Challenges in youth empowerment

Balancing peer participation

Striking a balance between developing youth empowerment and project control is difficult to achieve. Young people should feel they have a level of ownership in programs, however there still may be the need for adult involvement (e.g. considering young people’s opinions before making decisions, or allowing peer supporters choose the areas they wish to work in). It is determining the level of participation that can create challenges.

Having the idea that young people will automatically be empowered through their involvement in peer based programs would be mistaken.  Empowerment may take time, training and investment and ongoing adult support.1,2

There is some debate as to how ‘real’ the process of empowerment is with many programs still having a large degree of involvement by adults who often direct the process with the potential of using young people to progress other agendas.3,4

One of the aims of peer-based programs for young people is to utilise what is known about existing social networks and use this knowledge to enhance health and wellbeing. There are some concerns however as to whether the processes used in projects are transparent, focused on empowerment, trust and practices that aren’t discriminatory example for young people.

Other concerns raised include the level of youth ownership of projects, to what level project coordinators and staff work alongside rather than in a top down manner with young people, whose agendas are best served by such interventions and whether what is good for health as defined by adult generations is necessarily appropriate or relevant for the younger sectors of society.1,2,6

References

  1. Turner, G 1999, ‘Peer support and young people’s health’, Journal of Adolescence, vol. 22, no. 4, pp. 567-72.
  2. Walker, S & Avis, M 1999, Common reasons why peer education fails. Journal of Adolescence. 22(4): 573-577.
  3. McDonald, J, Ashenden, R, Grove, J, Bodein, H, Cormack, S, Allsop, S 2000. Youth for Youth: A Project to Develop Skills and Resources for Peer Education: Final Report, National Centre for Education and Training on Addiction (NCETA), Adelaide.Milburn, K 1995, A critical review of peer education with young people with special reference to sexual health. Health Education Research, 10: 407-20.
  4. Parkin, S & McKeganey, N 2000, ‘The rise and rise of peer education approaches’, Drugs; Education, Prevention and Policy, vol. 7, no. 3, p. 293.
  5. Milburn, K 1995, A critical review of peer education with young people with special reference to sexual health. Health Education Research, 10: 407-20.
  6. Shiner, M 1999, Defining Peer Education. Journal of Adolescence, 22: 555-566.