Understanding youth participation in public policy: Insights from applying the CLEAR framework

Background Currently, insight into factors that encourage or hinder youth participation in public policy is limited. This study explores whether the dimensions of an influential theoretical framework (CLEAR) are applicable to youth participation. It also examines how these dimensions are currently addressed to organize youth participation (12–30 years) in public policy.Methods The study is based on qualitative data, conducted in the Netherlands. Thematic coding was used to analyze interviews with thirty-five representatives of organizations involved in youth participation (n=16) and public officials at the municipality of Rotterdam (n=19).Results Respondents’ experiences with youth participation in public policy relate to the five dimensions of the CLEAR framework: “Can do”, “Like to”, “Enabled to”, “Asked to”, and “Responded to”. Diverse strategies are used to address each dimension. Based on respondents’ experiences, we identified two guiding principles: 1) involving young people to (co-)decide from the start, and 2) adopting a tailor-made approach.Conclusion Our findings show that the CLEAR framework can be meaningfully applied to youth participation. Co-creating tailored strategies to address the five dimensions fosters meaningful youth participation in public policy.