The YE Formula

Like other community empowerment approaches, youth engagement is an art rather than a science.  It is a process that happens over time, is based on relationships, and works best when tailored to each group of young people and their local context. The following formula is offered to help you plan and administer effective and sustainable youth engagement initiatives.

Diagram of the 3 elements in the Youth Engagement Formula that add up to Effective and Sustainable YE programming

Which model of working with youth is best for your project?

Some people think that youth engagement programming means that adults must hand over all authority and responsibility to young people, with adults only providing support as requested.  This reflects a youth-led model of youth engagement.  There are two other broad models: adult-led and youth-adult partnerships.  The primary distinguishing factors between these different models is the degree of youth participation and shared decision-making between young people and adults (Pereira, 2007; Delgado & Staples, 2008; Delgado & Zhou, 2008).

Refer to the OPHA Youth Engagement Toolkit – Section 1 for more information on:

  • A more detailed explanation of the components of the YE Formula
  • Factors to Consider when Choosing a Model for Working with Youth