Analysis: Participation - Are young people involved yet?

"Listening should lead to change. There is plenty of participation activity, but too little focus on ensuring it makes a real difference, which can make it appear tokenistic."

These idealistic words feature in the introduction to Learning to Listen, a report published in 2001 outlining how the Government intended to get more young people involved in the planning and delivery of public services.

The intentions seemed admirable, but in the three years since Learning to Listen was published, what real change has there been?

The mood of idealism continued in 2002 with the publication of the first action plans outlining how staff and ministers would engage with young people over the next year. The following year there was a further round of plans, along with ministerial visits to schools and young people's consultation events.