant-making process. Sites were required to describe youth engagement strategies. A case study design was employed to examine how sites conceptualize youth engagement as well as youth engagement strategies employed across 6 sites. Data sources included observations, team member debriefs, and document review.
There was variation in how youth engagement and youth voice are conceptualized in educational settings, and readiness for youth engagement. Sites actively solicited and implemented youth engagement resources and strategies.
By failing to engage young people, well-intentioned adults miss important opportunities. Youth engagement presents an exciting opportunity for school leaders, policymakers, and program planners to gain a deeper understanding of the factors that influence individual and community health and wellbeing and, in turn, helps them to develop responsive policies and programs.
青年参与的好处有充分的文献记载。在本文中，我们研究了美国承诺联盟的每个学校健康倡议中的青年参与情况，该倡议是罗伯特伍德约翰逊基金会“为健康和成功学校倡议”（THSS）的一部分。
通过竞争拨款程序选择了六个社区加速站点。这些站点需要描述青年参与策略。采用案例研究设计来考察站点如何将青年参与概念化，以及 6 个站点中使用的青年参与策略。数据来源包括观察、团队成员汇报和文件审查。
在教育环境中，青年参与和青年声音的概念化以及青年参与的准备情况存在差异。站点积极征求和实施青年参与资源和策略。
由于未能让年轻人参与进来，善意的成年人错失了重要的机会。青年参与为学校领导、政策制定者和项目规划者提供了一个令人兴奋的机会，使他们能够更深入地了解影响个人和社区健康和福祉的因素，进而帮助他们制定有针对性的政策和项目。
