Youth participation in public policy at the municipal level

Young people should participate in public policy at the municipal level. But because mass media, social science, and professional practice tend to emphasize the deficiencies and disengagement of young people, there is need for more knowledge of their resources and roles as active participants in the policy process. This paper examines the San Francisco Youth Commission as an example of youth participation, including its origins, objectives, activities, facilitating and limiting forces, multilevel effects, and lessons learned from empirically-based practice. The authors-a university professor, commission director, and youth leader-argue that more knowledge of youth participation as a subject of study will contribute to its growth as a field of practice.