The Youth Voice Shouldn’t Be Optional — It Should Be Mandatory
By Anthony Tilghman
BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE—Every town hall, policy hearing, and community roundtable on the future consistently ignores one group: our youth.
We speak about their future, legislate around their needs, and implement policies that will directly shape the trajectory of their lives—but rarely do we fully invite them into the room. And even when we do, it’s often symbolic. A token seat, a moment at the mic, a photo op for the press. That isn’t inclusion. Its performance.
Let’s be clear: the youth voice shouldn’t be optional. It should be mandatory.
Young people aren’t just observing the consequences of today’s decisions—they’re living them. They ride overcrowded and sometimes unsafe school buses. They sit in classrooms impacted by teacher shortages and crumbling infrastructure. They grow up in communities where access to healthy food, affordable housing, and stable internet remains inconsistent. Many witness their families struggling with the rising cost of living, gun violence, and health care disparities. They feel the effects of climate change not in theory, but in their everyday lives—through record heatwaves, flooding, and school closures.
And yet, when it comes to shaping the policies that address these challenges, youth are too often told to “wait their turn,” as if civic responsibility and political voice have an age restriction.
The truth is, young people already have the passion, the clarity, and the power to lead. What they lack is access.
We must stop treating youth engagement as a feel-good checkbox or a public relations gesture. When students organize national walkouts demanding safer schools, when teen activists speak at climate summits or testify before Congress, and when young entrepreneurs launch nonprofits and tech solutions to tackle inequality, they are modeling exactly the kind of leadership we say we want—not someday, but now.
Real Youth Leadership Across the Nation
Across the country, young people are stepping up—and making a measurable impact:
In Chicago, youth involved in the Mikva Challenge have helped shape city budget priorities and criminal justice reform through youth policy councils embedded in government.
In Oakland, student organizers successfully lobbied for the elimination of school police, leading to a reinvestment in student support services and restorative justice programs.
In Florida, the March For Our Lives movement—founded by high school students in the aftermath of the Parkland shooting—has transformed national conversations on gun safety and led to new state and federal legislation.
In Alaska, young Indigenous leaders are pushing for climate justice and land protection, blending traditional knowledge with modern advocacy.
These aren’t fringe examples. These are proof points that when we empower youth with tools, access, and decision-making authority, everyone benefits.
As 17-year-old activist Naila Williams of New York said during a youth policy summit, “We are not the leaders of tomorrow. We are the leaders right now. Tomorrow isn’t promised—but our futures are already being negotiated.”
What the Data Shows
According to the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) at Tufts University:
Communities that actively integrate youth in decision-making—through school boards, advisory councils, or participatory budgeting—see higher civic engagement, better school attendance, and more equitable policy outcomes.
In Takoma Park, Maryland, 16- and 17-year-olds were granted the right to vote in municipal elections, and in the first year, they turned out at twice the turnout rate of older voters.
States and districts that invest in youth leadership programs, like California’s Youth Empowerment Commission or Boston’s Youth Council, report stronger trust between youth and government and increased diversity in leadership pipelines.
These outcomes are not abstract. They are the direct result of institutionalizing youth voice—not just inviting it.
Building a Culture of Youth Power
Imagine every city council, school board, and state legislature with a required youth representative—empowered, trained, and given real voting authority. Imagine town halls held at high schools, not just country clubs. Imagine public budgets co-developed by youth and adult stakeholders. This isn’t a radical vision. It’s what authentic democracy should look like.
Youth engagement must be woven into the structure of our institutions: government, philanthropy, nonprofits, media, and business. That means funding leadership training, creating pathways from classrooms to boardrooms, and ensuring youth can serve on commissions, task forces, and legislative bodies—with pay, mentorship, and real influence.
This also means rethinking how we define expertise. Experience is not just something gained over decades—it’s also lived daily by the 14-year-old facing housing insecurity, or the 19-year-old leading a climate strike, or the 16-year-old navigating mental health care for themselves and their peers. These experiences deserve weight in decision-making rooms.
The Stakes Are Too High to Exclude the Youth Voice
As someone who has worked in education, run after-school programs, and partnered with youth nationwide, I’ve seen firsthand the brilliance and urgency that young people bring when given the space to lead. I’ve also seen how often that brilliance is overlooked because of outdated hierarchies, adultism, or fear of disruption.
But disruption is exactly what we need.
This is not about giving young people a seat at a table we’ve already set. It’s about rebuilding the table with their leadership as part of its foundation.
The issues facing our country—economic inequality, gun violence, climate change, and the erosion of democracy—are too urgent for incrementalism. If we want real, sustainable, forward-thinking solutions, we need to listen to those who will live with the consequences of every decision we make.
Young people are ready. They’ve been ready. The only question is: Are we ready to follow their lead?
It’s time we stop treating youth engagement as a luxury, a side project, or a one-time grant-funded initiative. The youth voice isn’t charity. It’s not extra. It’s a necessity.
Link to the original article: OP-ED The Youth Voice Shouldn’t Be Optional — It Should Be Mandatory – BlackPressUSA