Complex connections : meaningful youth participation for mental health promotion

This paper explores the role of youth participation for the promotion of mental health and wellbeing, considering the benefits and challenges of participation for young people, services and organisational culture. Youth participation strategies can promote strengths-based approaches and more inclusive and respectful communities for young people. Yet, while there has been a substantial increase in participation initiatives, there is limited evidence of the effects of youth participation on individual mental health or on the organisations and communities in which they are involved. This paper presents the findings from an evaluation of the experience and impact of youth participation in a non-profit youth mental health organisation, the Inspire Foundation. It considers the complex relationships between individual, service and organisational domains of participation and the associated benefits and challenges.