Our books include unique handbooks, guides, monographs, reports, and other publications through The Freechild Institute, SoundOut, and CommonAction Consulting. All these titles are available below.
(294 pgs, 2014) Essential lessons, powerful examples and deep insight for newcomers and longtime practitioners. Diving into the meaning, activities and outcomes of youth engagement, it provides slicing analysis and strong tips. $29.95
(190 pgs, 2015) Summarizing a list of downfalls in modern society’s approach to teaching, parenting, and treating children and youth, this book offers new ways adults can stop their negative attitudes and behaviors towards young people. $19.95
(378 pgs, 2012) A collection of twenty-seven lesson plans, a facilitator’s guide, a student handbook and an evaluation guide designed to teach high school students about how they can become partners in changing schools. $99.95
(66 pgs, 2014) With a professional, easy-to-read layout, this short book is packed with useful tips, powerful activities, and great guidance for anyone interested in student voice today! $24.99
(38 pgs, 2013) This is an introduction to youth-driven programming for nonprofits, government agencies, and other youth-serving organizations. The booklet gives a definition and compares approaches, and then provides planning tools, evaluations and assessments, and more. It includes the Ladder of Youth Voice, rubrics for assessing youth-driven programming, and links to examples and resources that readers can explore on their own. $10.99
(54 pages, 2014) A manual highlighting examples, tips, promotional information and resources, as well as steps to implement student involvement. It also provides state-by-state profiles of students on school boards across the United States. $15.00
(60 pgs, 2014) Highlighting a practical framework, important considerations, and real-world examples, this Guide is all about engaging students throughout education. Recommended for anyone interested in student voice, student empowerment, student engagement, or building community in schools. FREE. Contact Us »
8. SoundOut Guide to Students on Canadian School Boards
(30 pgs, 2015). Policies, tips and examples of student trustees, student representatives and student members of school boards across Canada. FREE. Contact Us »
9. Meaningful Student Involvement Deep Assessment
(25 pgs, 2013) A series of open questions are for individuals or groups to study where and how Meaningful Student Involvement occurs in a school or educational organization. Focused on motivation and culture, it features student and adult readiness, relationships, action, rigor and relevance, sustainability, barriers, and action evaluations. FREE. Contact Us »
FREE. (10 pgs, 2010) An intensive, open-ended assessment designed to guide groups through basic, critical and advanced conversations about student engagement in schools. Good for small group or class projects. FREE. Contact Us »
11. Meaningful Student Involvement Planning Guide
(15 pgs, 2010) Key questions providing opportunities for projects, programs and classes to develop and sustain student/adult partnerships. FREE. Contact Us »
12. Guide to Cooperative Games for Social Change
(20 pgs, 2005). An introductory guide for young people, youth workers, teachers, and others interested in making social change engaging and relevant to all participants. FREE. Contact Us »
13. Meaningful Student Involvement Resource Guide
(35 pgs, 2003). This guide provides descriptions and annotations for dozens of publications, toolkits, organizations, and websites that support student voice throughout education. FREE. Contact Us »
14. Meaningful Student Involvement Research Guide
(36 pgs, 2004). This booklet can give advocates a “leg up” in their research needs by illustrating the breadth of research available about engaging student voice throughout education. This Guide highlights 14 research studies and includes a useful listing of research available. FREE. Contact Us »
15. Stories of Meaningful Student Involvement
(40 pgs, 2004). A collection of examples of meaningful student involvement in action in schools. These anecdotes illustrate various approaches to engaging student voice in school by exploring the applications of engaging students throughout education in dozens of diverse schools. FREE. Contact Us »
16. Meaningful Student Involvement: Guide to Students as Partners in School Change
(28 pgs, 2005). Highlighting a practical framework, important considerations, and real-world examples, this Guide is all about engaging students throughout education. Recommended for anyone interested in student voice, student empowerment, student engagement, or building community in schools. FREE. Contact Us »
17. Student Voice and Bullying: A SoundOut Focus Paper
(10 pgs, 2012). This short paper the connections between student voice and bullying, including the roots, the implications, and the outcomes. FREE. Contact Us »
18. Meaningful Student Involvement Deep Assessment
(25 pgs, 2013). A series of open questions are for individuals or groups to study where and how Meaningful Student Involvement occurs in a school or educational organization. Focused on motivation and culture, it features student and adult readiness, relationships, action, rigor and relevance, sustainability, barriers, and action evaluations. FREE. Contact Us »
19. The Freechild Project Youth Action Guide
(52 pgs, 2013). A publication created to promote taking practical actions to change the world. Includes quick, easy reading that can help young people or adults think about how to find what needs to change, create programs to make that change happen, and promote Youth Action throughout their communities. FREE. Contact Us »
20. A Short Introduction to Youth Engagement
(22 pgs, 2013). A short introduction to the broad concept of youth engagement that moves beyond seeing young peoples’ connectedness as something adults cause, and towards acknowledging it as something young people naturally do. Answers the essential questions of what, how, when, and where youth engagement happens. FREE. Contact Us »
21. A Short Introduction to Youth Engagement in the Economy
(81 pgs, 2015) This guide is a collection of essays addressing youth employment, youth entrepreneurship, youth training, youth banking, youth programs, school classes and other activities designed to promote youth engagement in the economy. FREE. Contact Us »
22. A Short Introduction to Youth Rights
(14 pgs, 2014) An easy-to-read booklet highlighting the basics of youth rights for adults and young people. Includes a glossary, resources, and more. FREE. Contact Us »
23. Guide to Students on School Boards
(14 pgs, 2014) A short how-to focused on roles for students on boards of education at the local and state levels. Includes tips, legal info, resources, and more. FREE. Contact Us »
24. A Short Guide to Holistic Youth Development
(28 pgs, 2014). This is the first easy-to-read publication ever written about this vital topic. Youth, youth workers, and others will benefit from reading this powerful, positive approach to working with young people. FREE. Contact Us »
25. The Freechild Project Youth Voice Toolkit
(105 pgs, 2011). Comprised of a series of one- and two-page entries, each tool here identifies practices, practical considerations and critical concepts that are focused on engaging Youth Voice, particularly among historically disengaged young people. FREE. Contact Us »
26. The Freechild Project Youth Engagement Workshop Guide
(71 pgs, 2010). Twenty-four hands-on, interactive workshop outlines that youth and adults can use to teach youth or adults about how to successfully engage young people. Workshops focus on skill-development affecting leadership, voice, and engagement, including workshops on communication, planning, and other topics. FREE. Contact Us »
27. The Freechild Project Youth Engagement Workshop Guide
(74 pgs, 2010). 24 workshop outlines designed to help learning groups explore different aspects of Youth Engagement. All exercises are hands-on, interactive, and focused on practical applications. The workshops are designed for learners of all ages, including youth-only and adult-only groups. There is also a great introduction on how to facilitate youth engagement workshops, as well as detailed directions for leading every workshop. Contact Us »
28. Washington Youth Voice Handbook
(102 pgs, 2007). An introductory guide that lays out what, why, who, when, where, and how youth voice happens in diverse communities across Washington State. The handbook includes a Youth Voice Assessment, the Washington Youth Voice Directory, and a resource section. FREE. Contact Us »
29. The Freechild Project Guide to Social Change Led By and With Young People
(17 pgs, 2007). Centering on the “Cycle of Youth Engagement,” this publication is a summary of the social change issues and actions addressed by and with young people around the world. FREE. Contact Us »
30. Meaningful Student Involvement Idea Guide for Schools
(13 pgs, 2003). A short summary of practical, powerful, and positive ways to engage students as partners throughout the education system. Drawing examples from research and experience, it shares ideas for educators who want to try to meaningfully involve students. FREE. Contact Us »
(40 pgs, 2001). A hands-on guide to youth engagement in social change. Includes sections on motivation, skill-building, issue awareness, action planning, and resources. FREE. Contact Us »
Freechild Institute for Youth Engagement 