ABSTRACT
Young people should participate in educational reform, because their partici-pation provides a legitimate source of information and ideas for making policy, planning, and program decisions. It prepares youth to exercise their political rights and to participate actively in a democratic society. It strengthens their social development, by increasing their individual involvement, organizational capacity, and ability to create community change (Hart, 1997;Johnson et al., 1998; Youniss & Yates, 1997).
