Despite growing global consensus that young people have the right to have their views considered in all matters that affect them, there continues to be challenges translating youth participation principles into ethical and effective practice. This is particularly the case for “seldom heard” young people (Kelleher et al., 2014, p. 1) who are contending with complex life circumstances and stigmatised identities. Brave Foundation is a national not-for-profit organisation dedicated to supporting expecting and parenting young people, the majority of whom struggle with mental health challenges. As an organisation founded, designed, and led by individuals with lived experience of young parenthood, Brave is committed to the ongoing incorporation of young parent voices in organisational decision-making. Brave also recognises that bridging youth participation theory-to-practice gaps requires well-considered organisational infrastructure, including formal mechanisms and supports, that enables a diverse range of young parents’ voices to not only be heard but to have resonance within and beyond the organisation. This presentation will highlight implementation challenges that have plagued the youth participation field over the past three decades and strategies that have been used successfully to address theory-to-practice gaps. The presenters will then provide an overview of Brave’s Model of Participation, a framework that integrates evidence-informed principles from influential youth participation models and contemporary research and outlines the processes through which Brave involves young parents in decision-making at different levels of the organisation. The presenters will also share the strategies and processes they are using in the design and implementation of Brave’s lived experience advisory group to mitigate adultism, a prevalent risk to safe and effective youth participation practice.

Despite growing global consensus that young people have the right to have their views considered in all matters that affect them, there continues to be challenges translating youth participation principles into ethical and effective practice. This is particularly the case for “seldom heard” young people (Kelleher et al., 2014, p. 1) who are contending with complex life circumstances and stigmatised identities. Brave Foundation is a national not-for-profit organisation dedicated to supporting expecting and parenting young people, the majority of whom struggle with mental health challenges. As an organisation founded, designed, and led by individuals with lived experience of young parenthood, Brave is committed to the ongoing incorporation of young parent voices in organisational decision-making. Brave also recognises that bridging youth participation theory-to-practice gaps requires well-considered organisational infrastructure, including formal mechanisms and supports, that enables a diverse range of young parents’ voices to not only be heard but to have resonance within and beyond the organisation. This presentation will highlight implementation challenges that have plagued the youth participation field over the past three decades and strategies that have been used successfully to address theory-to-practice gaps. The presenters will then provide an overview of Brave’s Model of Participation, a framework that integrates evidence-informed principles from influential youth participation models and contemporary research and outlines the processes through which Brave involves young parents in decision-making at different levels of the organisation. The presenters will also share the strategies and processes they are using in the design and implementation of Brave’s lived experience advisory group to mitigate adultism, a prevalent risk to safe and effective youth participation practice.