Youth Engagement
- What is Youth Engagement?—Definitions of and approaches to youth engagement including the Rings of Engagement Framework
- Free Action Resources—Free, downloadable resources related to youth engagement including videos, toolkits, and more
- What’s all this YAC about Youth Action Crews—The Youth Action Crew (YAC) is a youth engagement model that strives to increase awareness of, and participation in youth programs. Includes actual maps and video describing YAC
- Youth Engagement Statewide Initiative (YESI)—This plan describes strategies related to awareness-raising, learning and teaching, research and evaluation, and infrastructure requirements for promoting and supporting youth engagement throughout the state
- Research and Evaluation—Includes links to get YE-related research and evaluation tools including Foundational Youth Engagement Resources, an annotated bibliography
- Youth Engagement Network (YEN)—Information about the Youth Engagement Network
- Print a handout about this website—Tell your colleagues about all the valuable resources available on this website.
- Confused about the Acronyms?— Keep all the YE abbreviations straight.
- CT After-School Network—Youth Engagement in Action presentation from Middle School/High School After School Conference, February 6, 2009 (with notes)
What is Youth Engagement?
Rings of Engagement – Youth Work Institute, University of Minnesota Extension (PDF) A youth engagement framework that includes Participation, Passion, Youth Voice, and Collective Leadership.
People in Minnesota are talking about youth engagement in many different ways.
For some, youth engagement is about increasing participation in and connection to youth programs and opportunities of all kinds.
Others want youth to find a spark or be truly passionate about something that gives meaning to their lives.
For still others, youth engagement is about creating opportunities for youth voice in decisions and programs that affect them and partnerships among youth and adults to make communities better places for all.
When we talk about Youth Engagement, it's not just a method... this is more than just gaining techniques... It's a lifestyle that includes young people in our community and in our life’s journey. – Ed Irwin,
Kwanzaa Church, Nia Imani Youth Center
Contact Information
Colleen Byrne
Executive Office & Administrative Specialist
Center for 4-H Youth Development
Room 270B McNamara Center
200 Oak St SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455
Email: byrne015@umn.edu
Phone: 612-624-9109
Fax: 612-624-6905
