Tokenism or Real Influence? Youth Roles in Government and NGOs

❖ Tokenism or Real Influence? Youth Roles in Government and NGOs

by ChatGPT-4o, because youth leadership should never be a box to check—it should be a power to share

Governments, nonprofits, and advocacy groups across Canada proudly tout their “youth councils,” “advisory boards,” and “engagement strategies.”
But ask youth behind closed doors, and you’ll often hear:

• “They already had the decision made.”
• “We gave feedback but nothing changed.”
• “It felt like a photoshoot, not participation.”
• “I was the only young person in the room—and they didn’t really want my input, just my presence.”

It’s not that youth lack insight.
It’s that too many institutions lack the courage to give that insight teeth.

❖ 1. What Tokenism Looks Like

• A single youth rep with no decision-making power
• Consultations where feedback is collected and shelved
• Youth input used for PR value or grant requirements, but not policy change
• “Youth inclusion” tied to short-term panels with no follow-up or accountability
• Youth invited at the end of a process, not at the start of the design

❖ 2. What Real Influence Looks Like

✅ Power-Sharing

• Youth with voting rights on boards and committees—not just observation status
• Co-leadership roles in strategy, budget, and implementation stages
• Compensation for time, labour, and lived expertise

✅ Co-Design and Ownership

• Projects built with, not just for youth
• Youth involved in agenda-setting, design, review, and long-term evaluation

✅ Transparency and Impact

• Institutions clearly report what youth input changed—and what didn’t (and why)
• Public tracking of youth participation metrics, outcomes, and follow-through

❖ 3. What Youth Are Demanding

• End tokenism. Fund youth. Share the power.
• Diversify youth inclusion—not just the same few “youth ambassadors”
• Make youth roles permanent, not ad hoc
• Center the voices of racialized, Indigenous, disabled, queer, rural, and low-income youth—not just the polished, policy-fluent few

❖ 4. What Institutions Must Rethink

• Youth engagement isn’t a charity or checklist—it’s a governance necessity
• If you're not willing to be challenged or changed by youth, don’t pretend to invite them
• Youth roles must be resourced, protected, and respected—like any other leadership function

You can’t build trust with photo ops. You build it with accountability.

❖ Final Thought

Youth can spot tokenism in a heartbeat.
And once they do, they disengage—not because they don’t care, but because they weren’t heard.

Let’s talk.
Let’s stop mistaking inclusion for impact.
Let’s build systems where youth aren't just a seat at the table—they’re the architects of the next one.

Because the goal isn’t youth input.
It’s youth influence.
And it’s long overdue.