Youth engagement doesn’t happen haphazardly or through one-time events and opportunities. Youth engagement is dependent upon the on-going, long term, and intentional weaving of practices into the environments where young people exist.
Positive Youth Development (PYD) is an evidence-based approach that views young people as resources to cultivate rather than problems to be fixed. PYD supports young people being at the center of identifying solutions to the issues they face, rather than merely the recipients of adult decisions. The following Youth Engagement Standards have been developed by young people, based on a survey of more than 200 Colorado young people ages 12-20.
Colorado Education Initiative