What if..? Manual for youth participation facilitators

Creative guide for youth participation facilitators (10–14 years) using design to explore and solve social issues.

This resource helps teachers, youth workers, and coaches support children and adolescents (10–14 years) in tackling complex social challenges through creativity and co-design. The method combines social reflection with hands-on design thinking: participants choose a relevant theme (e.g., poverty, climate, inequality), research real experiences, brainstorm imaginative solutions, prototype them, and present their results. It strengthens teamwork, critical and creative thinking, empathy, and self-efficacy. Structured in five steps, the process turns feelings of powerlessness into agency, showing young people that their ideas can make a difference in community life.

Source: Delft Institute of Positive Design
Language: Dutch

Author: Niko Vegt & Pieter Desmet

Year of publication: 2025