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Establish Opportunities for Authentic Youth Voice in Government

What Can Policymakers Do?

  • Create and support state youth advisory councils. To ensure the voices of youth are heard and play a meaningful role in shaping youth policy, state policymakers can pass legislation to create statewide youth advisory bodies, such as youth councils, that work with legislators, executives and state Children’s Cabinets. Quality state-level youth advisory structures institutionalize youth voice in the policymaking process. Maine’s Legislative Youth Advisory Council allows its youth members to conduct public hearings, draft legislation and make recommendations on proposals being considered by the Legislature. [1] The council is co-chaired by a member of the state legislature and a young person, and members of the state’s Children’s Cabinet regularly attend the Youth Advisory Council meetings. [2]
  • Involve youth in local mapping and planning efforts. To better understand the resources available to youth in their communities and to ensure that community development reflects the needs of youth, state policymakers can support involving youth in local community mapping and municipal/state planning efforts. State policymakers can facilitate and fund Community YouthMapping , a process developed by the AED Center for Youth Development and Policy Research that enables youth to evaluate and analyze local resource and develop recommendations for future funding, development and policy. The Texas Workforce Commission Youth Program Initiative offers training and resources to local communities to facilitate their youth-led processes of mapping services for youth. In addition, state policymakers can require the inclusion of youth in local planning processes. In 2004, Louisiana passed the Children and Youth Planning Boards Act , which mandated that local jurisdictions create children and youth planning boards (CYPBs) to assist in the assessment, alignment, coordination and measurement of all available services and programs that address the needs of children and youth.
  • Establish/support youth-run grant programs. States can create and support youth-run grant programs that enable young people to create funding priorities and criteria, design and review applications, award funds to youth projects and monitor and report on implementation of proposals. Such involvement amplifies youth priorities and their implementation while allowing youth to deeply engage in policy, planning and decision-making with their peers. [3] The Arizona Governor’s Youth Commission, comprised of youth commissioners from across the states, is responsible for administering grants for youth-driven projects, such as the Alcohol Retailer Mapping in Proximity to Youth Mini-Grant.
[1] Ferber, T., Gaines, E. and C. Goodman. NCSL. “Positive Youth Development: State Strategies.” 2005. Available online .
 [2] Gaines, E., Faigley, I. and K. Pittman. The Forum for Youth Investment. “State Children’s Cabinets and Councils: Elements of Success Issue 1.” 2008. Available online.
[3] National League of Cities Institute for Youth, Education and Families. “Authentic Youth Engagement: A Guide for Municipal Leaders.” 2010. Available online.

Statewide Youth Advisory Councils. For information about existing statewide youth advisory councils (as of 2009), their administrative oversight, funding, staffing and responsibilities, see NCSL’s Statewide Legislative Youth Councils Chart.

Youth Trainers. Youth can play an important role as trainers for state and local government, assisting in orientation and staff development by providing a youth perspective and strategies for engaging youth in policy and government accountability.