15 Actions To Support 15-Year-Olds (& Teens In General)

I'm in Minneapolis for the first advisory board meeting of Best Buy's @15 initiative. I have been asked to join many advisory boards over the past couple of years, but have chosen to only work with New Moon Girls because I have known the founder, Nancy Gruver for many years and worked closely with her when I began my career at Teen Voices. It's funny, New Moon has its roots in Minnesota as well (Duluth!). I decided to accept Best Buy's invitation because I felt like a pro-social initiative driven by such a successful teen-friendly brand could have an enormous impact. I have also been impressed with their holistic approach to improving the lives of teenagers — instead of focusing on just one specific issue, they want to focus on the person, i.e. the teenager. Today Best Buy released some research to validate its approach (download the entire report – .pdf). Here are the highlights from the press release:

Teen Voice 2009 explores three interlocking concepts:

1. "Sparks" are individual talents, passions or gifts teens say give them energy and motivation to do well in life;

2. the Teen Voice Index (TVI) measures how much teens think their voices are heard on key issues that matter to them; and

3. the Relationship and Opportunities Index (ROI) tracks the access teens say they have to high-quality resources and relationships that help them nurture their strengths.

Teens that score high on all three of these concepts are more likely to have a sense of purpose and
hope for their individual futures, than those who don’t. Based on these three concepts, the Teen Voice
2009 survey found that:

- Although 66 percent of teens are able to identify at least one spark, less than half get support for their sparks beyond their families;

- Only 18 percent of teens are actively engaged in social issues, indicating significant opportunities to help young people find their voice and contribute to their communities; and

- Teens with high ROI scores (only 12 percent of those surveyed) are three times as likely as those with low scores to have a sense of hopeful purpose, express caring values, be actively engaged in school and take on leadership roles.

I'll have more thoughts on the research and how Best Buy plans to address these issues after today, but in the meantime, I thought I would reprint their 15 actions we can all take to support 15-year-olds — I actually think that if marketers used these same actions or principals to guide their campaigns, they would be much more effective and could actually enrich the lives of teenagers in the process:

1) Ask teens about things that matter to them. Ask them about their spark and why it energizes them. Ask them for their perspectives on issues in your community, the nation, and the world. Listen to their thoughts before offering your perspective.

2) Give them time, if they haven't yet identified their sparks or issues they care deeply about. It may be okay that they are still exploring many options and interests. Be patient, while also helping them be intentional and reflective about who they are.

3) Introduce them to others who share their spark or commitments. If they are deeply concerned about the water quality in the local river, introduce them to someone you know with influence or expertise. If they love to play the saxophone, introduce them to a friend in a jazz band.

4) Believe in them, even when they may not believe in themselves. Expect a lot of them, knowing that they will usually rise to the occasion — particularly with the right support and encouragement.

5) Help them figure out the next little step for moving forward. They may not know what to do next to voice their concerns, nurture their spark, or find an after-school opportunity that they would really enjoy. Help them think through the options and figure out what their next step can be.

6) Challenge negative perceptions when you hear them. Adults (and other teens) may belittle a young person's interests or concerns as impractical or trivial. Teens need allies to stand up for them.

7) Link them with people of multiple generations. Teens may seem to only want to be with friends their own age (and sometimes they do). But they also can appreciate a broader web of relationships, both with younger children (sharing their spark with the little ones) as well as with older adults (who may have lots of experience in their area of spark).

8) Focus on sparks and youth voice in youth programs. Encourage participating youth to share their gifts, talents, passions, and interests, then decide together how these can be integrated into programming. Equip adult leaders and volunteers to focus on building relationships with all of the youth who participate.

9) Address sparks and give teens a voice in schools. Encourage young people to do projects related to their sparks and interests. Tap their creativity, gifts, leadership, and commitments to strengthen the school and enrich its climate, knowing that young people who are actively pursuing their sparks and who feel they have a voice in their school are more likely to be engaged and do well academically.

10) Find out what gets in their way when they're stuck. Listen and help them figure out ways around the problem. If needed, connect them with other people who may also be able to help them move forward.

11) Don't impose your ideas on them. They may be on a different path than you might
have expected — or hoped for. Listen to them and ask them questions. And avoid speaking in critical or unsupportive ways that discourage them from pursuing legitimate interests or concerns.

12) Tap them as volunteers and leaders in the community. Recognize the ways they can contribute now. Particularly try to find opportunities to engage them as leaders and contributors that tap their interests, concerns, and skills. They’ll do a better job, be more invested, and grow more in the process.

13) Introduce them to new interests and issues. Expanding their horizons is an important part of helping them be well-rounded. And having multiple talents and interests is better than having one.

14) At the same time, help them prioritize and focus. Sometimes they can get caught
up in trying so many things or tackling so many issues that they get overwhelmed or discouraged. Learning to make choices and focus is an important life skill.

15) Support them every step of the way. Cultivating sparks and finding one's voice can lead in unexpected directions. As you build your relationship with teens, encourage them as they grow and develop, celebrating the successes and fulfillment that come as they find their own voice and passions on their journey into adulthood.

P.S. Check out the @15 playlist on YouTube as well.

Categorized under: Youth Media

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