15 Ways to Engage Youth Within Your Company and Why You Should Do It

Abstract

Leaders in both the public and private sectors have increasingly acknowledged that society has an obligation to include the next generation in the decision-making processes that will shape their future. Young people (ages 12-18) seem to agree, and they have expressed a growing desire to be actively consulted on issues that matter to them. From environmental protection and climate change to social justice and mental health, youth are increasingly voicing their questions, concerns, and hopes about the future. Input from the next generation is particularly crucial when it comes to navigating the challenges of new technologies.

Youth movements, developments in the legal arena, and initiatives by corporations and NGOs offer the promise of enhancing youth participation in business and government for the decades to come. Gradually, the emphasis is likely to shift from arguing why we need more youth participation to the question of how to enable youth engagement in practice.

Keywords: Youth, young people, children, adolescents, teenagers, company, product, employee, Internet, online, participation, youth engagement, youth lab