Is a Youth Advisory Board Right for Your Organization?

Young people bring powerful insight to the table—especially when they’re given real opportunities to shape decisions that impact them. Youth advisory boards (YABs, also called youth advisory councils) can be a great way to embed youth voices into an organization’s strategy, ensuring their perspectives help drive meaningful change.

But a YAB isn’t always the best fit. Sometimes, other engagement methods might be more effective. Before launching a youth advisory board, consider these three questions to determine if it’s the right tool—or if there’s a better way to collaborate with young people.

1. Are you ready to integrate youth input into real decision-making?

A youth advisory board only works if young people’s voices have weight. That means their input isn’t just collected—it’s acted on. Before forming a YAB, ask yourself:

• Why do we need a youth advisory board?
• How will young people’s ideas influence our work?
• What changes are we prepared to make based on their input?

If your mission isn’t focused on youth, but you’re looking for their perspective on a single initiative, a different engagement model might be a better fit.

2. Do you need ongoing collaboration with young people?

Youth advisory boards work best when young people’s input is continuous, helping to refine and improve programs over time. If your organization regularly works with youth in a way that builds on their past contributions, a YAB can streamline participation and ensure stronger, more consistent collaboration.

But if you only need occasional youth input—like a one-time initiative or periodic feedback—a different approach, like focus groups, interviews, or asynchronous engagement, may be more effective and efficient.

3. Will you track progress and show youth how their input makes an impact?

Young people want to know their time and ideas matter. If there’s no plan to follow up, track progress, and show how their contributions shape decisions, participation can feel frustrating or even performative.

What happens when YAB isn't the right tool?

Youth advisory boards can be powerful, but when they’re created without a clear purpose or structure, they can lead to unintended consequences:

🚫 Frustration and disengagement – If youth input isn’t used, participation drops.
🚫 Wasted time and resources – Running a YAB takes effort. If youth feedback isn’t central to your work, those resources could be better spent elsewhere.
🚫 Performative engagement – If young people don’t have real decision-making power, it can feel like a checkbox exercise, eroding trust.
🚫 Limited perspectives – A single board may not reflect the full range of youth experiences, leading to blind spots in decision-making.

Beyond Youth Advisory Boards: Alternative ways to engage young people

A YAB isn’t the only way to center youth perspectives in your work. Depending on your needs, other models may be faster, more flexible, and more scalable. Organizations can use:

• Asynchronous engagements – Gather input from a diverse group without scheduling challenges.
• Focus groups and interviews – Gain deeper insights on specific topics.
• Rapid testing cycles – Experiment, test, and refine ideas with a broad range of young people.

At In Tandem, we help organizations co-design with youth in ways that ensure meaningful, scalable engagement. If you’re looking for the right approach, let’s talk. Learn more here.

Vanessa Zuidema is the Customer Success Director at In Tandem, a nonprofit that makes it easy and safe for organizations to engage with youth and collect authentic feedback on the products and services designed for today’s teens.