Youth Voice Isn’t Just Valuable—It’s Vital

At Hello Insight, we believe the most powerful insights come directly from young people.

While traditional evaluations often rely on adult observations, we know that youth themselves offer the clearest, most honest perspective on how programs are supporting—or missing—what they need to grow. That’s why we center youth voice in everything we do, from the way we build our tools to how we interpret and make meaning of data.

Our surveys gather direct feedback from young people, capturing their lived experiences and comparing them to research-based Positive Youth Development (PYD) practices that drive thriving. This approach grounds our data in reality—not assumption—and elevates what truly matters: the quality of relationships, belonging, and meaningful engagement.

And the data is clear: what adults say they’re doing has little predictive power when it comes to youth growth. But what young people say they experience? That’s where the real story lives.

In fact, our research shows that youth-reported experiences are among the strongest predictors of growth in key life skills—more powerful than dosage, activity type, or demographic factors. One finding stands above the rest: strong, supportive relationships with adults and peers are the single most important driver of positive outcomes. Youth who report these kinds of relationships show twice the growth compared to those who don’t.

We all know the power of a trusted adult—a teacher, a coach, a counselor—who sees us, listens deeply, and creates a space where we belong. That’s the kind of transformation we aim to foster.

And it all starts by listening

Young Staff, Leading the Way

Right now, we’re putting this belief into action in a new and exciting way. We’re developing a tool to assess how young staff—ages 18 and 25—grow essential capacities for thriving through their roles as leaders in youth programs.

This tool has three key goals:

1. To assess the extent to which young staff develop thriving capacities through their employment.
2. To evaluate the research-based experiences they have in Positive Youth Development programs.
3. To determine which of those experiences best support their growth.

And here’s what makes this initiative different: five young staff members from across the country have joined our team as researchers. They’ve been leading the charge—designing the measure, shaping the questions, and making meaning of the findings alongside their peers.

Because who better to understand what it’s like to grow as a young professional than those doing it?

Their insights are shaping a tool that doesn’t just study young staff—it reflects their voices, priorities, and real-world experiences in the workplace.

Redefining What It Means to Use Data

Listening to youth isn’t just about gathering their feedback—it’s about involving them in how we interpret and act on their data. This process is sometimes called participatory meaning making, and it’s at the heart of how we ensure our work stays grounded in young people’s realities.

In 2022, we partnered with six young people who had previously been involved in one of our participatory meaning-making projects to co-create a guide:

We Know Us: A Guide to Participatory Meaning Making with Young People.

This resource was designed to help adult researchers and practitioners become stronger allies in research for, by, and about youth. It outlines:

• Why youth-led meaning making is essential.
• The kinds of outcomes it yields.
• The roles and responsibilities of everyone involved.
• Critical tips for success—like setting the foundation, building trust, and supporting technical skill development.

Check out We Know Us: A Guide to Participatory Meaning Making with Young People to explore how youth can be true partners in research and evaluation that directly affects their lives.

This Is What We Mean When We Say “Youth Voice”

Whether we’re building a survey, making sense of data, or helping organizations learn from their impact, youth voice is at the center.

Because youth voice isn’t just a principle—it’s a practice.

It shows up in how we design.
In how we analyze.
In how we decide what matters.

At Hello Insight, we don’t just believe in listening to youth.

We believe in working alongside them.Because their voice isn’t just valuable. It’s vital.