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Angela S. Bushati
can be very relative when it comes to notions of maturity and responsibility. There are a
lot of individuals that achieve maturity before the prescribed age, as there are also adults
who do not fulfill the requirements of adulthood. There are often blurred lines between
youth and adulthood which often cause frustration among youngsters, since their opin-
ions are taken less under consideration than those of adults. The relation between young
people and adults is framed with age segregation which “is extensive enough to de-
prive youth and adults to effective contact with another, yet not complete enough so that
the young are required to establish institutions and activities to serve their own needs”
(Coleman, 1974: 6). Children as well face the same age-segregation as youth. Lansdown
(2001: V) argues that children have not been considered seriously and their voices have
not been heard enough when thinking how society is organised or in the inter-personal
relationships. What can be in general evidenced, especially in school environments, is
this lack of consideration towards participation which is superficially understood.
The importance of youth participation for the development of communities and cities in
general is much underestimated or ignored. Young people have the capacity to change
their realities and exercise agency within their habitats and surroundings. Youth is en-
capsulated by a certain “elan” which often adults lack of and it is precisely this feature,
making youth capable of changing things. They can be very zealous, enthusiastic and full
of motivation to accomplish something that could be improving the society. Participat-
ing in substantial community matters and taking part in the process of problem solving
helps young people develop better strategies and develop their critical thinking abilities.
Incorporating participatory structures inside the educational environments is necessary,
but these structures need to be present also outside the school walls, where young peo-
ple can get to interact and get experienced in real life settings. Such settings can be
community centers, sports centers, cinemas, libraries as well as other environments that
encourage cooperation among youth. In addition, youth participation also contributes to
well-being and as also argued by Park (2004: 26), the importance of positive well-being
for mental health has long been recognised and it is related to healthy youth develop-
ment. Strengthening youth participation means empowering the community where they
live. The school needs to act as a sort of “agent” for the young people in favor of their
interests and connecting them with other structures of the community.
Furthermore, the time accorded in schools for studying and learning needs to be bal-
anced also with time that young people have the possibility to dedicate ideas and efforts
to make their realities better for themselves, as well as for other members of their com-
munities. There can be evidenced that with the emergence of youth organisations, as well
as the empowerment of youth voices, an important shift occurs especially in the direction
of young people constructing their own identities and experiences.
