Youth and Adult Partnership Initiative (YAPI)

The Fanning Institute, in collaboration with the GA Department of Community Affairs, Georgia 4-H, and Family Connections, is pleased to offer a one day training session for County Youth & Adult Partnership Initiative Teams. For dates and more training information click: http://www.georgia4h.org/yapi/

Research shows that youth involvement in positive social relationships and activities with adults is associated with a decrease in risk behaviors, stronger communication skills and leadership experiences, increased stature and status in the community, and improved competencies and self esteem.

Youth/Adult partnerships are being used as a key strategy for promoting youth development, as well as for building strong programs and communities. In Youth/Adult partnerships youth and adults work collaboratively for program or community action; and these partnerships are characterized by mutual teaching and learning between youth and adults, as well as mutuality in decision-making (Camino, 2000).

There are three significant premises for promoting Youth/Adult partnerships (Camino, 2000):

1. Strong communities are built on active participation and civic engagement of members, including youth.

2. Youth development is predicated on a larger focus on building healthy communities. If youth are able to participate in civic and public affairs as participants, not solely beneficiaries, they tend to experience optimal development.

3. Adults can overcome negative attitudes and misinformation about youth if they join with youth to address community concerns. Camino (2000)

Involving young people may provide an organization with the following benefits (Klindera & Menderweld, 2001):

• Fresh ideas, unshackled by the way things have always been done
• New perspectives on decision making, including more relevant information about young people's needs and interests
• Candid responses about existing services
• Additional data for analysis and planning that may be available only to youth
• More effective outreach that provides important information peer to peer
• Additional human resources as youth and adults share responsibility
• Greater acceptance of messages, services, and decisions because youth were involved in shaping them
• Increased synergy from partnering youth's energy and enthusiasm with adults' professional skills and experience
• Enhanced credibility of the organization to both youth and advocates.

Involving young people may benefit the young people themselves in these ways (Klindera & Menderweld, 2001):

• Increased status and stature in the community
• Improved competencies and increased self-esteem
• Stronger skills and experience as leaders
• Greater knowledge and understanding of other cultures
• Increased self-discipline and schedule management
• Greater appreciation of the multiple roles of adults
• Broader career choices.

Reference:

Camino, L. (2000, September 2). Youth-Adult Partnerships: Entering New Territory in Community Work and Research. Applied Developmental Science, 4, 11. Retrieved September 16, 2008, from Academic Search Complete database.

Klindera, K., & Menderweld, J. (2001). Youth involvement in prevention programming. Issues at a Glance. Available online: http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/publications/iag/involvement.pdf