Youth-adult partnerships in community decision making: An evaluation of five state 4-H youth in governance programs

Arizona, Maryland, Missouri, New Hampshire and Wyoming participated in this study to determine:Why do states feel it is important to include youth in collective decision making?What is the rationale for including youth?What did the states seek to do as a means to address this rationale?What are the key challenges facing staff when implementing youth in governance?What practices were most promising in the implementation of youth in governance.The study produced 4 major findings: 1) The state should incorporate youth governance in its programs and legitimize the importance of efforts, 2) state and local staff must value youth governance programs, 3) state and local staff must involve multiple stakeholders in planning, implementing and evaluating the program, 4) consider effective ways to execute programs: combining meetings, technology, award ceremonies and using technology.