Youth Participation Publications and Resources

• Action Kit on Promoting Youth Participation - This action kit for municipal leaders focuses on youth participation in municipal government and youth involvement in local communities by highlighting strategies to establish a youth council, plan community youth mapping, host a youth summit, and promote youth service.
  
  
• Building Effective Youth Councils - Produced by the Forum for Youth Investment in collaboration with the YEF Institute and the National Conference of State Legislatures, this report highlights six key tasks for creating an effective youth councils, examples of strong municipal youth councils, and sample city ordinances, applications, bylaws, release forms, research, and other resources.
  
  
• Promoting Youth Engagement Through Youth Councils: Tips for Getting Started - This article, which first appeared in the Florida League of Cities' Quality Cities magazine, includes a concise overview of steps cities and towns can take when considering formation of a youth council, and also offers examples of several unique youth councils from large and small communities throughout the country.
  
  
• Twenty-Five Ways City Officials Can Help Youngsters Learn About Local Government - This article, published in Texas Town and City magazine by the Texas Municipal League, offers a range of ideas for how municipal leaders can engage youth.

Strategy Spotlights

• Youth Summits » 
• Youth Service »
• Youth-Adult Partnerships »
• Diversity »
• MetLife City-Schools Youth Planning Initiative Resources »

Special Reports

• Youth Service Special Report »

Audioconference Transcripts

• 12/14/06 - A Seat at the Table: Engaging Youth as City Leaders
• 12/15/05 - Identifying Youth Needs and Resources by Mapping Your Community
• 4/21/05 - What to Do When Youth Say, "There's Nothing to Do."
• 10/28/04 - Youth Summits and Forums Strengthen Youth Voice
• 2/19/04 - How to Develop and Carry Out Planning and Community Assessments Regarding Children and Youth Initiatives in Local Communities
• 2/27/03 - Youth Service - Teens Making a Difference in their Communities
• 3/21/02 - Getting Youth Into the Act: Strategies to Promote Youth Community Participation
• 12/18/02 - Youth Leadership: Trasforming Youth Voice Into Community Action

Local Youth Council Presentations

• Des Moines, Iowa
• Galveston, Texas
• Olathe, Kansas