TakingITGlobal – Inspire, Inform, Involve

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Youth

Why Youth?
As a stage of transition when important choices must be made, these years are critical for any individual's development. It is during this point where being engaged and having access to opportunities are vitally important, so that one might have a positive impact on the community and contribute to society at large

 

How TIG defines youth:
The definition of youth changes based on the organization, context, and objectives for classification. For TakingITGlobal, we consider youth as young people between 15 - 30 years of age, who show some level of being globally aware and engaged as socially responsible leaders of their communities.

 

The Spectrum of Youth Engagement
In 2005, TakingITGlobal undertook an in-depth research study of youth engagement across Canada. This cross-Canada Mapping of Youth-Led and/or Highly Youth-Engaged Initiatives (full report here) identified a spectrum of youth engagement as outlined below:

Disengaged Under-Engaged Engaged Highly-Engaged Over-Engaged
  • Lack of awareness or misconception of issues
  • Apathy
  • Don't know, Don't care
  • Unwilling to step out of comfort zone
  • May have the capacity but little desire to engage
  • May lack access to opportunities
  • May be aware of issues and have the desire to act but face barriers to participation (political, socioeconomic, cultural)
  • Lack access to resources and opportunities
  • Less experience
    • Need for capacity building
  • Awareness of issues, want to make a difference
  • Moved to act in formal and/or informal contexts
  • Access to resources
  • Relies on support networks and capacity building experiences
  • Motivates others to engage
  • Understanding and involvement in issues of concern
  • Desire and capacity to take action on issues
  • Experiences in leadership
  • Often turned to for advice, relied upon as an expert
  • High level of commitment to addressing focused issues of concern
  • May take opportunities from others as they are over relied on for their expertise and ability to 'represent' youth
  • Over-extended may affect ability to deliver
  • May intimidate others