Tools
Tools for involving children & young people
The tool method that you use will depend on the skills and interests of your participants, the resources you have available and the focus of the participation exercise.
You get better results when using several different methods. Different methods can work well at different stages of the participation exercise. For example, you could use a workshop to identify topics for a questionnaire, or follow a creative event with one-on-one interviews.
When choosing your methods, think about:
- the nature and complexity of the issue
- the time and resources available
- the different groups participating (eg. age, ethnicity, disabilities)
- the number of children and young people being consulted
- the type of information you want.
Where possible, involve the participants in selecting methods, to ensure methods suit their needs and skills.
Remember, participants are giving up their time for limited reward, so the exercise should be as interesting and varied as possible. When you consider different methods, remember to ask what benefit the participants will get.
Please comment, or contribute a method you have used
Choosing the right method
The following table is designed to assist you to choose the right participation method for your circumstances.
| Method | Workshop | Personal interview | Questionnaire | Discussion/ debate |
| Oral skills | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Literacy skills | No | No | Yes but can use symbols | No |
| Confidentiality | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| Rapid information collection | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| etailed information | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Interaction between participants | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Special expertise required | Facilitator | Questionnaire development Interviewers | Questionnaire development | Facilitator |
Tips and methods
Focus groups
Questionnaires
Workshops
Personal interviews
Group interviews
Submissions, oral or written
Discussions and debates
Box City events
Drawings by children and young people
Poster or essay competitions
Site visits
Suggestion boxes
Youth forums, conferences and events
Youth councils
Youth websites
Partnerships with local schools
Young people working with adults
Other ideas
Focus groups
Focus groups are a good way for local government bodies:
- to explore perspectives of groups of young people directly on key issues
- to develop an understanding of the group(s) views and ideas.
Focus groups are generally popular with children and young people and can be particularly productive if the participants know each other. Focus groups usually involve groups of 5-8 although smaller groups work better with younger children.
Tips for using focus groups:
- make sure the group has something in common such as age, gender, interests, or culture
- conduct your focus group in a familiar setting where young people are comfortable, e.g. schools, clubs, or youth centres
- you may choose to use a facilitator with experience in working with children and young people, and running focus groups
Examples:
Youth Policy Consultation
LTCCP consultation of young immigrants
Questionnaires
Councils can use questionnaires to collect responses directly or indirectly from a general or target group of young people in New Zealand.
Before you start designing your questionnaire, write down exactly what you want to find out. Check that other key staff members agree that these are your objectives.
You could involve young people in designing the questionnaire, and analysing and reporting the findings.
Tips for developing questionnaires for children and young people:
- Do not ask a question unless you are sure that you will use the information.
- Keep the questionnaire short and to the point.
- Keep your questions short and clear. Use plain language. Try to avoid abbreviations and terms that need defining.
- Make sure that your questions are balanced and unbiased. If you use a set of responses to ask how children and young people feel or think, make sure there are as many negative as positive points and that they are equally strong.
- Don't ask double or triple questions. People have trouble when they want to say no to one part and yes to another.
Provide relevant information with the questionnaire, so the young people are informed about the topic.
Test the questionnaire first
First, get someone else to read the questionnaire for errors or ambiguities.
Then get a couple of children and young people to read it. Ask them what they think the questions mean, and what type of response they'd give.
Visit Statistics New Zealand. They provide expert advice on how to design and conduct surveys.
Example:
Café card questionnaire
Workshops
Many New Zealand councils use workshops as a way of getting informed ideas from young people on a specific situation.
Workshops enable councils to:
- bring young people together to explore and develop their response to a particular situation or proposal that affects them
- give young people specific information to help them develop ideas.
The idea of having a workshop may come from young people themselves after a youth event. They may want to explore a topic further.
Workshops are usually structured but informal. Young people get to know each other and have fun, while engaging in focussed discussions.
Tips for workshops with children and young people
Before you start planning, write down the key pieces of information that you want to find out. Have all key council staff and councillors agree on these objectives.
Then, plan the workshop. Practice the proposed activities. Work out how long each activity will take. Have extra activities in reserve to liven up or calm down the group.
At the start of the workshop, make sure there are no unrealistic expectations about the final outcomes. Explain other factors that will influence the decision.
When you are running the workshop:
- Listen actively. Summarise key points regularly so that participants know they have been heard, and clarify any misunderstandings.
- Record key points on flip charts/whiteboard. Then participants can make progress in discussions, and the facilitator can sum up their various views at the end.
- Be flexible. Accept any reasonable suggestions from participants to change an activity. If the activity is not working or isn't fun â stop.
- Monitor physical and emotional safety. For example, do not force anyone to take part in a role play if they are clearly shy about performing in front of others.
Examples:
Leisure Plan Workshop Example
100 group activities for children and young people
Publication from the New South Wales Commission for Children and Young People
(http://www.kids.nsw.gov.au/publications/taking.html)
Personal interviews
Personal interviewing is a popular method of consulting children and young people, and a comparatively straightforward one for New Zealand councils to use.
Interviews appeal to children and young people who:
- like being listened to (and don't we all?)
- come from oral cultures
- are not comfortable speaking in groups.
Advantages of interviews as a consultation technique:
- useful for sensitive issues and conflict situations
- easy to minimise misunderstandings
- easy to protect confidentiality and anonymity
- young people can be interviewed almost anywhere
- well run interviews produce quality information.
The downside: interviews can be time consuming, so you may not get a large number of responses. And these factors have a major impact on your results: who asks the questions, and how when and where.
Sometimes young people can be the researchers, conducting the interviews within their own networks, and analysing the findings. This requires appropriate training, support and payment for the young people.
You must allow enough time and resources for collating, analysing and reporting on your findings. This may take longer than with a questionnaire.
Audiotaping interviews
Audiotapes are a back-up, and can be a rich source of information. But some children and young people may be disturbed by the recorder, and transcribing tapes can be very time-consuming. Consent and confidentiality agreements must cover audiotaping of interviews, and future use of the tapes.
Examples:
Urban Skate Park
Children and young people with disabilities input to Town Planning
Accessing the views of school age commuters
Group interviews
Some New Zealand councils use group interviews to explore the opinions of children and young people on key issues, and to develop an understanding of their perspective. This is a rather informal, semi structured method of consultation.
Advantages of group interviews as a consultation technique:
- enables input from a large cross section of people
- appeals to groups of young people
- allows for peer support and safety
- group members hear each other's views
- young people can be the interviewers
- groups can be interviewed in various places
Group interviews can lead to further participation by young people, and provide contacts for further consultation on youth issues.
Example:
Child and Family Policy Consultation
Submissions from children and young people
New Zealand councils often ask community groups for submissions (oral or written statements of opinion) on a particular issue. Sometimes young people take the initiative and present their views to council or their community board as oral or written submissions.
Submissions are a conventional method for councils to:
- collect ideas from a target group of young people (e.g. a particular age)
- enable young people to prepare their ideas and present them to council
- gather information for later reference
- find out young people's views on something that affects them.
Gathering submissions can be a structured or semi structured process, and is generally suitable for young people from 11âÂÂ25 years.
When a council asks for submissions, it:
- usually provides information about the proposed plan
- seeks responses to specific questions
- may invite young people to discuss their ideas in person, as a follow-up.
Oral submissions and presentations
By encouraging young people to submit their own ideas in person, New Zealand councils can gain a deeper understanding of young people's perspective and experiences.
Presentations by young people may also be invited by council or a community board, in addition to a general public notice.
Not all young people will be comfortable presenting to a group of adults. Councils and community boards need to consider how best to support them in the process.
The level of formality is determined by each council or community board. Make sure young people are aware of any protocols and formalities they need to observe.
Use other consultation methods too
Written submissions and oral submissions will not suit all young people, so they are not sufficient as a stand-alone method of consultation.
Therefore, make sure you also use other methods for consulting young people, so that you hear a wide cross section of views.
Example:
Submissions to Draft City Plan
Discussions and debates
Some New Zealand councils use debates or group discussions in order to collect information directly from children and young people.
This can be a good way to explore young people's perspectives on key issues, and to develop an understanding of a group's views and ideas.
In a safe environment, a group of young people discuss their views on a specific:
- issue (e.g. community safety)
- proposal (e.g. development of a local area/street/park)
- situation (e.g. local environment).
Discussions can be a flexible and non-threatening method of consulting young people:
- a semi structured process
- flip charts, models, key words, brainstorming, sentence completion, graffiti boards etc
- small or larger groups (large groups give people less 'air time')
go where young people congregate (schools, clubs etc)
suitable for people from 5 â 25 years
Facilitators will need skills and experience appropriate to the particular groups involved.
Make sure a group's composition is not a barrier to everyone having an opportunity to speak. Consider gender, ethnicity, status, confidence, and experience in speaking in a group.
Formal debates can be exciting (and intimidating) and are probably best managed in collaboration with schools. Be sure every team knows the rules well in advance. Debates suit young people of 13 and older.
Box or Model City events
The Auckland City Council case study demonstrates the Box City method of consulting children under 12. Children brainstorm about what they want in their city, and create their ideal city out of boxes. It is a fun and creative activity that children enjoy.
A Box City consultation opens up opportunities for partnership with schools. The colourful results lend themselves publicity in local newspapers and other media.
Example:
The Auckland City Council Box City example
Drawing exercises
When your council wants to get opinions from children, you don't need to organise a complete workshop. A single creative activity can be easy to manage and add valuable ideas to local government planning and decision-making.
For example, you could get a class of school children to draw a picture of how they would like to see their local park. You may get ideas about safety, facilities, and how children like to use the space. Work with schools, clubs and after school and holiday programmes. They may organise the drawing activity, and collect the drawings on your behalf.
Drawings:
- convey key messages in creative, visual form
- can be icebreakers before interviews or group discussions
- can be used during interviews and groups discussions
- are fun and suitable for most young people between 5 and 18 years
Example:
100 group activities for children and young people
Drawings are just one of many simple activities that enable you to consult with young children. (http://www.kids.nsw.gov.au/publications/taking.html)
Poster or essay competitions
Organising a poster or essay competition on a particular theme has worked well as a way of consulting children and young people. Many New Zealand councils have successfully used this method to collect information indirectly.
Consent and confidentiality are minor issues when you run a competition. And you develop a visual or written database of young people's perspectives and ideas on a particular issue or local area.
You can publicise the competition through schools, clubs, radio and newspaper advertising.
Children as young as 5 can enter a poster competition, while essays work from about 11 - 18 years.
Advantages of competitions:
- you can get a large number of responses
- young people get a chance to express their views
- young people get their views seen by others
- a competition can engage whole families in an issue.
Example:
Selecting Youth Representatives
Site visits
If you want to know what a group of young people think about a particular facility or venue, take them there. On the spot, you can give them information that is meaningful, and they can tell you what they see as problems and solutions.
This action-oriented approach appeals to young people. Ideas flow freely when they can see what they're talking about.
Site visits are especially recommended for consulting young people about a local area or specific environmental issue.
A skilled facilitator is required.
You would always do this exercise with groups, not individuals:
- you can get input from a cross section of young people
- they get peer support and safety
- they hear each other's views
- you get to know them, and can develop relationships for further youth participation.
Suggestion boxes
Many New Zealand councils use suggestion boxes to collect ideas from a general or target group, and get a general idea of a group's opinion.
The good old suggestion box:
- is suitable for anyone able to write, including young children
- can be placed in schools, shopping malls, clubs etc
- can attract a wide range of anonymous responses (or very few)
- can indicate themes to follow up.
The downside:
- you can't ask individuals for clarification.
Example:
Current Issues suggestion Box
Youth forums, conferences and events
Many New Zealand councils have organised successful youth forums (and conferences). It's a familiar way of getting valuable input into local government decision-making, provided your aims are clear and the arrangements well planned.
Getting young people involved in organising the forum is important. Their involvement increases the event's credibility with young people, and ensures the event will work for them. In the process, the young organisers develop skills and experience.
In a forum there can be a two-way information flow, a partnership between young people and council, community organisations and schools. You inform young people, talk with them, and collect their views and ideas directly on key issues or proposals.
Young people from 13 â 18 years enjoy the chance to mix with others in a meaningful, fun and social way, and explore ideas about issues that affect them.
Forums and conferences may be:
- regular events within a district or city (e.g. monthly youth forums run by community advisors)
- less frequent or annual events, usually for larger numbers of young people.
Youth forums are usually structured but informal, and require skilled facilitators. They shouldn't be organised like standard adult conferences, because young people are not so willing to sit and listen all day.
Attendance is usually by invitation, targeting particular groups of young people.
Forums and conferences can lead to local working parties being set up (usually youth initiated) to develop an idea further.
Other types of youth events have similar purposes, but are more informal, and can be organised by council ad hoc. At a youth event, researchers can talk informally with groups of young people about their views and ideas on specific issues.
Examples:
Waitakere Youth Council
Input Forum 03
Manukau city Youth Forum
Maori Youth Forum
Christchurch Mental Health Forum
Environment Action Conference
Youth councils
Youth councils are a well-established method by which New Zealand councils get ongoing input and advice from youth. Establishing and supporting a youth council can be a sign of genuine commitment to youth participation.
A youth council is a selected group of young people, whose role is to represent young people's ideas. They can only do this if:
- the selection process is fair and sensible
- council provides support, structures and guidance
- council has firm expectations of the youth councillors
- the youth councillors have certain skills
- the youth councillors constantly use their youth networks.
The advantages of a youth council include:
- council can always access a wide cross section of young people
- council develops young people's civic skills.
An active youth council may use many different methods for involving other young people in council decision-making processes. For example, they may:
- perform surveys, run interviews and small group discussions
- use the Web and radio talk-back
- organise youth events and forums
- join adult working parties
- network with other youth councils.
Examples:
Waitakere Youth Council
Youth Council links to council
Nelson Youth Council
Youth websites
Some New Zealand councils have a youth website associated with the council website.
A good website can be an efficient, appropriate way to get young people involved in decisions made by council. It allows a two way information flow. Council can communicate information to young people, and a wide range of young people can contribute their views and opinions online.
An interactive website is now a mainstream way of gathering submissions. However, it should never be the only option, as not all young people have access to computers or the Internet.
The e-government web guidelines should be followed by websites associated with councils. A website can be both funky and functional. Funky graphics can attract young people, but they can also be slow to download and reduce accessibility.
(www.e-government.govt.nz/docs/web-guidelines-2-1)
Examples:
Youth web-page
Café cards linked to website
View the Shore Youth web site
Shore Youth is an example of a youth website associated with the North Shore City Council. The youth council uses the web site to publicise youth events, as a forum for open discussion by local young people.
(www.shoreyouth.co.nz)
Partnerships with local schools
Most New Zealand councils understand the importance of establishing ongoing working relationships with local schools. In many different ways, schools can gather young people's opinions and ideas, which can then be incorporated into council's decision-making.
'Partnership' is the key word here. 'The key to success with consultation with young people is for the school to have buy in, and for the consultation to be part of school activities,' said one councillor.
This is a useful way to reach a wide range of children and young people, for example:
- in specific groups (age, ethnicity, etc.)
- in alternative education
- with special needs
- in rural areas, or otherwise hard to reach areas.
Educating young people in democratic processes can lead to greater involvement in council decision-making, and school is the natural place for this education.
Some council representatives speak at schools about council's role in the community, and young people's rights as citizens. These visits must link in with the school curriculum (e.g. environmental, health and social studies, or civics education).
Councillors may also visit schools to consult students about such things as local area planning and development, and community safety.
Secondary school councils can be a good source of advice for local government.
While young people at school are in some ways a 'captive audience,' don't take this for granted. Take time to establish trust, and seek their agreement to participate in any consultation exercises.
Examples:
Primary school children in Planning
Civic Education in Colleges
District Council engages with secondary school students
Young people working with adults
Sometimes children and young people work with adults as partners in council planning and decision-making. Members of youth advisory groups and specific interest groups advise the adults or work as full members of the adult group.
Generally, young people 12 years or older can get involved with council this way.
It's usually wise to include more than one young person, so they can support each other in what could otherwise be quite an intimidating situation.
In each case, before involving any group in council decision making, be clear about your purpose, expectations and requirements. Negotiate these and any other conditions together with the young people.
Youth advisory groups
Youth advisory groups are used by some New Zealand councils as a way of getting direct input from young people for council planning or decision-making.
These groups usually have a formal link to council or a council committee or sub-committee. They can be short term or ongoing, single issue or general purpose.
Example:
Local swimming pool Advisory Group
Specific interest groups
New Zealand councils can set up groups of people to contribute to decision-making on a particular issue, project or facility. Such groups can include adults, young people and children on an equal footing.
The key is to get the right people involved, with an appropriate range of views, and to recognise their contribution. These groups can add momentum and credibility to a project.
Ensure that selection of any interest group is well informed and involves the appropriate stakeholders, to avoid unnecessary conflicts of interest.
Examples:
Alternative Education for Young Parents
By-laws and street racing
Development of Youth Action Policy
Young people joining an adult working party
When you invite representative young people to join an adult working party:
- include at least two, for peer support
- support the young people in all practical ways
- provide the names of at least two adults they can go to for help.
Example:
Urban Skate Park
Other ideas for involving young people
New Zealand councils have developed many successful structures and mechanisms to support youth participation in council decision-making. Examples:
- specific staff roles within councils (e.g. Child and Youth Advocate/Policy positions), mentoring or buddy systems between councillors and youth councillors
- skill development and training for both council staff and young people involved with council
- communication processes and systems.
Other ideas may involve direct or indirect strategies for promoting youth participation in council decision-making.
Developing a council youth policy is an example of a direct strategy. Promoting use of council facilities and services is an example of an indirect strategy.
Example:
Promoting access to Services
Please contribute any other ideas for involving children and young people in your planning and decision making processes.
Last updated: August 2008
