This toolkit was developed by the Knowledge Institute on Child and Youth Mental Health and Addictions (formerly the Ontario Centre of Excellence for Child and Youth Mental Health).

HERE’S HOW THE AUTHORS DESCRIBE THIS TOOLKIT:

Youth engagement is about empowering young people as valuable partners to address issues and make decisions that affect them personally or that they believe to be important. Engaging young people has always been a priority for us. Over the years, we’ve co-developed dozens of resources with them. They’re also integrated as important partners on all our key projects and initiatives, through our youth advisory council.

The quality standard for youth engagement describes nine principles that contribute to high-quality youth engagement. The standard details background, rationale, best practices, and practical approaches for each principle, and defines what each one means for young people, agencies, and decision makers.