Overview
Youth and young adult (YYA) participation in Core Teams is essential to completing the By Name List Scorecard. Young people with lived experience provide valuable insights when it comes to outreach, accessing the system and approaching youth and young adults in a culturally appropriate way. The Spokane team has achieved consistent participation of two YYA at their Core Team meetings.
Relevant ACI Output: Quality BNL In All Communities
Relevant ACI Strategy: Equity & YYA Engagement
Problem You are Trying to Solve: Including two young people with lived experience in Core Team. In Spokane, two young people with lived experience regularly attend Core Team meetings. They have engaged YAB members in Anchor Community work.
The Importance of YYA Engagement to Achieve Quality Data
Including young people with lived experience in our teams is essential to arriving at effective solutions. Young people know their peers better than other Core Team members, and can provide valuable insight on how to locate other young people and how to collect data in ways that are culturally appropriate and respectful.
Failing to include young people in crafting solution or policy that will directly impact them can lead to unintended consequences. Without young people with lived experience in the room, teams can only guess at what the right solution might be.
Spokane’s Top Tips for Meaningful YYA Engagement
Relationships are key - Build authentic and meaningful relationships with young people in your community. Get to know young people, treat them with respect and as equals and include them in decision-making.
Pro tip: Intentionally building these relationships takes time and skill. Advocate for hiring a salaried person who can be a dedicated YYA outreach resource.
Be an ally - Actively listen to the dialogue and intervene if needed. For example, if an adult refers to YYA as “kids” or uses the wrong pronouns, step in and correct them. Check in with YYA after these interactions to see how they are feeling, and if they feel satisfied with the way the situation was resolved.
Create a stipend policy - Remember, pizza isn’t payment. Create a stipend policy to consistently compensate young people for their time and the crucial insights they bring to the table. Find A Way Home Washington’s stipend policy here.
Respect YYA’s time - Young people are juggling multiple commitments, so choosing a consistent meeting time helps them participate in meetings. For young people who have not always had consistency in their lives, consistency provides a sense of security. And remember, just say no to Doodle polls.
Go the extra mile to support them - Literally. Transportation can be a barrier for young people. Offering to pick them up can make the difference between going and not going to the meeting. Jess establishes parameters for requesting rides, like giving 48 hours notice, and takes into circumstances that may make it more difficult for young people to travel to meetings, like lack of access to public transit, living far away or having children.
Pro tip: Car rides are a wonderful time to build rapport with young people! Take the time to get to know them better.
Spokane’s Advice for Teams Getting Started with YYA Engagement
Breathe! It is natural to feel nervous about doing things that are new to us. To help overcome these nerves, remember why we are doing this work. Think about other times we’ve had to try new things, and how this is just another one of those situations.
Be accountable. Making mistakes is inevitable. At times we may say or do the wrong thing - like using the wrong pronoun. If we realize we’ve made a mistake, or if someone else points out our mistake, simply apologize and then make a conscious effort to avoid the mistake in the future.
Have empathy. We can all take a moment to remember what life was like when we were young adults, and how we have gone through difficult times. For YYA with lived experience, these difficult times are further complicated by their life circumstances. Be understanding when young people have difficulties that may impact how they show up in the room. Seek training on topics like adultism and trans competency if needed to better understand young people’s experiences.
Create brave spaces. Create a space where young people feel comfortable bringing their whole selves. Lead introductions with pronouns and make room for all aspects of a young person’s identity. Young people with lived experience and young people of color may feel that they need to monitor themselves to keep from coming off as “loud” or “angry.”
Be respectful. Young people with lived experience can be very perceptive since they’ve been in situations that called for hyper-awareness of their environments. Be mindful of your actions and demeanor in meetings - be attentive when young people speak, and contribute to the discussion thoughtfully.
Positive YYA Engagement is as Easy as…
Providing food at all meetings. It may sound like a minor thing, but having food is more than a nice-to-have. Meetings are often held in the workplace, a space that is familiar to the adults in the room. Adults have access to their personal belongings and may be able to run to their desks for a quick snack. Young people are coming in to a new space, and having food available for everyone is a way of making sure everyone in the room starts the meeting on equal ground.
Treating young people with respect and as equals. Offhand comments like “Oh, we don’t expect you to know what we’re talking about” can make young people feel diminished and excluded. Take the time to explain acronyms and technical terms to young people, and acknowledge how valuable their input is to the meeting and to the big picture of ending youth and young adult homelessness.