This booklet provides an introduction to the concept of youth involvement and is intended to provide information for those working in the delinquency fields. Traditionally youth involvement has been concerned with making programs more meaningful to youth and in fostering commitment on the part of youth to the goals of a program. This publication, however, is concerned with youth involvement defined as the active participation of young people in decision making regarding programs and policies that affect them and in implementing these programs and policies. After a discussion of the societal context for the participation of youth, the history of youth involvement, and various youth involvement models employed in the past it is concluded that with the exception of the development of techniques for involving delinquents in helping other delinquents very little has been learned about involving youth in decision making and program implementation. Recently, however, there has been a shift from treating youth as mere recipients of services to engaging them as active participants. Examples of such programs are presented. (RSM)