8: The Impact and Importance of Adults

No matter which way you look at the landscape of youth leadership development, adults are a part of it. The impact of adult roles, influences, and expectations on youth leadership development programs shows up in almost every way. This ranges from access to resources to access to the program itself. In this study, this realization influenced every discussion about youth leadership programs and the experiences of the participants. I learned that just because a young person had a positive experience in a program doesn't mean they didn't have negative interactions with adults. Similarly, not liking a program doesn't mean they didn't have meaningful experiences with the adults involved. Unfortunately, understanding the impact is more complicated than “good program = good adults” and “bad programs = bad adults.” When students had negative interactions with adults, it contributed to their impressions of leadership and youth leadership development. Too often, they saw adults as controlling the environment and using youth as a means to meet institutional and personal goals. Even if students had negative interactions with adults in youth leadership programs, they still wanted to involve adults in the development process, viewing them as essential for gaining support and access to important institutions.