Creating Space for Participation: The Role of Organizational Practice in Structuring Youth Participation

Much of the literature on participation within youth and community development focuses on episodic experiences in which young people's input has been sought, transcribed, and represented. Within youth development, this literature focuses in particular on the power dynamics and ethical dilemmas embedded in time-bound adult-child and outsider-insider relationships. While we agree that these issues are crucial and in need of further examination in all forms of participatory practice, it is equally important to examine how outcomes are shaped by everyday practices at the organizations in and through which youth participation in community research and development often occurs (e.g., community-based organizations, schools, and municipal agencies). Drawing on experience from three summers of work in promoting youth participation in adult-led organizations of varying purpose, scale, and structure, a framework is proposed that presents participation as a spatial practice shaped by five overlapping dimensions. The framework is offered as a point of discussion and a potential tool for analysis in examining the organizational practices that shape young people's participation.