YTHM's provide youth and adults ways to communicate, work, and act together on issues they care about or that have affected them. To plan a YTHM, bring together a committee of youth and adults who represent local businesses, nonprofit organizations, government, and media. Select a suitable meeting place such as a school gymnasium, local auditorium, or State House. Create publicity fliers. Develop press releases for the media and information packets for the audience.
Compile resource lists for followup action.
A youth or adult experienced in facilitating discussions serves as a YTHM moderator and can either ask the panelists questions to which they respond or let each panelist speak briefly on the chosen topic. Community members can meet after the YTHM to agree on further action. For example, a coalition of youth and adults planned a YTHM with members of the Indiana State Legislature to discuss youth positions on school boards. On Capitol Hill, participants in a YTHM asked Members of Congress to consider opinions from youth when making decisions about juvenile violence issues. By encouraging collaboration with policymakers, YTHM's offer youth an active role in civic life while helping policymakers to make better informed decisions.