Young people and dance4life: Reflections on meaningful and sustainable participation

The Royal Tropical Institute did research in 2011 to assess the impact of schoolbased dance4life programmes on young people in Uganda and Russia. This article discusses the concept of meaningful participation using findings from the study. What does this concept mean and which models exist to analyse the different aspects of participation? It is concluded that participation not only becomes meaningful if young people are actively involved and have a voice, but also when it is sustainable and valued by the young people.