Youth voice
is a fairly common
neologism to refers to the distinct ideas, opinions,
attitudes,
knowledge, and
actions of
young people as a collective body.
Background
The term youth
voice is often intended to group together a diversity of
perspectives and experiences, regardless of backgrounds, identities,
and cultural differences. Alternately, the plural forms of either
word are usually intended to recognize plurality and diversity of
experience, as in youths voice or youth voices. The
concept is traditionally acknowledged by community and classroom
educators and youth workers; it is increasingly employed by
politicians, researchers, and
mainstream media.
Student voice is an increasingly common neologism that
encapsulates the spirit of youth voice in the context of schools.
Whether expressed in the course of learning, the process of
decision-making, or the passion of self-advocacy, student voice
acknowledges the unique position of the learner as an informed
contributor in teaching, learning, and leadership throughout
education.
Historical background
The history of youth
voice parallels the history of
humankind. According to
Christian tradition
Jesus Christ was just 12 when he began his effort to educate his
community about his spiritual beliefs. In the
Middle Ages a youth of 14 called
Joan of Arc led an army into battle. The current
Dalai Lama
Tenzin Gyatso was only 6 when he was identified as the next
spiritual and political leader of Tibet.
Modern background
In modern times
youth voice has been manifested in several movements. The current
youth activism trend began in the United States in 1899 with the
The Newsboys Strike. The US has seen continuous interest
(although not sustained) in youth voice since that time, with
particular upsurges:
Throughout the 1990s
and into the new millenium, a growing number of nonprofit,
educational, and governmental programs around the world claim to
advocate and/or engage youth voice in a variety of ways. They
include
YouthBuild USA,
National Youth Rights Association, and
youth councils around the world. The
United Nations has heavily proponented youth voice through its
Youth Unit, as well as the
Convention on the Rights of the Child in Articles 5 and 12. A
number of academics, authors, and advocates also proponent youth
voice, including cultural critic
Henry Giroux, activist/author
William Upski Wimsatt,
Freechild Project coordinator Adam Fletcher, critical pedagogue
Peter McLaren, and anti-racist/feminist/anti-imperialist
theorist
bell hooks.
Applications
Youth voice has many
applications, as mentioned above. In communities, youth voice is
acknowledged through
youth service
community youth development,
Youth activism, and
Youth councils; in schools, youth voice is heard in
service learning,
democratic schooling methods, and
student activism. Other methods for acknowledging youth voice
include engaging young people in
city planning, program
evaluation,
community organizing, government advisory boards, nonprofit
leadership, news reporting, and
paticipatory action research.
The United Nations
Convention on the Rights of the Child was the first
international document to stipulate the systemic engagement of youth
voice. Specific aims are stated in Articles 5 and 12 that clearly
acknowledge the youth have a voice, that youth voice is constantly
changing, and that all areas of our society are morally responsible
for engaging youth voice.
Criticism
There are numerous
detractors to both the concept of youth voice and the practice of
gathering, invoking, extolling, or otherwise hearing youth voice.
Perspectives range from what some call the inherent
noblesse oblige involved: that is, listening to youth voice
involves adults feeling "humble" enough to "stoop" to the level of
youth. There are also a number of concerns regarding the
diversity of the youth who speak, as well as the reception of
those who listen.
