Student Engagement

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What is Student Engagement?

Student engagement or “youth participation” as defined by the McCreary Centre Society:

“Meaningful youth participation involves recognizing and nurturing the strengths, interests, and abilities of young people through the provision of real opportunities for youth to become involved in decisions that affect them at individual and systemic levels.”

Youth engagement as defined by the Centre of Excellence for Children’s Well Being:

"Youth engagement is the meaningful participation and sustained involvement of a young person in an activity, with a focus outside of him or herself.”

The McCreary Centre Society has conducted community research in BC around youth health issues. It highlights features and challenges of youth involvement:

Features of successful youth participation include:

• respect (a non-judgmental, inclusive and inviting environment)
• skills and tools (there is something for the young people involved to gain)
• models that work (have a vision, but be flexible to change)
• things to do (tasks)
• variety of expression (interesting and engaging)
• support

Challenges of youth participation include:

• tokenism (youth do not have ownership/buy-in)
• age definition (who is a youth?)
• lack of support (finances, monitoring, resources)
• turnover and fluctuating membership
• poor representation (lack of diversity of age, sex, abilities)
• shortage of meaningful opportunities

Why Engage Students in Neighbourhood Learning Centres?

BC schools and districts are working to personalize learning for their students. NLCs are a vehicle to assist schools and districts to bring services and programs to schools that support student achievement, student health and student well being.

Students, usually those at the secondary school level, can bring their unique knowledge, ideas and perspective to school and district discussions about NLCs by sharing how they see their schools being used beyond the school day.

Student engagement in the NLC development process creates opportunities for student involvement, social responsibility and leadership. Examples of just a few student- and youth-focused programs and services that can occur in an NLC include:

• mentorship programs
• leadership development
• employment centres
• youth drop-in centres
• secondary school transition opportunities           

Tips for Working Effectively with Students

• Students seek engagement based on the common principles of:
• transparency
• authentic involvement
• respect
• mutual reciprocity
• leadership development
• inclusiveness (ACEbc)
Ensure they understand why, how and for what purpose their input is being used.

• Student involvement that is perceived as ‘tokenism’ is not acceptable to most students. They seek opportunities to provide insight and influence in decision making and to have meaningful involvement and learning.
• Technology is a very strong means to engage students today. Students are more comfortable with mediums such as Facebook, Twitter, blogs and instant messaging to communicate over face-to-face dialogue. Photo Voice is another effective tool often used by students. Inquiring into your student’s preferred modes of communication can be a strong start to beginning discussions. 
• The type of involvement students engage in within a NLC will be determined, in part, by the type or model the student’s NLC best resembles. For example, within a Community School NLC model, students may be involved in the visioning, planning, implementation and evaluation of programs, especially those relevant to themselves. For more, refer to the description of NLC Models.
• Solicit input from students representing the cultural diversity of your community (i.e., First Nations, Asian, Punjabi). Their perspectives will reflect family values that are unique to their community.
• Student perspectives can change dramatically over time. Be sure to solicit their input on a regular basis.
• Engaging ‘at risk’ students can be challenging but often successful when the student is partnered with an ‘adult ally’ such as a counsellor or youth worker for support.
• Students may not be comfortable in a formal meeting setting where a variety of stakeholders are represented. Youth are generally more comfortable and more used to speaking openly within a peer group. They are used to sharing their opinions on online forums, blogs, message boards and product reviews. 
• Youth today tend to be collaborative rather than competitive, preferring a relationship based more on dynamic approaches to working together. 
• There is a vast array of youth organizations and associations that youth are involved in (i.e., leadership, philanthropy and community service groups). Consider inquiring into youth groups that are organized in your school or community.