Youth Engagement

Contact Information

Francesca Matias
Youth Engagement Program Supervisor

360-725-6319

Research shows that youth engagement contributes to higher academic competency and motivation, improved graduation rates, and a positive school climate.

OSPI is committed to authentically engaging students and young adults to share their experience, strength and hope and help build statewide supports for schools to create environments that incorporate student engagement in meaningful ways.

Youth Engagement and Hart’s Ladder

Roger Hart’s ladder of children’s participation is adapted from Sherry Arnstein’s “ladder of citizen participation” (1969) which related to citizen involvement in planning processes in the United States.

Hart’s model (1992) has eight rungs and two main zones he calls ‘Non-Participation’ and ‘Degrees of Participation.’ The top five rungs, in the ‘Participation’ zone all represent different but valid forms of participation while the three lowest rungs are all designated as “non-participation.” Though authentic engagement doesn’t mean you should reach the top rung of the ladder, the goal is to stay out of the non-participation rungs.

Ladder: Starting from the bottom NON-Participation 1. Manipulation 2. Decoration 3. Tokenism. Top section Participation: 4. Assigned but informed. 5. Consulted and informed. 6. Adult-initiated. Shared decisions with young people 7. Young People-initiated and directed. 8. Young people-initiated. Shared decisions with adults.

Source: Ladder of Children's Participation – Organizing Engagement

Mentor Washington Logo multi color boxes

Since 2004, MENTOR Washington has been a key supporter of mentoring programs across the state. They assist over 150 organizations by providing training, building capacity, offering funding, developing resources, and ensuring quality.

To learn more about their work or to find out how you can become a mentor, visit www.mentorwashington.org.

Youth Engagement Resources
Mentoring