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Research has demonstrated positive individual and community benefits from youth civic engagement. But not all youth have access to opportunities for engagement. Race and class have been identified as key factors that can influence opportunities. Other factors may also contribute to disproportionality in this important realm. System-involvement, for example, is an important factor requiring focused attention. This paper contributes to the research on youth civic engagement by examining opportunities and barriers for system-involved youth. An intersectional lens is used to highlight youths' system-involvement as a key variable and offers suggested strategies for better supporting the civic engagement of these youth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Youth involvement in community decision-making is considered a core principle of both youth advocacy and progressive governance. Yet, in many communities formal roles for youth remain limited. This paper presents data from a youth-led participatory budgeting process in Boston, Massachusetts (US). The City of Boston has institutionalized a formal process through which numerous youth can contribute ideas and vote on capital projects to receive city funding. A smaller group of youth are engaged in even greater depth. They are trained and work to facilitate submission of ideas, turn ideas into proposals, and encourage youth voting. We use data to identify concerns expressed by youth, their ideas for solutions, and the movement from ideas to funded projects. Implications for further development of participatory budgeting as a mechanism for youth civic engagement are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]