Youth Civic Engagement

Drum Major Institute for Public Policy
New York, NY

Target Level of Government:     Local City Government
Policy Category:         Government Outreach

Synopsis: The Coalition for Youth (CFY) was formed by the City Council in 1992 to create and coordinate a comprehensive youth agenda to ensure that Hampton’s youth would have resources to become productive citizens. The Coalition focuses on:

• Coalition building around youth issues and policy development to protect the city’s investment in youth;
• Promoting developmental assets through a city-wide Mobilization for Youth;
• Supporting and enhancing a comprehensive system of Youth Civic Engagement;
• Sponsoring the Hampton Youth Commission and youth participation in government. Youth Civic Engagement (YCE) offers opportunities for youth to participate actively and formally in local government and the community through internships, volunteer opportunities, and paid staff positions within city government. The CFY also contracts with Alternatives, Inc. to recruit, train, place, and support the city’s Youth Civic Engagement initiative.

Hampton’s youth are involved in city government in a number of ways:

• Hampton’s Planning Department has two paid part-time youth planners on staff. These youth planners are paid and work 15 hours a week. Planners conduct surveys, focus groups, analyze data to inform the planning process, and develop and update the youth component of the Hampton Community Plan – the only component of a city’s comprehensive plan written entirely by youth anywhere in the country.
• The School Superintendent’s Advisory Group includes representatives from all of Hampton’s public high schools. In addition, each public high school has a principal’s advisory group which deals with a range of issues such as peer mediation training, youth-to-youth mentoring, and school safety.
• Two youth advisors serve on the nine-person advisory board to the Parks & Recreation Department.
• Other departments involve youth through mentorship programs around service projects.

Based on recommendations of the youth planners, the City Council established the Hampton Youth Commission in 1996. The Commission is a 24-member group of high-school aged youth that:

• Provide a responsive and proactive youth voice;
• Champion the youth component of the Hampton Community Plan;
• Promote the creation of a Teen Center for Hampton Youth;
• Maintain an effective, efficient, and youth-friendly organization;
• Distribute $40,000 of annual grant money to fund community-based youth-led initiatives;
• Encourage participation and involvement of young people in their community.

The community was concerned that the youth of Hampton were disaffected and were not prepared to become productive members of the workforce and active participants in the community. Hampton Youth Civic Engagement provides a real opportunity for youth to participate in the city’s decision making and planning by establishing paid positions in city government for youth and by establishing a commission that addresses concerns of the entire community.

Resources
Coalition for Youth: http://www.hampton.gov/foryouth/
Youth Commission: http://www.areyouinthegame.com/

Details
The program required that city officials be willing to work with and take the youth seriously on civic matters. The city’s contract with Alternatives, Inc was instrumental in getting the two groups to work well with each other. Hampton’s youth have not only made their voice heard, but also found ways to work with other parts of the community to find solutions to issues that affect everyone in the city.

The Hampton Youth Commission and those participating in Youth Civic Engagement have:

• Researched, written, and had approved youth section of the city’s 2010 Comprehensive Plan, later to become the Community Plan—a first in the nation;
• Rewritten city’s bicycle ordinance and assisted in development of city-wide bikeways system; developed and implemented a bikeways system for the city and had bike racks installed at all schools and community centers;
• Researched and developed a proposal for a Teen Center for the city, then successfully lobbied to have it included in the 2005 Capital Improvement Plan budget; subsequently helped design and negotiate a $2.5 million multi-purpose facility;
• Created a youth-generated database of youth-friendly places, businesses and organizations, created a guidebook and evaluation system to identify and recognize youth-friendly business and organizations in the city;
• Awarded over $350,000 to 100+ youth initiatives through a grant program;
• Placed youth members on three city boards and developed liaison relationships with four others;
• Helped to establish a career drop-in center for youth in the local mall;
• Recommended solutions regarding land use, park design, neighborhood plans, and school investments; and
• Created policies around transportation to accommodate youth needs.

The Government Innovators Network developed at the JFK School of Government at Harvard at the Roy and Lila Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation, recognized Hampton’s Youth Civic Engagement initiative with its Innovations in American Government Award. The Network lists the initiative’s successes:

• College students who have participated in YCE identify three attributes/skills that they possess that they have not observed in their college peers: ‘the ability to engage in civic discourse, a sense of place/passion for their own community, and leadership.’
• YCE has resulted in cost savings, improved services, and a more inclusive process for the City of Hampton.
• YCE has altered the culture of civic life in Hampton, as adults have grown to expect, rely on, and enjoy active youth participation on civic committees.