Towards a rights-based approach to youth programs: Duty-bearers' perspectives

•We apply a rights-based approach to examine duty-bearers' views on youth programs.•Universality, equality involved advocacy and being abreast of ethnocultural diversity•Duty-bearers held divergent views on the meaning of participation.•Collaboration and accountability called for increased sharing among duty-bearers.•Supporting duty-bearers with capacity-building will further a rights-based approach.

This study applies a rights-based approach (RBA) to examine a municipal youth program in Montreal, Canada, from duty-bearers' perspectives — staff working in either municipal governments or youth organizations. Considering the complexities of actualizing the four dimensions of an RBA, we assess progress and ways of moving toward actualization. While embracing universality and equality, duty-bearers identified the challenge to mobilize youth and to respond to the changing ethnocultural diversity. Collaboration between local actors was considered most effective, although it required working through conflicting viewpoints. Accountability called for stronger relationships and sharing among duty-bearers across the city. Youth participation was most difficult because there was no consensus on its meaning or importance. Furthering an RBA requires supporting state and non-state actors by building capacity in multilevel skills, critical thinking, and broader approaches to assessment.