This section will take you through different aspects of designing your youth program. You will consider five key participatory design qualities, dream (more) about the program you want to offer, and start to plan out the main themes and curriculum for your program.

In our work at the Tkaronto CIRCLE Lab, we take a participatory approach to programming and research. We are not just inviting young people to do activities; they have a say over what we do together. Decision-making is a form of participation where young people have real say over the direction a project takes. Participation through decision-making can also deepen over time, with the beginning of the program being more facilitator-initiated.

When thinking about what defines participatory programming, we turn to Carrie Tzou, Rekha Kuver, Amy Twito, and Ashley Braun, who describe five key qualities to consider while designing a participatory program: Everyone Holds Knowledge; Trust takes Time; Clear the Way; We’re in this Together; and There’s More than One Way.

1. Everyone Holds Knowledge: Centering Strengths

What it looks like in a program:

• Avoid prioritizing certain forms of engagement

• Provide moments of authentic choice in project work

• Infuse storytelling as a practice in the program 

• Value expertise in all its forms 

2. Trust Takes Time: Committing to Relationship-Building

What it looks like in a program:

• Include unstructured time in the program

• Offer multi-session programs

3. Clear the Way: Making It Possible to Show Up

What it looks like in a program:

• Offer programs in convenient locations

• Provide meals or snacks, childcare, translation, or other barrier-reducers

• Scaffold modes of participation for varying ages, abilities, interests, etc

4. We’re in this Together: Developing Mutual Responsibility

What it looks like in a program:

• Model your own learning

• Facilitate skill-sharing between participants

• Ask: How do we learn together?

• Establish group norms

5. There’s More than One Way: Embracing Fluid Roles

What it looks like in a program:

• Reflect on identities and skills in development

• Think through how role fluidity can emerge

• Maintain porous roles from a place of trust and understanding

• Customize support levels and styles

From Learning from Each Other: Intergenerational Learning with Storytelling and STEM by Ashley Braun, Amy Twito, Rekha Kuver, and Carrie Tzou.