This paper conceptualizes the specific roles that adults provide and the complex interactions between youth and adults that emerge within youth participation efforts.

In particular, drawing on experiences with a multi-year youth participation in community organization project to articulate specific adult roles. These include: 1) Training and Capacity Building, 2) Challenging and Pushing, 3) Politicizing and Questioning, 4) Legitimizing and Opening, and 5) Sustaining and Gluing.