As a parent, teacher, or mentor, you have an incredible opportunity to shape the lives of young people and help them develop into responsible adults. However, finding meaningful activities for teenagers can be challenging.
Let’s explore how to engage teens in activities that will spark change and empower them to make a difference in themselves and their communities.
Youth empowerment
Empowerment can be defined as giving someone the power or authority to do something. In the context of youth empowerment, this means giving young people the ability to make decisions and the tools and skills to take action to create positive change in their lives.
The surest way to achieve this is by ensuring they know they are being heard and seen and that their opinions matter.
Benefits of youth empowerment activities
- These youth empowerment activities can help teens learn more about themselves and the world around them.
- They can also build confidence, foster teamwork skills, and teach responsibility.
- Youth empowerment activities help teens feel more connected to their community and have a positive impact on society.
- By participating in these activities, teens can learn about social issues and how they can make a difference.
- They can also develop leadership skills and learn how to work with others toward a common goal.
Ultimately, these experiences can help prepare teens for success in adulthood.
Tips for youth empowerment strategies
Encourage teens to express themselves.
One of the best ways to engage and empower teens is to encourage them to express themselves. This can be done through writing, art, music, or even talking.
Give them a chance to lead.
Another great way to engage and empower teens is to give them a chance to lead. This can be done by letting them help plan activities, giving them responsibilities within the group, or letting them take the lead on a project.
Help them find their voice.
It’s important that teens feel like they have a say in what’s going on around them. You can help them find their voice by facilitating discussions, letting them know that their opinion matters, and helping them understand how they can make a difference.
Encourage positive risk-taking.
Teens often feel like they must follow the crowd or conform to what’s popular. But it’s important to encourage positive risk-taking, which empowers teens to be themselves and make their own choices.
Support their dreams and goals.
Finally, one of the best ways to engage and empower teens is to support their dreams and goals. This means listening to what they want to achieve, actually hearing them, and helping them devise a plan to make it happen.
Tips for empowering youth through activities
- Start with a positive outlook and be encouraging.
- Help them find their passion and get excited about it.
- Advocate for and support their dreams and goals.
- Encourage them to take risks and step out of their comfort zone.
- Be a role model by living your own life with purpose and meaning.
- Help them build resilience in the face of setbacks or challenges.
- Teach them how to manage their emotions constructively.
- Encourage them to think for themselves and make their own decisions.
- Promote service above self – helping others is empowering!
Here are some great youth empowerment activities to get started
Have teens create a vision board for their future. This activity helps them think about what they want to achieve and sets them on a path to making it happen.
Help teens start a youth-led initiative or project in your community. This could be simple: starting a recycling program at their school or organizing a food drive for the local food bank.
Connect teens with successful adults who can serve as mentors. Teens can learn so much from hearing about other people’s successes and how they overcame obstacles to get where they are today.
Encourage teens to express themselves through creativity. Whether it’s writing, painting, or photography, creative expression can help teens tap into their inner strength and power.
Hold workshops on important topics like financial literacy, college readiness, self-empowerment, or healthy relationships. These workshops equip teens with the tools they need to succeed in life. The LEVEL UP program is a perfect fit!
What is LEVEL UP?
LEVEL UP is a youth program focused on empowering teens by educating them about the power and control they actually have in their lives.
The program instills skills and tools that give them control over their thoughts, words, beliefs, and actions so that they can ultimately own their destiny.
LEVEL UP also focuses on training them to control their state of mind or the ability to change the way they feel.
In times of depression, anxiety, stress, and even thoughts of suicide, managing our state of mind is paramount.
From the science of how your mind and body work to that of a conscious creator aided by unleashed imagination, the LEVEL UP journey leads you to more freedom, forward movement, more choice, empowerment, and conscious and deliberate creation.
