Many organisations genuinely want to empower young people, yet day-to-day reality can look very different: youth are invited to consultations, asked to “represent” their peers, or included in public-facing moments, while real decisions still happen elsewhere. The problem is rarely bad intention. More often, it is organisational habit unclear roles, informal hierarchies, and routines that quietly keep power in adult hands.
That is exactly why we created Decoding Influence: The Participation Simulator: a digital assessment tool that helps you audit your organisational culture and understand how youth participation actually functions in practice not just in your mission statement.
From abstract values to observable practice
The simulator is built around a simple idea: participation becomes meaningful only when it can be observed through concrete behaviours who initiates, who decides, who has access to information, and who can challenge decisions without consequences. Inside the tool, users engage with a sequence of scenarios designed to reflect real organisational moments, from planning activities to making strategic decisions. The simulator is structured as 15 scenarios, allowing organisations to test consistency across multiple situations rather than relying on one-off examples.
Real-time benchmarking using Hart’s Ladder
To translate reflection into a clear benchmark, the simulator maps results against the 8 levels of Hart’s Ladder of Participation from non-participation (manipulation, decoration, tokenism) toward shared decision-making and youth-led governance.
Hart’s model is widely used because it offers a shared language for discussing participation without pretending that “inclusion” automatically equals influence. It also reminds us that the goal is not to perform participation, but to create conditions where young people understand the process, have real roles, and can shape outcomes.
Identifying tokenism before it stalls your mission
One of the most valuable outcomes of the simulator is that it helps organisations identify tokenism early especially the subtle forms that feel positive on the surface. Tokenism is not only about having “a youth representative.” It shows up when youth voices are welcomed but not acted on, when decisions are presented as final, or when young people are visible in communication but absent from governance.
The simulator is designed to surface these patterns by highlighting hidden power imbalances and the gap between consultation and co-decision. In other words, it helps you see where participation becomes “decorative” and where it becomes transformative.
Actionable growth, not just a score
Assessment is only useful if it leads to change. That’s why the simulator does not stop at reflection. When users complete the experience, the tool generates an Organisation Profile, an Inclusion Index, and most importantly five tailored recommendations to help your team move upward on the ladder with realistic next steps.
These recommendations are intended to support practical organisational shifts, such as clarifying decision-making rules, redesigning meeting structures, improving transparency, and ensuring youth have real influence over agendas, budgets, and accountability mechanisms. Instead of pushing organisations to “jump to the top,” the tool supports incremental, sustainable change that can be repeated and measured over time—because participation is not a one-time event, but a governance practice.
A learning experience your whole team can use
The simulator is designed for youth organisations, NGOs, project teams, schools, and any initiative that claims youth participation as part of its mission. It can be used individually, but it is most powerful when used as a shared reflection tool—completed by staff, volunteers, and young people, then compared and discussed openly.
To support learning and accountability, the simulator also allows users to download a certificate after completion, which can be used as evidence of internal development, team training, or organisational self-assessment.
Why this matters now
Across Europe, “youth participation” is increasingly visible yet visibility without influence creates frustration, mistrust, and disengagement. When young people notice that participation is symbolic, organisations lose credibility, and youth leadership becomes harder to build. On the other hand, when organisations share power in structured, transparent ways, participation becomes a source of innovation, legitimacy, and stronger community outcomes.
Decoding Influence was developed within the wider Beyond Tokenism initiative, which focuses on challenging tokenism and supporting meaningful inclusion in youth organisations through practical digital tools and learning resources.
Try the simulator and see where you stand
If your organisation is serious about youth empowerment, the most honest next step is to measure what is currently happening and decide what you are ready to change. The Participation Simulator offers a clear starting point: benchmark your practice, identify where power gets stuck, and receive concrete guidance to move toward authentic youth-led governance.