Liliʻuokalani Trust

Youth Voice: How to Empower Kamaliʻi as Change-Makers Today

By Landon Chinen, Manager, Youth Leadership

2024-08-01

Youth Voice: How to Empower Kamaliʻi as Change-Makers Today

The inclusion of Youth Voice, as embodied by the collective voices of kamaliʻi, is about cultivating an environment in which “Youth can share their ideas and opinions with youth-adult allies who hear, listen, and see us (youth) as experts in our field and are willing to work with and mentor us, compared to adults who only ask and take our opinions to benefit their personal needs to make them look good.”

This definition highlights the importance of genuine engagement and collaboration between youth and adults.

Too often, youth are asked to share their perspectives on important issues but are left out of community conversations. They are frequently told that their ideas are great, and they can make a difference when they become adults.

However, why can’t youth be the change-makers of today AND the change-makers of tomorrow?

How to Implement Youth Voice

How do we implement Youth Voice? Is it by kamaliʻi completing a program survey to share recommendations for subsequent programs? Is it asking kamaliʻi for their feedback on our current programs and services? Is it asking them to answer questions and provide data for our reports?

True inclusion of youth voice is not just about the methods we use; it's about the potential of Youth Voice to collectively make a larger impact. It can be all the above, and so much more.

Creating such spaces involves fostering youth-adult partnerships that allow for listening, sharing, planning, compromising, and implementing ideas together. As Billing (2000) observed, youth-related outcomes improve when young people are given the opportunity to plan, implement, and evaluate their learning. This collaborative approach ensures that youth feel valued, and their contributions are impactful.

We know that deep inclusion of youth voices is a best practice in transformative youth development work. As an organization that supports kamaliʻi across the pae ʻāina, and as our spaces evolve into true youth spaces, how do we implement Youth Voice throughout our communities and programs?

Here are some practical steps to ensure effective implementation of Youth Voice:

Establish Clear Intentions: Kamaliʻi have a clear understanding of the project/discussion goal.
Identify the Audience: Kamaliʻi know the target population and who is involved in the decision-making process.
Define Roles: Kamaliʻi understand their roles and the goals of their participation.
Encourage Active Participation: Kamaliʻi actively articulate their ideas during projects and discussions.
Promote Transparency: Kamaliʻi and youth-adult allies can openly share their ideas and opinions. When a disagreement of ideas occurs, kamaliʻi, along with adult allies, work to be solution-focused.

Avoid Common Pitfalls

To ensure meaningful engagement, organizations aim to avoid these common pitfalls:

Adultism: Involving kamaliʻi without providing them with the necessary knowledge or understanding of the topic and presenting them with pre-developed plans.
Decoration: Including kamaliʻi in events or programs without giving them a say in planning or implementation, reducing them to mere symbols of participation.
Tokenism: Giving kamaliʻi a voice but limiting their decision-making power and opportunities to fully develop their ideas.

By implementing these strategies, organizations can create empowering spaces for kamaliʻi, ensuring their voices are heard and acted upon. Youth Voice is not just about the youth; it is about harnessing the power of youth-adult alliances to foster a collaborative, innovative, and inclusive community. As we evolve our services and spaces, let us commit to integrating Youth Voice at every level, making our kamaliʻi integral partners in the journey toward positive change.

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Landon Chinen is the Manager, Youth Leadership, at Liliʻuokalani Trust. His mentorship in Hawaiʻi and across the globe motivates youths to believe in themselves and their ability to achieve their dreams. Chinen has a Doctorate of Social Work from Simmons University, where his capstone on amplifying Indigenous youth voices through the support of Western frameworks, was nominated for the DEIPAR Award (Diversity, Equity, Intersectionality, Inclusion, Power, Anti-Racism) for Social Justice and Innovation in Social Work.

(Billing, S.H. (2000). Research on K-12 school-based service-learning: The evidence builds. Phi Delta Kappan, 81(9), 658-664.)


	Landon Chinen is the Manager, Youth Leadership, at Liliʻuokalani Trust. His mentorship in Hawaiʻi and across the globe motivates youths to believe in themselves and their ability to achieve their dreams. Chinen has a Doctorate of Social Work from Simmons University, where his capstone on amplifying Indigenous youth voices through the support of Western frameworks, was nominated for the DEIPAR Award (Diversity, Equity, Intersectionality, Inclusion, Power, Anti-Racism) for Social Justice and Innovation in Social Work.

Landon Chinen is the Manager, Youth Leadership, at Liliʻuokalani Trust. His mentorship in Hawaiʻi and across the globe motivates youths to believe in themselves and their ability to achieve their dreams. Chinen has a Doctorate of Social Work from Simmons University, where his capstone on amplifying Indigenous youth voices through the support of Western frameworks, was nominated for the DEIPAR Award (Diversity, Equity, Intersectionality, Inclusion, Power, Anti-Racism) for Social Justice and Innovation in Social Work.