Consultation for Youth Groups : Tips for Better Decision-Making

How to Reach Consensus Making decisions in a group is often challenging. All too often the more dominating members tend to impose their ideas, or the discussion bogs down and no decision is made. The practice of consultation provides a solution to this dilemma, by focusing on the decision-making process as a joint search for truth, in which each person’s perceptions and ideas contribute to a fuller understanding of the reality of a given situation, and consequently to better decisions. The practice of consultation is based on certain guidelines that encourage all participants to share what their conscience dictates, while respecting the ideas of others, no matter how different these may be from their own. Furthermore, each participant in consultation is encouraged to develop personal qualities, such as purity of intention, patience and a spirit of service, which foment a spirit of unity in the group. Although persons from all age groups benefit from the practice of consultation, the earlier it is learned the better. For that purpose, this book focuses on youth, including numerous stories with which they can identify. The concepts are explained in language, which is easy to understand and discussion questions, or brief activities, are provided after each section to aid in assimilating the contents. Youth, junior youth, and all who work with groups of junior high or high school youth will find this book helpful, enjoyable and immensely beneficial