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by Ann Swain

In all parts of our world, there are many people with the greatest desire to offer their expertise in a volunteer capacity. In preparing for retirement, I often ask the prospective retiree, ‘do you have a plan?’ If they don’t indicate a plan for their retirement, I will always suggest volunteering. However, there is a population in our world who may not have expertise in any particular area, but they truly have heart. They want to give back, but they don’t even know what to give back or how.

Our expectations of the ‘ideal volunteer’ may need to be rewritten. Our expectations may in fact, not be reality. It all depends on where we are in the world. The day a prospective volunteer walks in your door with the desire to ‘give back’, even if they don’t know what that really means, they may end up being one of the best volunteers you have ever had. They may not be able to read beyond a sixth grade level, or at all for that matter. But they have heart and desire to give to their community. It may have taken all their inner strength to walk through your door and offer themselves beyond what is comfortable. Look beyond your expectations and see.

Expectations and reality don’t always match, and that’s not a bad thing.

Ann Swain is a featured blogger and the Director of the University of Maine Cooperative Extension Senior Companion Program.

By Trudy Hamilton

I’ve been trying to think of a top-notch, really exciting and inspiring topic to blog about this week. I’ve been left with “Blog Blank”, or perhaps “Blog Blahs”.

I’ve also been reading Brokaw’s “The Greatest Generation”, and recently had the opportunity to visit Washington, DC. So, here we go…the book often speaks of the civic life led by veterans after World War II. These outstanding men and women who became civic leaders in their communities, whether it was to counsel other veterans, start Little Leagues in their towns, join the Rotary, serve on school boards, lobby for hospital funding. This generation is often thought of as the “builders” of volunteer infrastructure as we now know it, the doer’s, if you will, developing voluntarism to a higher degree in society. They did so many wonderful things, that it is easy to forget what was there before them.

In Washington, DC, pre-World War II reminders surround you. The American Red Cross dates back to 1881, The Salvation Army in America 1879. Girls Scouts of America, The Audubon Society, Daughters of the American Revolution. The Civil War left an unprecedented number of volunteers, who moved west and volunteered their time, the efforts, in creating an expanded territory, new states, and budding infrastructure.

The difference, from what I can see, is how so much was accomplished by these two very different generations. The post-WW II generation seemed to focus on long-standing efforts at the local level, making their communities more pleasant. Sometimes this involved joining with a national organization, other times beginning their own grassroots programs. The pre-WW II group seemed to be more focused on efforts at a national level, often rigidly organized, often with such frenzied energy needed to sustain a national effort in the days before telecommuting, telephone, and telegraph.
Fast forward to the 1980’s, and the creation of so many volunteer-dependent social service non-profits created to fight the ills of society. Often without even a budget for staff members, these non-profits have made great strides in community healthcare awareness, fighting poverty and hunger, protecting the vulnerable, conserving the wild lands. What I note with this generation is a true passion for what they want to volunteer to be involved with. Not that prior generations didn’t have that passion, but it seems quieter, more reserved.

The latest group, current college student age, are also volunteering in ways that fit their lifestyles, about things they are passionate about, and building a whole new model. Think about the service learning opportunities now encouraged, or the FeelGood movement (one cheese sandwich at a time to end world hunger). This generation has the access to all the traditional methods of volunteering, and is also creating new ways for their peers to get involved when it fits their schedule.

When you look at all the changes over time, the different pieces each group has added, how well what they have done has worked, as a building block for the next group, it is truly stunning. It also makes me wonder what we’ll see from today’s kindergartners, 30 years from now. If history repeats itself, it should be something to marvel over! Any ideas?

Trudy Hamilton is the Manager of Volunteer Resources for SeniorsPlus in Lewiston and a featured blogger.

By Josephine Cooper and Carl Lakari

Last month, we featured a blog from Project AWARE Coordinator, Carl Lakari. This month, we are featuring a letter from one of their youth volunteers, Josephine Cooper.

I want to share with you a letter from one grateful youth volunteer. Read it, find inspiration, share it with your networks … and please remember the potential that exists in our youth. Carl Lakari, Project AWARE Coordinator

Letter from Josephine Cooper, Age 15, Saco, Maine

Project AWARE is an organization that encourages young people to lead in their communities. For me it has done just that. When I joined the Project AWARE Players in 2005 it gave me a chance to use my creativity to better myself and others around me. I am given the opportunity to speak to young people and adults alike, about the importance of an alcohol and drug free lifestyle, and encourage natural highs, and making a difference.
This is my fifth year being a part of the Project AWARE Players. When I was in the sixth grade, I became the director of the Project AWARE Player Juniors. As a sixth grade student I was given the opportunity to write skits pertaining to issues that I was concerned about. Then, present them to students and adults in a creative and fun way. Throughout middle school, I continued to gain self-confidence and a feeling of leadership through the Project AWARE Players, which now serves to my benefit every day of my high school, and one-day adult life. I now provide artistic direction for the Project AWARE Players.
In the summer of 2008, an opportunity arose, which has proved one of the most influential and unexpected of my life. I attended the Project AWARE Summer Film Institute. There, I was able to use my love for film to make more of a difference than I would have ever dreamed. Another Project AWARE Players member and I created a one-minute PSA about the importance of parent role modeling. This is a topic, which affects everyone’s life, and isn’t sufficiently discussed. Several months after the PSA premiered, my partner and I were confronted with a proposition from Project AWARE, to make our PSA into a movie! After a year of planning, writing, casting, and a lot of learning, the shoot for the 30-minute film began. For a week and a half I, a high school student, got the opportunity of a professional director. I worked with a professional camera crew, and professional actors. Everything I had ever learned about leadership was put to the test. I blocked scenes, called action, and watched the magic of film come to life on the monitor.
Never before have I felt so proud. Not only did I get to direct, but I got to act as well, and prepare for the career I hope to someday pursue. I can’t think of a better experience than to be given the chance to not only wear the director’s hat, but that of a writer, producer, and actor as well. It was an exhilarating process, and amazing hands on experience. I became a leader of an entire film operation, all ultimately geared towards making a difference about an issue I feel is of great importance, while being supported by Project AWARE.
Not only have I learned a remarkable amount, and had such great opportunities from being a member of the Project AWARE Players, but I have also met some of the greatest people I could ever hope to encounter in one lifetime. Project AWARE has supplied me, since I was young, with role models. I have grown up with people to encourage me to make a difference, and follow whatever dreams I may have. Also, people to show me the importance of a drug and alcohol free life, and to teach me that there are so many wonderful things out there to spend my precious time doing, rather than wasting it with unhealthy decisions. To this day, I think back on all of the amazing people I would have never met without Project AWARE and the Players.
How many teenagers have the opportunity to speak to a room full of organization heads, and school faculty, about the issues they feel important? How many young people are given the chance to educate children about the importance of healthy choices? How many people in general learn to really be a leader, and express themselves in a creative and meaningful way? Thanks to Project AWARE, these are all things I can proudly say, I have done.

Josephine is one of many youth “volunteers” at Project AWARE .

Carl Lakari is the Project Aware Coordinator and a guest blogger.

By Carl Lakari

I have always thought volunteering is essentially the giving (of our energy) to help others. It’s service.
Sounds simple, but it’s not. I am challenged by years of judgments and carried perspectives – personal and cultural. “Rugged individualism”, “buck up, you can do it”, and “people should not ask for or need help”. Not true of course, but part of my personal makeup. I have to move through this to the other side of my nature. The one I am re-learning. The one that matters.

Young people are natural leaders and volunteers and they usually lack that baggage that adults (like I!) carry. And when I co-founded Project AWARE in 2003 I really had no idea that there was so much precious energy out there in our youth ready to be tapped for the greater good. Six years and many hundreds of volunteers later, I am convinced – the desire to make a difference and be of service is real and it is alive in our youth. And what great powerful service it is.

Here are a few ways Project AWARE provides support and appeal to youth volunteers:
• Initially going to existing youth networks and schools to get help soliciting young people as volunteers. Have an info gathering and make it fun and with food.
• Making the project specific, interesting, and fun with clear goals and outcomes primarily developed by the youth themselves.
• Letting young people take the lead. Providing tools and then standing back and giving them the opportunity to take charge and only supporting when necessary. The potential and the creativity of youth is phenomenal. They usually do not have enough opportunity to express it.
• Providing healthy and delicious food. Limiting sugar and no preservatives.
• By building relationships beyond the task at hand. Using games, special events, overnights, retreats and much more.
• Communicating in a variety of ways including e-mail, texting and phone and by not depending on any one method.
• Maintaining a lot of understanding for the hectic and busy schedules of young people today.
• Remembering they are young people and not adults. They are and should be a place appropriate for their age therefore different ways of relating, communicating, reminding and supporting are all necessary.
• Again, remembering to let them take the lead. If they have ownership of the project they will stick with it.

Editors Note: Next month, we will feature a letter from one of Project AWARE’s youth volunteers, Josephine Cooper. The mission of Project AWARE is to empower young people to lead.

Carl Lakari is a Coordinator at Project AWARE and a guest blogger.

By Sarah Ryan, Ph.D.

If your nonprofit doesn’t have a second life presence, are you doing a disservice to your clients? Probably not. If you don’t provide economic data on your website, are you failing your donors? Maybe so. These questions point to the difficulty of strategic communications planning in the digital age. The good news: You already have (most of) the tools to make the right decisions!

Nonprofit leaders, volunteers, and supporters can help their organizations succeed through effective external communications – digital or otherwise. And, the criteria for making decisions in the digital world are almost identical to those for newspaper, radio, and billboard campaigns. Yes, you might have to debate things like “Twitter vs. Blog (or both!)”, but your options should be judged based upon how well they serve your audience and your mission. With those two criteria in focus, decisions become much simpler. Let me demonstrate…

A nonprofit client came to me very concerned about second life. Other nonprofits in the neighborhood had a presence in the virtual world, offered clients the chance to chat via avatars, and hosted online socializing events. “We need to be doing this,” I was told. “And soon.” When I asked “Why?”, the organization’s community outreach director mumbled something like “…because the Jones’ are doing it.” I actually found this to be a compelling argument – no organization wants to lag behind its community or competitors. But the core mission of my client was assisting small businesses, mostly immigrant-owned, in succeeding. Having been a small business owner, I could not imagine wanting to create a pretend me and interact with pretend others in cyberspace while trying to juggle face-to-face meetings with clients and vendors, budgets, etc. So I asked, “Did any of your clients ask for this?” Silence. And I advised, “At your next big gathering, ask your clients what they need and want from you online. Maybe it’s second life. More likely, it’s a page with all of the business forms they’re always hunting for. I’m guessing it’s not virtual socializing. I bet you’ll find that that’s a waste of time and resources for this audience.” I offered that advice both because of the audience and the organization’s mission…

Some organizations, like my client, assist a select group of people in achieving specific goals. The people and those goals are central to the mission and are the basis for making almost all decisions (e.g., does X get our clients closer to Y). Other organizations – most nonprofit organizations, I’d argue – have a broader mission. While a nonprofit might protect animals in a certain jurisdiction, for example, it might also aim to educate a wider audience about animal cruelty. While a 501(c)(3) might support a single arts institution, it probably also champions the power of the arts to promote peace and tolerance in the broader world. When broad-missioned organizations ignore new technologies, they fail to fully realize their potential, or keep their promises. If an arts leader, for instance, laments that fewer people (than ever!) are visiting her museum in this down economy, she needs to bring the museum to them via the organization’s website, Twitter (e.g., pithy quotes from artists), blogs, etc. If she has to pay for underutilized physical spaces (e.g., empty galleries because there is no money for school bussing…), her digital showcases can actually save money while increasing the number of constituents served. Maybe. Of course, nothing substitutes for viewing a piece of art or watching a performance up close. But when the audience doesn’t show, the institution must find other ways of fulfilling its mission. New technologies not only fill gaps, they can take information, art, and client service-delivery in interesting and meaningful new directions.

So, the criteria for judging an external communication strategy are still service to the audience and mission. Nonprofit leaders, staffers, and volunteers should begin digital communications conversations by asking, “what does our audience want, need, and desire?” and finish with “does this forward the mission of our organization?” In the digital age, it is important to reach out to audiences in more ways than ever before. But not every tool or site or activity is right for every organization. There are costs associated with unnecessary communication strategies – time, money, burnout – as well as with underutilized digital technologies – loss of clients, educational opportunities, and potential revenue streams, declining prestige. Digital strategies are exceedingly important for large organizations in major markets such as New York City, where “cutting-edge” is a mission, not a vision. But smaller organizations and individuals working for good shouldn’t feel obligated to jump on every e-bandwagon. Just like always, they should focus on doing what they do best for the people they serve – in person, on the radio, or via frenetic tweets.

Sarah Ryan, Ph.D., is from the Department of Communication at The University of Texas at El Paso and is a guest blogger.

By Elizabeth Cole

Two weeks ago I replaced my grandfather’s outdated internet browser with one that was more current and theoretically easier to use. After teaching him the basics, I started to show him some of the more advanced tools that I use. I was in the middle of explaining RSS blog feeds when he started to rub his eyes, a sign of mounting frustration. “Ah, Lillibet, I just get worn out with all of this new stuff.” I tried to explain that a RSS feed is like getting newspapers delivered to your computer rather than the door. In the midst of my analogy, which I was pretty proud of, he closed the laptop and stood up. “Thanks, honey, I think that’s all the new information I can handle for today,” he said. I had tried to give my grandfather more than he was prepared to receive, leaving me feeling like a failure and him like a fool.

This got me thinking about generational learning approaches and the implication for volunteer training and orientation. When you organize training opportunities, even informal ones, it is important to remember that adults think and learn differently than young people. With more baby-boomers volunteering than any other age group, a trend that will only intensify as more move towards retirement, understanding the principles of adult education is more important than ever. Here are some hints that will make your training sessions more effective for any age group, but that are especially important for older audiences:

• Emphasize the relevance of the training: Adults will resist material forced on them or that is only vaguely described as being interesting or “good for them to know.” Try to make the training applicable to your volunteers’ daily tasks and not just another lecture they need to sit through before they can get to the “real work” of their service.
• Make it interactive: studies show that we retain only 20% of what we hear in a lecture setting, so consider incorporating discussions, practical exercises, scenarios, role-playing, and writing.
• Construct the session around discussion: Adults learn by relating new material to preexisting knowledge. By discussing their beliefs or past experiences, adults reinforce new information.
• Involve volunteers in planning and implementing training: Giving adults some control over their learning process acknowledges that they are grownups and helps keep them engaged and enthusiastic.
• Be cautious and protective of volunteers’ self esteem: Kids learn to walk by falling down, but mature learners are much less open to trial-and-error than children. Many adults will resist trying something new if it involves the risk of making an error and feeling foolish as a result.
Nonprofits cannot hope to improve their world without first improving their volunteers. Often volunteers are charged with challenging tasks that take a lot of knowledge and training to do well. Whether you are teaching your volunteers to facilitate group discussions or showing a senior how to use the internet, remembering the basics of adult education will help you equip your volunteers to serve with passion and self-confidence.

Elizabeth Cole is an AmeriCorps member with the Maine Commission for Community Service and a presenter at the 2009 Blaine House Conference on Volunteerism.

Resources: Print Resources: Ellis, S. J., & Noyes, K. H. (1990). By the people: A history of Americans as volunteers. (Rev. ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. / Furano K. et al, (1993). Big Brother/Big Sister: A study of program practices. Philadelphia, PA: Public/Private Ventures. / Herman, R.D. (Ed.). (1994). The Jossey-Bass handbook of nonprofit leadership and management. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Morrison, E.K. (1994). Leadership skills: Developing volunteers for organizational success. Tucson, AZ: Fisher Books. /Roaf, P. A. et al, (1994). Big Brother/Big Sister: A study of volunteer recruitment and screening. Philadelphia, PA: Public/Private Ventures.

By Elizabeth Cole

It’s late August. The sounds of crickets, katydids, and back-to-school commercials fill the night air. But before you start mourning the loss of yet another summer, remember that the change in seasons isn’t all bad for volunteer managers. The coming of fall and the start of another school year promise a new opportunity to recruit student volunteers.

Put aside your lemonade for a moment and think about this: between 2002 and 2005, the number of college students who volunteered grew by an astonishing 20 percent, the largest increase of any demographic. Tapping into one of Maine’s thirty colleges or universities, not to mention her hundreds of secondary schools, could help you target young adults who are passionate and energized about service and social change. At its heart, service learning is a way for students to bridge the distance between school and the real world, to meaningfully connect with their community, and to deepen their understanding of what they learn in the classroom.

Of course, there are legitimate concerns about involving students in your organization. The first is time. Students today are busier than ever, their schedules filled with academic and extracurricular commitments that might prevent them from volunteering consistently. The academic year is punctuated with extended winter, spring, and summer vacations that may further complicate scheduling. Transportation can also be an issue if students do not have their own cars or bikes. From the student point of view, these same three factors could be barriers that deter them from volunteering. That would be a shame. Your organization could miss out on a host of enthusiastic and talented volunteers.

So what can you do to help attract and accommodate college students? Make it easy as easy as possible for students to get involved: hold orientations, interviews, and volunteer trainings on campus. Do your best to work around their academic schedules. Understand that December and May are going to be the busiest times of year for students with end of term projects and papers. Give them a choice of regularly scheduled meeting times to help them organize their time in advance. Think about offering transportation or arranging a carpool from the campus to your site. Many students get involved with volunteering to explore careers or to add to their resumes. Sit down and talk to students to find out what sorts of training, networking, or knowledge you could provide that might help them with their future plans. Finally, as with any volunteer, provide ongoing structure, supervision, and support. You’ll be rewarded with knowledgeable and eager volunteers.

Before you run off to the nearest campus to start recruiting, keep in mind these tips. First, get permission (and tips) from the dean of students or the office service learning before you conduct any sort of recruitment on campus. Consider asking professors of relevant courses if you can make a short appeal during one of their class sessions. If you presently have student volunteers, enlist their help in developing your recruitment campaign. They can be a valuable asset in helping you develop effective strategies. Ask them to spread the word to their friends about volunteer opportunities with your organization. As the hours of daylight shorten and the air gets crisper, spending a moment now thinking about student volunteer recruitment could pay off in a big way later.

Resources with further tips on engaging college students:

Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. Recruiting College Volunteers: A Guide for Volunteer Recruitment and Management. (1995). Philadelphia: Big Brothers Big Sisters of America.

Tierney, J.P., Joseph, P. & Branch,Y.A. (1992). College Students as Volunteers for At-Risk Youth: A Study of Six Campus Partners in Learning Programs. Philadelphia: Public/Private Ventures.

Elizabeth Cole is an Americorps VISTA with the Maine Commission for Community Service, a presenter at the Blaine House Conference on Volunteerism and a guest blogger.

By Suzanne Gastaldo

Successful management of volunteers is key to securing funding. What better way to justify your bottom line. We employ a mere 2.5 full-time positions, but oversee 140 volunteers who successfully implement our mission, fundraise, strategize and direct our organization. Prove you can manage volunteers successfully - audit their time and document it. This type of data tracking and reporting - total annual volunteer hours gives your organization credibility whether you are standing in front of a group to ask for funds or to include in a grant appeal.

Next, understand that no two volunteers are alike. A volunteer over 67 years old has a different agenda then a 25 year old. Maybe your organization has traditionally used all retirees as ours had. The historical demographics of our Literacy Volunteers have been graduate degree/professionals that have retired in Maine and want to give to our communities. They have the time, commitment and even resources to supplement the organization. Well they are the perfect volunteers…..so do you turn away the 30 year old with children in school? Rethink the profile. Restructure your organization to capitalize on available volunteers of all ages.

A balance turns out to be just what is needed. The younger volunteers often offer shorter stints, but they offer new technological ideas, they are sometimes more suited to certain learners. We are offering them training, career experience, and incite into the world of illiteracy. They can develop a new passion for adults who can’t read. We are helping to create a new society. Think globally. The younger unsettled volunteer can require more time but their gains in association with your organization are so valuable. Their next step may be more insightful and more meaningful for the next target of their volunteerism. When you have a great organization that is well run, organized, and successful – it benefits everyone to share the experience. You may be surprised with the unexpected results.

Lastly, volunteers need to be empowered. Allow the volunteer time to create his or her unique experience within your organization. It is when they are free from constraints and rules coupled with appreciation and support for their individuality that they develop as a volunteer who may surprise everyone in the direction they bring your organization. Successful managers keep an open mind. Do you want to learn more about our organization? www.tricountyliteracy.org

Suzanne Gastaldo is the Adult Literacy Volunteers Program Director for Sagadahoc, North Cumberland, and Lincoln Counties in Maine and is a guest blogger.

By Deb Bicknell

Youth and adults working together to make positive change in the world; a beautiful vision, a creative and powerful solution to solving complex problems, a worthy endeavor and not always as easy as it sounds. Being able to work together effectively to create change within any group of people can be challenging and often when groups of youth and adults try and do this it can be like two worlds colliding. Youth may feel misunderstood or like they are tokens of adult processes. Adults may feel unsure about how to work with youth in a way that gets “the job done” and also honors youth voice and needs. Take a peek at the conversation below for a few thoughts on how to create partnerships that work.

Q: What is a youth/adult partnership that you have been involved in that worked? Why do you think it worked?

Youth: In high school I was part of the school based health center outreach group and I worked in partnership with other youth and our advisor. This partnership worked because we had really open and strong communication.

Adult: Working with youth at the Maine Youth Action Network to do trainings and run events. The partnerships worked because we were willing to share power and to offer youth skills they needed in order to be able to do the work and to share their voice.

Youth: I would tell them to go for it. Go in there and be yourself, you are the future of today. You are the next person who is going to impact the world.

Q: What is a good way for adults interested in involving youth to reach out to youth in their community?

Youth: Have informal meetings to see what the youth’s needs and concerns are and let them know they have the power to create change.

Adult: Send out or make personal invitations to youth you know or ask adults who work with youth to do so. Young people often don’t know about opportunities and even if they do they don’t feel comfortable joining in so having personal invitations can be really helpful.

Youth: Pose a forum or use time and resources that they use, when you open it up to a group you give everyone their voice. Don’t use complicated surveys, frankly they just don’t work.

Q: What do you think is the biggest barrier in youth and adult collaboration? How do you think we can overcome it?

Youth: I think the biggest barrier is a lack of communication and closed minds. In order to transform those things, both youth and adults would need to make a commitment to keep their minds open and their communication strong and clear.

Adult: I think that the biggest barrier is that often adults don’t think to include youth. We often have ideas about things that young people can and can’t do or should or should not be involved in and those preconceived notions can get in the way. Starting to shift the way we think and the ways we invite youth in is a great first step to challenging this dynamic.

Youth: It’s all about language. Body language, your language as an adult. If you start using big terms or stand in a power stance or you come dressed in business attire you throw up a huge barrier.

Q: What is one thing you would tell a young person interested in partnering with adults in creating positive change?

Youth: I would tell youth that partnering with adults to create change is really worth it and that they have the power to create some really amazing change together.

Adult: I would tell a young person that if they don’t share their voice and their talents then no one else can. It is really worth it and you are really valuable. If you can’t find an adult to support you who you trust, trust yourself, ask questions and keep coming back. You will get there.

Youth: I would tell them go for it. Go in there and be yourself, you are the future of today. You are the next person who is going to impact the world. You can do this. Even if you walk into a room and you are surrounded by adult, make it work. Work the scene and make it happen for you. They will listen to you if you make your voice heard.

Q: What is your best piece of advice to an adult interested in involving youth in a volunteer project or some sort of community change effort?

Youth: My advice would be to never underestimate the power you and the power youth have to create change, and always be open to new ideas.

Adult: Be willing to lend a hand and reach out to any and all youth who are interested. Young people have so much to offer and once they feel needed and know that someone will generally listen to them. Remember that youth may need a hand but not for you to do it for them.

Youth: Be like Nike and just do it. If you make the investment your returns will be great.

This is just a snip it of some ideas and thoughts connected to youth and adult collaboration. There are lots of resources and opportunities at the Maine Youth Action Network (MYAN) to learn more about this topic as supporting youth and adults to work together to create positive change in the world is central to our work. Visit www.myan.org to learn more.

Deb Bicknell is the Training and Projects Coordinator at Maine Youth Action Network(MYAN) and a Guest Blogger.

By Deb Bicknell

At the Maine Youth Action Network (MYAN) we have a group of young people who help to plan all aspects of our events, a youth planning team, or YPT, as we fondly call it. The group has varied in size over the years, but for the past five years youth from across the state gather faithfully (or sometimes not) to help plan. At MYAN we often talk about sharing power between youth and adults and we believe that creating a more balanced relationship of power is a an essential part of effective youth and adult partnership. YPT is one of the places at MYAN where we get to “walk our talk.” We get to experience first hand various barriers to this and to practice sharing power. Here are some tips and thoughts, from my perspective, that have come in part from these experiences.

1. Be willing. Examining the places and ways that you and you don’t feel comfortable sharing power is an important and valuable step.
2. Be honest. Sometimes we have requirements or other external constraints that prohibit us from sharing the amount of power we might want. Being honest and clear about decision making practices, and who has power to make decisions is really helpful to share.
3. Notice language. Use of acronyms and any kind of language that is common to a closed community can create barriers. Be sure to take time to explain terminology as it comes up and to ask when you don’t understand terms that others are using.
4. Offer tools, let go. Sharing power is not about “just letting youth do it.” Offer tools that will support success and leadership and then be willing to let youth take the reigns from there.
5. Be patient. Sharing power effectively in youth adult partnerships takes time and can sometimes be a frustrating and/or baffling experience. You do not have to do it perfectly. See #6 for help with this.
6. Make mistakes and admit it. This can be a powerful step for adults and it can also help to build trust and respect between youth and adult partners. Often youth see adults as “knowing it all” or at least thinking they do, and adults can feel like they need to play this role. Breaking down roles and assumptions between the two groups also assists with building healthy and meaningful connection.
7. Build trust. We all know that trust is a cornerstone to healthy relationships and ultimately youth and adult partnerships are about healthy, respectful, authentic relationships.
8. Seek support. If you or your group is interested in collaborating with youth it is a good idea to get some sort of training or support. We often hear people talking about getting support and help for the youth who are joining an adult committee or group but it really is a two way street.
This is not a comprehensive list but more an invitation for the reader to think about how you share power with youth. Good luck, have fun – the benefits are absolutely worth it.

By Deb Bicknell is the Training and Projects Coordinator at Maine Youth Action Network(MYAN)and a Guest Blogger.