According to the Youth Engagement researchers at the Search Institute:

• Youth involvement is expanding beyond community service to emphasize democratic citizenship that embraces both individual rights and responsibilities and group work for the common good.
• Adults in multiple settings and at varying levels have a primary role in creating opportunities for youth and supporting them in building their competencies as they simultaneously work for change.
• Youth participation in partnerships with adults can take varying forms and is shaped by the mission of the organization or initiative. Youth and adults can work collaboratively in a true partnership, or the initiative can be driven by one party or with support and input from the other.

In order for youth involvement to be successful, it should engage them in meaningful decision-making. Young people involved in decision-making grow developmentally and academically.

Research shows that youth engagement builds skills such as leadership and public speaking, increases self-esteem, enhances identity development, and improves academic achievement.

Youth develop skills that help them become healthy, confident, well- rounded community leaders. They become “experts,” capable of influencing both their peers and adults as well as being a voice for positive change.

Finally, youth who are involved in directing their school’s mental health services often develop positive, nurturing connections with caring adults – relationships that are invaluable to their development and help deepen their connection to school and work.

Many examples of different youth engagement models in school health are included in the resources below.

Youth-Led Innovation Toolkit (Mental Health Oversight and Accountability Commission & Youth Leadership Institute)

Comprehensive toolkit to help build authentic adult-youth partnerships in mental health programming

Peer-to-Peer Mental Health Supports: Students Helping Students (California School-Based Health Alliance)

Summary of the why and how of starting a peer program, including best practices, models to consider, and resources

Youth Supporting Youth: Expanding Peer-to-Peer Programs in Schools to Address the Growing Youth Mental Health Crisis (California Children’s Trust)

Makes the case for funding, planning and implementing youth peer-to-peer programs as a strategy to support youth mental health

Youth Centered Strategies for Hope, Healing and Health (The Children’s Partnership)

Report from a youth-led policy council that developed a policy agenda that builds the capacity of youth-serving
systems to provide effective, compassionate and trauma-responsive care to marginalized youth and their communities

Students Helping Students: School-Based Peer Support Programs Enhance Student Well-Being (Child Health and Development Institute)

Supports development of peer support programs, including key components, and relevant research

Inclusion 2020 Youth Voice Toolkit (Activity Alliance)

Designed to support engagement of student voice, representative of a diverse community of students

Youth and Young Adult Peer Support: Expanding Community-Driven Mental Health Resources (Mental Health America)

Makes the case for peer and community-driven solutions that can provide effective support outside traditional health care systems and support culture change within health care systems

A Brief Primer on Youth Participatory Action Research for Mentoring Programs (University of Illinois Chicago)

Brief primer provides an overview of youth participatory action research (YPAR), a promising approach for elevating youth voices in mentoring programs to create positive change

Peers Supporting Youth and Young Adult Recovery (SAMSHA)

Fact Sheet on Youth Peer Support for youth with mental health and substance use disorders

Student Voice Continuum: How to Build Student Power (Californians for Justice)

Infographic highlighting the continuum from informing youth to leading with shared ownership, with an equity lens

Game Changers: Establishing a Youth Advisory Council (GenerationOn)

Guide that includes key concepts, planning tools, and resources to get started

Ladder of Participation (Roger Hart)

Infographic representing approaches to youth engagement and participation, offering guidance on efforts that authentically support youth voice and leadership

Youth Engaged in Leadership and Learning: A Handbook for Program Staff , Teachers, and Community Leaders (John W. Gardner Center for Youth and Their Communities, Stanford University)

A comprehensive handbook for guiding youth advocates and the adults who work with them on engaging young people in participatory research, analysis, and planning

Conducting Focus Groups: A Guide to Authentic and Student Centered Data Collection for Schools (Kern County Superintendent of Schools)

Step-by-step guide for conducting focus groups and analyzing data