Youth civic engagement leads to reduced risky behavior, increased success in school and leads to greater civic participation later in life. However, youth today are less likely than those in earlier generations to exhibit many important characteristics of citizenship. State policymakers across the country are working to engage youth in positive opportunities for civic participation, which is important for healthy youth development and for the health and performance of democracy.
Successful youth engagement strategies require that youth have genuine and meaningful opportunities to work with each other and with policymakers to impact issues of importance. Click here to read the full report.