 youth leadership youth leadership goodpushadmin fri 1042019 1531 running a youth leadership program  youth leadership development means giving young people the skills and experiences they need to become change agents in their communities definitions of youth differ between communities and organizations however the united nations un defines youth as those aged 1524 youth leadership programs typically include activities such as travel intercultural exchange outdoor education organizing events sports intergenerational knowledge exchange work experience public speaking and life skills development for skateboarding programs a youth leadership program can provide motivated young people with the chance to take ownership often an important part of youth leadership is volunteering to run skate sessions and other program elements benefits of youth leadership programs help when there is a lack of resources youth volunteers can help run activities at lowcost developing role models for your program and the community builds a sense of ownership for your project among participants skillbuilding for youth to explore interests and prepare for the workforce tip  be careful to distinguish between adult volunteers and students participants under 18 who are volunteering children under 18 are there to learn as a top priority not to work define their responsibilities think about how you ll support the personal development of younger volunteers getting started set goals  before you start to set up a youth leadership program make sure you have a clear idea of how participants will contribute to your organization s mission and goals how will youth leaders improve your activities and what benefits will they themselves gain from the experience note if you re more interested in having a basic volunteer model focusing on adult participants many of the suggestions below will still be relevant how to choose and recruit potential youth leaders  first decide how many youth you have space for it s a good idea to start small with 45 consider aiming for 50 female youth leaders this will help build your girls participation overall choose an age range for your program for example 1418 or 1625 have they already attended your programs this experience will be very useful ensure there are opportunities for disabled youth to participate time commitment  volunteers youth leaders should commit to a minimum amount of time ie 6 months this reduces turnover rates of teachers which can be disruptive for your participants volunteers youth leaders ideally will commit to a set schedule to give your project stability interview application process  your management team should prepare a set of interview questions  see example at end of this document  interview application should be accessible for youth with low no literacy ensure participants under 18 have permission from their parents guardians to be a volunteer youth leader training plan basic trainings child protection first aid media skills skate teaching etc provide ongoing opportunities for development volunteers overall what to think about types of volunteers  student volunteers ie youth leaders adult volunteers local vs international each case has different considerations recruitment  set criteria skills can they be a role model attitude respectfulness interest in teaching motivation set regular times to come and a volunteer placement limit when they can leave or renew prevents burnout and awkward situations all volunteers should sign an agreement even just a simple one have a point person for all volunteers make clear what expectations you have as well as what they can expect keeping volunteers motivated mark success certificates social media thank you posts incentives extra skate sessions trips skateboard gear trainings ie video editing future job opportunities references provide small stipend or cover transport costs say thank you  child protection issues here are a few basic suggestions to make your volunteer program safer for participants check out our child protection toolkit for many more tips on safe staffing and recruitment adults set and follow screening policies interviews references background check volunteers under age of 18 supervision always have staff coordinator present 1 staff and student can t be alone together keep it professional staff as role models not going partying together media policy rules about how when volunteers can share posts from your project crosscultural considerations for various reasons your project may plan to or already involve international volunteers who are not from the country where your project is based here are some things to consider do they bring skills that aren t available among local volunteers costs ie flights housing and who will cover these clarify expectations early on is there a plan of support for and handover to local staff volunteers language barriers can the volunteers speak the same language as the participants cultural sensitivity protecting your community reputation volunteers who come from abroad should participate in cultural awareness training sustainability what is the longterm plan after the international volunteers leave if international volunteers are involved in your skate program design be sure to include input of the local community throughout all aspects of the program next steps if you want to launch or assess your own volunteer or youth leadership program take a few minutes to fill out this 1page questionnaire  ideally together with others in your team it will help you figure out the purpose needs benefits risks and costs associated with involving volunteers in your program  embedded video for youth leadership looking for ways to involve local or foreign volunteers as role models in your programs this section gives examples of what a structured youth leadership program looks like common challenges training tips and ways to keep youth leaders motivated icoachkids mooc 2018 erasmus  leadership and economic empowerment through sport women win  increasing youth employability through football toolkit streetfootballworld  starting a volunteer program questionnaire pdf  volunteer selection and interview guidelines example pdf  skateboard project volunteer agreement example pdf  volunteer basic registration form example pdf  