Supporting Youth Advisory Councils: Lessons Learned from Facilitating YAAB Strategic Planning

Youth advisory councils are critical platforms for empowering young people to drive meaningful change. However, facilitating these councils effectively requires thoughtful preparation, strategic support, and creating spaces where everyone feels heard and valued. Below, we share reflections from the Youth Adult Advisory Board (YAAB) to highlight actionable strategies for fostering success.

Preparing for Effective Strategic Planning

Preparation is a cornerstone of successful facilitation, especially when engaging youth and community stakeholders in collaborative processes. Below is what worked for the YAAB.

1. Set Trauma-Informed Agreements: Establishing ground rules rooted in compassion and understanding ensures the process supports everyone involved. These agreements might include:

• Active listening: Valuing all perspectives and avoiding interruptions.

• Respectful disagreement: Encouraging constructive feedback without dismissing others' contributions.

• Inclusive participation: Ensuring all voices, particularly youth, have equal weight.

2. Incorporate Trigger Warnings and Brave Spaces: At the start of sessions, acknowledge topics that may evoke strong emotional responses, and assure participants they can opt-out if needed. Simultaneously, create a brave space—a supportive environment where participants feel safe to express honest opinions, even on sensitive matters.

3. Prepare Youth Participants Separately: Before strategic planning sessions, meet with youth members to explain the process, their role, and expectations. This ensures they feel confident and prepared to engage fully. It’s also an opportunity to clarify terms, share strategies for navigating challenges, and reinforce their value to the group.

Celebrating Successes

YAAB members identified several positive outcomes from their strategic planning sessions, offering useful lessons:

1. Building Team Collaboration: For the first time, members felt united in a shared purpose, actively contributing as part of a cohesive team.

2. Fostering Accountability: Members supported one another in meeting goals, creating a culture of mutual accountability that strengthened trust and relationships.

3. Amplifying Engagement: YAAB participants were willing to share perspectives and engage constructively, even when facing resistance.

4. Embracing Camaraderie and Resilience: Overcoming challenges together deepened the group’s connection and highlighted their collective determination.

Key Takeaways for Youth Support

• Facilitate shared ownership: Encourage collaboration on meaningful tasks and decisions to enhance group cohesion.

• Acknowledge contributions regularly: Recognize both individual and group successes to build momentum.

• Center relationship-building: Create spaces for participants to connect personally, strengthening group trust.

Addressing Challenges

While YAAB celebrated successes, they also identified areas needing attention:

1. Role Clarity and Communication: Confusion arose when stakeholders or participants weren’t clear about roles, responsibilities, or shared goals.

Solution: Dedicate time to reviewing these elements at the start of every session and revisit them as necessary to keep everyone aligned.

2. Navigating Pushback: Members sometimes encountered resistance from stakeholders, making it difficult to effectively advocate for their perspectives.

Solution: Provide tools for addressing disagreements respectfully, offering framing techniques to clarify their positions persuasively.

3. Respecting Youth Expertise: Some YAAB members felt their insights were not fully acknowledged or valued by community stakeholders, which added frustration.

Solution: Train stakeholders to recognize youth contributions as vital and address biases that may limit collaboration.

4. Encouraging Diverse Perspectives: YAAB members noted that breakout discussions sometimes lacked diversity, restricting broader conversations.

Solution: Intentionally mix group members by role, agency, and background to create richer, more inclusive dialogues.

Facilitating Inclusive and Supportive Discussions

Facilitators play a vital role in creating an environment where all participants can succeed. Here are some strategies:

• Model Trauma-Informed Communication: Demonstrate respect, transparency, and active listening while resolving disagreements constructively.

• Support Youth During Difficult Moments: Ensure youth members feel comfortable bringing up challenges in real time. Facilitators can step in to diffuse situations and foster productive dialogue.

• Integrate Reflection Opportunities: Dedicate time for debriefing after sessions to assess successes and challenges and incorporate feedback into future planning.

Building a Foundation for Success

Strategic planning with youth advisory councils requires an ongoing commitment to supporting both the individual members and the group as a whole. For YAAB, this included:

1. Training on Bias Awareness: Offering sessions that help stakeholders, such as community leaders and providers, recognize unconscious biases (e.g., adultism) and develop more equitable practices.

2. Fostering Advocacy Skills: Teaching youth to articulate their ideas effectively and handle resistance confidently.

3. Providing Regular Check-Ins: Holding separate debrief sessions with youth after meetings to process their experiences and identify areas for improvement.

By preparing with trauma-informed agreements, creating brave spaces, and continuously iterating on the process, organizations can create meaningful opportunities for youth to lead, thrive, and influence change.

What strategies have worked for you in supporting youth-led initiatives? Let’s share insights and learn together!

Need help supporting your youth advisory council or facilitating strategic planning sessions? 

Contact me, and let’s work together to create a process that empowers and uplifts your group!

Schedule a Call