adultism – Youth Infusion

Do You Have These 10 Critical Character Traits?

Building a collegial partnership with teens is altogether different from the traditional power dynamics so common with a parent, educator, or authority figure.

When introducing the concept of infusing teens into various organizational operations, the flood of reactions from most adults is predictably negative.

My nephew is obsessed with online gaming.

My friend’s 16-year-old daughter is so lazy and clueless.

These kids don’t want to have anything to do with us.

This crime wave . . . I’m scared of them.

Adults must take off their hat as a parent, aunt, educator or other authority figure to see each young person as an individual. To unlock the minds of the rising generation to imagine a better society, analyze problems, and develop strategies to pursue real change together, the responsibility rests with adults to demonstrate authentic respect and build genuine rapport. A collegial partnership is altogether different from the power dynamics so common with a mom or dad, teacher or principal, etc.

Encourage us. Build on our ideas. That gives us the confidence we need. – Melissa K.

Essential Soft Skills for Sustained Collaboration

Optimist – Hold onto hope as the antidote to cynicism
Listener – Develop a “Third Ear” to be open to new thinking
Learner – Keep your imagination faucet open
Advocate – Share your own pragmatic idealism
Communicator – Text or talk 1:1 outside of meetings
Comedian – Joke and laugh
Infomaniac – Explain relevant organizational efforts and future plans
Choreographer – Connect teens with other staff and organizations
Honest Broker – Establish feedback loops to respond to ideas
Catalyst – Implement proposals as quickly as possible to show change happens

The passing of my very dear friend and wonderful colleague inspired this list of character traits. Pat Moore Harbour, PhD possessed them all. She served as the catalyst for my involvement with one of the Kettering Foundation’s Research Learning Exchanges that builds off her book, Community Educators: A Resource for Educating and Developing Our Youth.

Contagious Curiosity

Given my dogmatic and persistent nature, I challenge the prevailing mindset of adults doing “to” and “for” youth. Pat and I had dozens of conversations where she showed such respect and curiosity about my approach that young people be recognized as wise community educators, influencing their peers as well as adults and the community at large. Instead of viewing youth as “under construction,” we often talked about our kinship with older colleagues who are committed to anti-ageist multi-racial collaboration.

When discussing the concept of youth infusion – especially those under age 18 – in adult-run nonprofits and government agencies, Pat always was intrigued and honest. Her sense of possibility led her to emphasize the role of young people as “co-producers.” She embraced collaboration “with” youth – the key preposition and title of the recent book by David Mathews, founder of the Kettering Foundation (read more about WITH here).

I was eager to discuss with Pat these two studies that conclude most adults lack her curiosity and interest in intergenerational interdependence. She would have shared her contagious optimistic outlook.

Youngism: The Content, Causes and Consequences of Prejudices toward Young People – Greater understanding of young-targeted ageism is necessary in “our increasingly multigenerational and aging world — one that is ever dependent on the solvency and viability of its youngest members.”

What Goes Down When Advice Goes Up: Younger Advisers Underestimate Their Impact – “Common wisdom suggests that older is wiser. Consequently, people rarely give advice to older individuals — even when they are relatively more expert — leading to missed learning opportunities.”

Every conversation with Pat was a joy. Children laugh 300 times a day and the average for adults drops to only 15. She had me laughing and rethinking all the time.

Many of my closest friends and colleagues are not open to this concept of engaging with teens as genuine thought partners but I will not give up because of Pat’s spirit that will endure. How fortunate I am to carry Pat in my head and heart!

Photo credit: Dr. Pat Moore Harbour

Youth “Competence” is Game Changer

New research demonstrates when adults learn about the civic involvement of individual young people, their attitudes inch towards more positive opinions about Generation Z.

The 2020 elections during the height of COVID caused many older poll workers not to volunteer which led more states to lower the minimum age to 16 to fill this critical role. Digital skills and sharp eyesight are among the many benefits for opening up this civic opportunity to teens (more about this trend is described in my 2020 Youth Infusion blog).

It is surprising that teens – who typically are stereotyped as unreliable and untrustworthy – hold these positions, especially at this horrifying time with concerted efforts to delegitimize and ambush the election process.

In contrast to many politicians and media outlets reigniting the juvenile Superpredator myth, a new study by the Center for Democracy and Civic Engagement at the University of Maryland reveals a promising shift in adult attitudes.

When Americans hear messages about the competence of the young people in their communities – especially when they learn that 16 and 17 year olds serve as election workers — support for including them in our democracy jumps ever higher.
Professor Mike Hanmer and Sam Novey, Government and Politics Department, University of Maryland.

This groundbreaking research demonstrates when adults learn about the civic involvement of individual young people, their attitudes inch towards more positive opinions about Generation Z. Instead of solid opposition to expanding voting rights to 16-year-olds, dare I say this data may signal that some older folks can be influenced to open their minds.

When respondents were prompted to think about the competence of the young people in their community, support for lowering the voting age jumped from just over ⅓ of respondents to nearly half of respondents.

The adage “Democracy is not a spectator sport” holds more meaning than ever. It is incumbent on adults to learn more about Vote16 campaigns across our country and talk with teens. My Youth Voice Plus Youth Vote TEDx as well as a prior blog, along with the resources below, provide additional background. Don’t be surprised that many young people have internalized the negative stereotypes about their generation and their initial reaction is similar to adults who oppose lowering the voting age.

On November 8, 2022 voters in Culver City, CA will decide whether to extend voting rights to 16-year-olds in municipal elections. If you lived in this Los Angeles suburb, how would you cast your ballot?

Additional ResourCes:

It is up to adults to move from exclusion of minors to inclusion of this prized segment of the population. Share your thoughts and questions with us!

Infuse ‘Y’ in DEI

It’s time to embed young people in these organizations to actually increase diversity, to actually practice inclusion and the most challenging, to actually share power to achieve equity.

The National Council of Nonprofits drives home the question: “Does your nonprofit create opportunities to listen to the voices directly from community, grassroots, or young leaders in low-income, under-served and/or marginalized populations within its community?” The answer often falls to a vice-president or team charged with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). Apart from token engagement, youth-serving institutions do not practice what they preach given the exclusion of this entire age group.

It’s time to embed young people in these organizations to actually increase diversity, to actually practice inclusion and the most challenging, to actually share power to achieve equity. This is distinct from a youth advisory committee or an internship program. As we all know, it is an unfair burden and an impossible task to ask a few young people to represent their generation—the most diverse in history.

Expanding DEI

Diversity – representing many young people of color and multiple identities
Equity – redistributing power and engaging in real shared decision-making
Inclusion – respecting a broad range of perspectives by youth of many racial and socio-economic backgrounds

This process of infusing the ‘Y’ in DEI does not and should never happen overnight. Serious organizational commitment to create an intergenerational culture by senior staff and the board is a prerequisite. Just as those in charge of DEI trainings for the entire staff—especially to address systemic racism—workshops also need to pull back the curtain and interrupt individual and institutional biases about youth as well as confront adultist attitudes.

Youth don’t have the academic or professional credentials but by virtue of their station in life and firsthand knowledge about their peers, rarely are young people privy to the circle of strategizing and decision making. Equitable inclusion of diverse youth seems only just. In fact, ‘justice’ is being added to DEI which, as Richard Leong with Act to Change suggests, could translate into a more catchy acronym: JEDI.

What do you think about incorporating both the ‘J’ and ‘Y’ in DEI? Please reach out to us to learn more.

Graphic: League of Women Voters of Delaware