"Youth mainstreaming" is a deliberate movement to increase the awareness and participation of young people throughout society. It's a term I've run across in European youth literature, and one of several terms UNESCO uses that aren't popular in the U.S. Youth mainstreaming seems to be an emerging idea whose time is coming. There is a fairly sophisticated body of work out there that we can learn from...



I think that the concept of youth mainstreaming could provide an important model for considering all the places and people throughout society who could benefit from active youth engagement. When I consider these places, I'm thinking about home, school, business, government, nonprofit organizations, places of worship, etc.  Even within these institutions we can use the concept of youth mainstreaming to guide conversations deeper. The people who can benefit from considering youth mainstreaming include elected officials, teachers, youth workers, parents, ministers, etc., and of course, young people themselves.



As I revisit the language of youth engagement, I'm concerned by the apparent lack of sophistication many American youth programs have when they're considering this work. That's why we should think about youth mainstreaming a little more.