Through engaging youth in local government councils can:
- Better understand the needs and wants of young people and design and implement their services accordingly.
- Focus their resources on issues of high importance to youth, thereby using their resources more efficiently.
- Ensure that local government services (whether they’re targeted at youth or not) are more likely to be used by young people, and that this use will result in higher citizen satisfaction.
- Become more connected and responsive to their communities.
- Better foster an environment of inclusiveness and representation.
- Become more appealing to potential funders.
Youth will benefit by:
- Feeling that their opinions are listened to and respected, meaning that they will be more motivated to continue engaging with local government in the future.
- Improving their self-worth and attachment to their local communities.
- Feeling that they are able to have an impact on their local communities and lives.
- Building an authentic relationship with adults in their communities.
- Enhancing their commitment to local government.
Benefits for Society:
Youth participation in policy formation can reduce conflict: By involving all segments of the community in policy discussions a consensus will develop around considered outcomes that balance the competing ideas, opinions and interests of all involved. This form of consultation (and the trust it creates) is essential for the successful implementation of policy (OECD, 2005).
Youth engagement in deliberation can lead to better policy choices: Relying solely upon the perspectives of those in local government can be limiting (Lees-Marshment, 2009). The youth have a diverse range of interests, knowledge and experience and have a good sense of their own needs which might otherwise be overlooked.
Youth’s experience in deliberation helps to create civically competent adults in the future: Although it’s a cliché, youth are the future of New Zealand and through taking part in deliberation they will become more aware of issues of civic importance. Engagement with local government also helps to develop youth’s listening, communication, and rational problem solving skills, which benefits community capacity building in the long-term (Anchor et al., 2001; Zeldin et al., 2000).
Youth engagement in local government helps to build social capital in society: By making local politics relevant to youth by giving them a stake in the associated outcomes, there may be a reverse in the long-term declines in political and civic engagement.
Page 6 of 20
Next Page