Youth as Partners in Curriculum Development and Training Delivery: Roles,Challenges,Benefits,and Recommendations

Abstract

This article describes youth involvement in a set of national curriculum development and training projects focused on assisting foster youth to transition successfully out of the child welfare system. Various forms of youth involvement occurred in these projects: youth served on advisory committees, as focus group members, as curriculum reviewers, and as trainers and cotrainers. The benefits and challenges of youth involvement, identified by project staff and youth themselves, are outlined. Recommendations are presented for working with youth more effectively, for example, ensuring that the organization is prepared for substantial mentoring of youth and seeking certain groups of youth that match the project's needs. Recommendations are presented that are relevant to a host of educational and human service settings.

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